The Daily hockey beat used to run a video series during the 2011-12 season called “Quick Hits.” They were one-on-one interviews with players that covered everyday life and all of its funny moments. But now, for budget reasons, it’s in written format.
For the last edition of the semester, The Daily’s Molly Shea and Tien Le sat down with linemates, sophomore defenseman Jack Summers and freshman defenseman Keaton Pehrson, to discuss the upcoming holiday season and their teammates.
***
Molly: We heard that it’s your birthday today. So, what’s your favorite birthday that you’ve ever had?
Keaton: Oooh. That’s tough. It’d probably be one when I was younger. Oh! I know which one it is. It’s my Golden Birthday when I was 10, and we went to the Water Park of America in Minneapolis. Got to stay overnight at the water park with a bunch of my buddies.
Tien: What about you, Jack?
Jack: Uhhhh. Probably just going to Zap Zone. Me and my buddies used to always go every year for my birthday and their birthdays, so that was always a fun time.
Tien: Molly just turned 19 the other week.
Jack: Oh really? What did you do for your birthday?
Molly: No. I’m 22. And I went to Rick’s.
Molly: You guys are a defensive pairing, if you had to come up with a nickname for your pairing what would it be?
Jack: Probably something like salad.
Keaton: Salad guys?
Jack: The salad men?
Keaton: Salad men!!!!
Tien: Why?
Jack: The hair. Long hair.
They both run their hands through their hair.
Keaton: Because the salad. It’s greasy.
Jack: Long hair. It’s called salad.
Molly: Ohhhhhhhh.
Tien: Fair enough. So you guys played juniors together, do you have any fun memories from that time together?
Keaton: I think it was fun just getting to play with him. Knowing we were both going to Michigan, build some chemistry early and then know we’re going to go to college together was pretty cool.
Jack: Yeah we played together that first year as a D-pair, so it was just good getting to know him early.
Molly: Favorite holiday tradition?
Jack: The team always gets together for a Christmas gathering before we all leave for break. So that’s pretty fun. Otherwise, just being able to go home for a week and spend time with the family and catch up with everyone and see everyone is always a good time.
Keaton: Yeah, getting to see family. I have a little pond in my backyard so we’ll shovel it off a rink and everyone will go skate out there. Which is pretty fun.
Tien: Favorite Christmas song?
Jack: That’s tough.
Keaton: All I Want for Christmas.
Jack: Mariah Carey!
Keaton: Yeah, Mariah Carey. That’s a good one.
Molly: If you had to switch lives with someone on the team, who would you pick?
Keaton: Oooh. I’d go Cam York. I’d wanna know what it’s like to have all those Instagram followers.
Freshman Cam York has 12.5k followers on Instagram, meanwhile Keaton has 1,475 and Jack has 794. Oof.
Jack: Man, I don’t know. Probably the same. He lives a pretty good life.
Keaton: See what it’s like to be famous. It’d be nice.
Molly: When did you stop believing in Santa?
Jack: Oooh. I think I was pretty old honestly.
Keaton: Mine was pretty late, too.
Jack: Maybe 10?
Keaton: Oh mine was later than that. It was probably, wait when’s middle school?
Jack: Eighth grade?
Keaton: No.
Jack: Freshman year?
Keaton: No. Probably like fifth or sixth grade. Right around when you’re getting ready to go to middle school. People would always tell me but I would always say, “No. He’s real!”
Molly: If, for whatever reason, the pilot couldn’t fly the plane, who would you trust the most?
Jack: Probably (Jack) Becker. He’s definitely the smartest guy on the team for sure.
Keaton: I’d say him, or Strauss (Mann). Strauss is just … not weird but … he’s a little different. So that’d be something he’d know how to do maybe. Just fly a plane.
Molly: Are you superstitious about any pregame routines?
Jack: Not really. I just do everything the same, every time. It’s not really a superstition. It just gets my mind right. It’s not too much.
Keaton: Yeah, not really.
Molly: Nick Blankenburg mentioned you like to sit in seat six in the stands before warmups.
Jack: Yeah. Row six, seat six. I just always do that.
Because that’s not superstitious at all…
Molly: Why’d you choose six as your jersey number?
Jack: So I grew up playing baseball, and that was always my baseball number. So when I had to choose between hockey or baseball, I picked hockey. So I always kept six in memory of baseball.
*Nick Blankenburg enters the room*
Nick *panicking*: We’re about to start lift. Can’t be late. Or else I’m screwed.
Tien: Alright, last question. So if you were stranded on a deserted island with someone from the team, who would you pick?
Keaton: I’m going to go with Winny (Adam Winborg). He seems like he’s got survival skills, and he’s a pretty big man. We could fend for ourselves, I think.
Jack: Yeah, definitely him.
Keaton *has an epiphany*: Oh! Ooh! Is it (the recording) still going? Luke Morgan actually. That guy is a survival man.