Q and A with your Winnipeg Jets Gameday Hosts

This season, the Winnipeg Jets are excited to welcome a new member to the gameday presentation team. Karly Troschuk joins Drew Kozub and Brody Jackson as a third Winnipeg Jets Gameday Host at Canada Life Centre.
Drew, Brody and Karly took time out of their own pre-season training camp to tell us some of their favourite things about being at a Jets game and what they are most looking forward to about the season:

What are you most looking forward to about being back at Canada Life Centre?
Drew: I've missed those random and fun chats with fans and the stories that come from them. You can run into a former teacher, or a person you worked with ten years ago at a summer job, or you might spot someone with a hilarious sign!
Brody: The fans, the atmosphere, and the people. Jets fans are so much fun to interact with. Also, hearing the crowd erupt when the players first hit the ice. I can picture it now - it will be a powerful moment that only Jets fans can bring.
Karly: The atmosphere. Is there anything more exciting than the anticipation before puck drop at Canada Life Centre? I get goosebumps during the pre-game!

It's been a while, what does your pre-season training camp look like?
Drew: Walking around my house practicing saying "Jets fans...Welcome back to Canada Life Centre" while my cats stare at me in puzzled curiosity.
Brody: I bought an elliptical over the summer and used it once, so I'm excited to run the stairs of Canada Life Centre. As for the vocal cords, I've tried warming up in the house by singing along to The Wiggles with my son.
Karly: I'm just getting into the habit of wearing real pants again. I've spent a lot of time in sweats over the past year and a bit.
Pre-game routine or warm-up?
Drew: Every game, Brody and I take turns buying each other a coffee and then we practice singing the anthems just in case we need to cover for Stacey Nattrass at the last minute. Now that there's three of us, I bet we could pull off some great harmonies!
Brody: Like all high-performance athletes, I like to prepare for the game with a nap and a few pizza pops. When I get to the rink, the top-notch promotions team meets up, where we review the script to prepare for the game ahead!
Karly: Probably just some awkward dancing. I'm always dancing.

Hockey or hosting superstitions?
Drew: There are three microphones in rotation during the games, and I try to get the one with the blue tape on it because I feel like it will help me do a better job (Blue for Drew).
Brody: I have a pair of lucky pants I'll bring out whenever the team hits a rough patch. I've had them since I began my tenure as an in-game host back in 2013, and they're a bit tighter than they used to be.
Karly: I'm incredibly superstitious. My dogs are not allowed to wear their Jets jerseys during any Jets games. I think it's the only rule we have for them in our house.
Favourite Canada Life Centre concession snack?
Drew: Nachos and cheese from Aviators' Grill or Fan Fuel, no salsa or green onions, just lots of cheese please!
Brody: Drew's nachos. I mean, there's a tonne of food I like at the rink (everyone knows Canada Life Centre has THE BEST popcorn), but Drew's nachos are my favourite because he bought them.
Karly: Fries from Gourmet Burger!
Favourite song to pump you up at a Jets game?
Drew:All The Small Things by Blink 182. Whenever it plays in the arena, I try to get people to sing along with me. My record was three other people singing, but someday I dream the entire arena will be belting out the "Na-na-na-na" part!
Brody: I'm a country music guy, so every time I hear Thank God I'm a Country Boy, I'll sing and clap along with John Denver. If any Blink 182 comes on though, look for Drew in the bowl. He goes bonkers.
Karly:Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters.

Favourite hockey slang?
Drew: "Between the pipes". I picture Super Mario in goalie equipment between the green pipes of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Brody: "Bottle rocket." As in "Connor just ripped a bottle rocket top cheds" as the water bottle goes flying off the net.
Karly: "Clapper" and "apple".
Favourite Jets player and why?
Drew: If we're talking 1.0, it's Teppo Numminen because I had two pages of Teppo hockey cards and loved the song Numminen from the Jets Hockey Rock album of 1995. On the current roster, it's Hellebuyck because he is just so dialed in and focused and amazing at his job!
Brody: This is a tough one, but I'll give a shout-out to Neal Pionk. At the last Winnipeg Jets Skills Competition, I chatted with Neal and asked him about previous skills competitions with the New York Rangers. He said that because of Madison Square Garden's busy schedule, the team didn't have one. He loved the experience, especially because of how much fun the fans were having. Then he skated off and signed a tonne of autographs for kids along the boards.
Karly: For Jets 1.0, it would be Teemu. I met him once with my boyfriend and cropped my boyfriend out of the picture. True story. For Jets 2.0, I'm a goalie, so I have to say Hellebuyck - plus he had a husky on his helmet.
What
Jets promo night
are you most looking forward to and why?
Drew: Over the years of doing this job, I've come to know and enjoy seeing familiar faces at Canadian Armed Forces Night, and it's always so cool to see the team come out after the game to sign autographs and chat with the members of the RCAF. I'm also super curious to see what the snow globes look like for the game on
Dec. 19
!
Brody: There is a special place in my heart for Hockey Fights Cancer Night in November. The cancer survivors that take to the ice during the pre-game ceremony inspire every single person in the building as well as every person that watches on TV. Each one is a hero, and it's always a powerful moment when we get to meet our heroes.
Karly:
March 15 Mini Jersey Giveaway
because I love tiny objects! I run a restaurant for squirrels in my backyard filled with tiny Jets things. Check out
@SQRLrestaurant
on Instagram!
Favourite Jets fans and/or fan moment?
Drew: During the Whiteout in 2015, there was a stoppage in play at one game and Jets fans were so amped up that they refused to stop chanting "Go Jets Go!" It felt like it lasted for ten minutes, when realistically it was probably only 90 seconds. Still, there was this moment where there was no action on the ice, but the fans didn't want the momentum to stop for the team, so everyone kept chanting "Go Jets Go!" to keep the players fired up.
Brody: The time legendary fan Kroppy was featured in Fan vs. Fan. Rather than pit Kroppy against another fan, we put him up against himself. The entire rink was standing including the Jets and the visiting Ottawa Senators. There were tears everywhere, including some from this choked-up in-game host as I tried to execute the contest on the microphone.
Karly: How do you not say Dancin' Gabe? He's a legend and he rocks a Starter jacket.
Most prized Jets possession?
Drew: A gold-coloured paper wristband that was issued to me so I could attend a press conference at the arena as a member of the media. That press conference was to announce the return of the Jets!
Brody: At the 2016 Heritage Classic, I got to interview Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne on the Jets bench in a TV timeout, and I was able to get a picture of that moment. My wife framed the picture and it now hangs above the seat at home where I watch Jets away games. Ducky was a special man and will forever mean the world to this city and province.
Karly: I have one white pompom from the year the Jets 1.0 left. I only bust it out when the Jets are in the playoffs.
Say one nice thing about each of your co-hosts
Drew: Brody is so kind, genuine, and likeable. When he's in the room, he draws everybody into the conversation and makes them part of the fun! Karly is so talented - whether it's on the ice as a goalie, on a stage as an emcee, or in her backyard with her pretend restaurant for squirrels, she excels at everything she does.
Brody: There isn't a nicer person than Drew. Genuine, professional, and ridiculously funny, Drew is always an engaging conversation. Without Jets games to host, I've missed seeing Drew every few days…and eating his nachos. Pretty sure Karly only applied for the third in-game host position so that she could pet the Guest Ambassador dogs. She is an avid supporter of many charitable causes, including animal rescue organizations, which shows you just how great of a person Karly is.
Karly: Brody is hilarious and hopefully he doesn't find this creepy, but he smells really nice. Drew is incredibly kind and very good at pretending to care every time I tell him a story about the squirrels in my yard.
Shout out to a frontline worker in your life!
Drew: My sister Lauren is the public health nurse in the town of Riverton, Man. where I grew up. She, like so many others on the frontlines, has been working tirelessly to put the needs of others at the forefront so we can all get back to doing things we love like going to Jets games!
Brody: Shout-out to all the nurses in my family and my many teacher friends, but my sister Breanna is and always will be my frontline hero! As a public health nurse, she's dealt with a lot more than any of us could ever imagine during the pandemic, and she's done it with a dedicated work ethic and a smile on her face.
Karly: Shout-out to my friend Brandon! He's a paramedic and had to quarantine from his wife and newborn a few times throughout the pandemic.
On that note, if you are a frontline worker, apply for a set of tickets to one of the three pre-season home games at
WinnipegJets.com/TICKETS/FrontlineWorkers
.
See Karly, Drew and Brody in action starting this pre-season on Sept. 26 vs. Ottawa. Choose from Full-Season, Quarter Season Plans, groups or individual tickets at
WinnipegJets.com/TICKETS
.