THIS IS THE RECALIBRATED PODCAST
WITH MALLORY BROWN
Kelly Backes is the wife of Anaheim Ducks star David Backes. She’s actively involved in a number of ministries with wives of athletes.
She also fosters pets, and she and David founded Athletes for Animals, a non-profit that connects athletes with a shared passion for animals, educates the public about responsible pet ownership, promotes pet adoption, raises funds and distributes grants to support best practices in animal welfare.
They have years of experience as board members at Five Acres Animal Shelter, a no-kill organization in the St. Louis area. Kelly served as interim executive director and was also the vice president of the board.
She is also passionate about the Starkey Hearing Foundation because of her own hearing impairment story. She and David now live in the Newport Beach, California, area with their daughter Stella, son Dawson, and four pets.
Latvia's Teodors Blugers (23) challenges with Denmark's Frederik Andersen (31) during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)
For the first time since 2014, NHL players are allowed to compete at the Olympic Winter Games. And of the dozens of NHL players currently chasing gold as they represent their countries this year in Milan, Italy, some of them are also professing believers in Jesus Christ.
One such player is Latvia’s Teddy Blueger, a center for the Vancouver Canucks.
The 31-year-old (whose Latvian name is Teodors Blugers) has yet to record a point in Italy, as Latvia won one game and dropped two during pool play. But he’ll be leaned upon to keep Latvia from going home. Despite finishing fourth in Group C, Blueger and his teammates aren’t out of medal contention yet; all 12 teams will appear in the knockout stage.
“Everyone takes a lot of pride in playing for their national team,” Blueger told Canucks Insider in the lead-up to the Olympics. “It’s a huge deal at home (in Latvia), it’s a big honor, and we’re looking forward to going there and just competing.”
"Everyone takes a lot of pride in playing for their national team. It's a huge deal at home, it's a big honour, and we're looking forward to going there and just competing."
Teddy Blueger discusses his return to play, success on the penalty kill, and the 2026 Winter Olympics. pic.twitter.com/ESsSQiMilk
An even greater joy for Blueger than representing Latvia is representing Christ in Italy.
“It eventually just kind of felt right,” Blueger said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in October 2023 about becoming a Christian. “I knew God was there and I could see Him working in my life.”
Blueger’s road to surrendering control of his life fully to God was years long. He grew up in Riga, Latvia, knowing next to nothing about Christianity, and it wasn’t until he came to the United States as a teenager that God began to change things.
God was at work through countless Bible studies, countless hockey chapels, and countless Sunday morning services in countless different cities to soften Blueger’s heart toward Him. But ultimately, it wasn’t until God used a relationship with a young lady Blueger met in high school in Minnesota, named Monique LaFontaine, that Blueger came to saving faith.
Because of LaFontaine’s gentle yet persistent urging, Blueger became a regular at church. And because of her character, Blueger became captivated with the character of God. His eyes began to open and he began to recognize God’s steadfast presence in each chapter of his life.
“She’s got Jesus just shining through her because of the type of person she is,” Blueger said on the podcast. “… You look back and you see God working in your life in all these ways.”
Blueger’s pro hockey career began when the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him out of Minnesota State in 2016. Pittsburgh is where he played the first 4.5 years of his career. He loved the city. But everything was uprooted when, in March 2023, he was traded from the Penguins to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Blueger’s initial anguish around being shipped to Las Vegas quickly turned to joy, however, when the Knights went on to win the 2022-23 Stanley Cup.
On the podcast, Blueger explained the difficulty of trusting God’s plan amid the uncertainty of the trade and the blessing it is to surrender all things to Him.
“Ultimately, even if I think I have all this control, I don’t,” he said. “… It’s been an awesome journey, and God’s done some amazing things in my life.”
Blueger, who recently spoke about unselfishness in a new seven-day devotional for the YouVersion Bible app, will seek to focus on the task in front of him during Latvia’s trek through the Olympics and once again trust in God for his NHL future.
Puck-drop for Latvia’s knockout-round matchup against Sweden on Tuesday will be at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The Washington Capitals acquired defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators on an expiring contract in July 2024. It worked out so well for both sides that they agreed on an eight-year, $72 million extension before Chychrun could even test free agency.
Washington finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and Chychrun posted career-bests in goals (20), points (47) and plus-minus (17). He also tied a career-high with 27 assists.
The 27-year-old has been even better this season, collecting 11 goals and 14 assists in the Capitals’ first 30 games. After Monday night, he is leading all NHL defenseman in goals, his 25 points rank sixth among defensemen, and he is fifth in the NHL with a plus-minus of 24. Washington sits atop the Eastern Conference with a 18-9-3 record.
On Sunday, Chychrun’s 11th goal opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I think every team wants to be able to win those type of games, those tight, low-scoring games where there’s not much room out there,” he said after the game. “That’s two highly skilled teams, so for it to be held to a 1-0 game late is, I think, a credit to both sides.”
A first-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, Chychrun spent six full seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Senators midway through the 2022-23 season. One of the main things he credits for his emergence since arriving in Washington D.C. is his faith in God.
“It’s been a big part of my life this year, just starting to build a relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which has helped me a ton,” Chychrun said in May. “I think it’s made me a completely better person, better teammate, better son, brother, husband. It’s given me a different perspective on even coming to the rink every day.”
In the same press conference, Chychrun shared that he and some of his teammates had participated in a Bible study throughout the season. What started as three people turned into a group of between eight and 10.
Building an identity rooted in the Lord and being able to discuss his faith journey with teammates has helped Chychrun build deeper relationships: with God, with teammates and with his wife.
“It was a special, kind of, thing we had going this year that I think has helped a lot of us,” he said. “[It] has become a huge part of my life, for me and my wife.”
After the Capitals were upset by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs, Chychrun celebrated the season and his new contract in an Instagram post. In the post, he shared a Bible verse that was a source of inspiration throughout the season.
“Grateful beyond words for this season — my first diving deep into my faith, which has transformed me as a player and a person,” he wrote. “Colossians 3:17 says, ‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’ This verse carried me through every challenge and triumph, on and off the ice. Huge thanks to our incredible fans and the organization for believing in me — I’m honored to sign on for eight more years.”
Nick and Marcus Foligno have built long NHL careers on toughness, leadership and a willingness to rise in big moments. But this season, perhaps the moment that matters most won’t show up in a box score.
Though the two brothers play on separate teams, they’re teaming up to raise money for breast cancer research in honor of their late mother, Janis, who died in 2009. Through a partnership with the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, NHL, NHLPA and the V Foundation via Hockey Fights Cancer, the Foligno Face-Off has become one of the most meaningful initiatives of their careers.
“It’s really special,” Nick, the Blackhawks captain, recently told NHL.com. “Obviously, it’s something that’s near and dear to us with our mother and losing her to breast cancer. But the fight continues and that’s something Marcus and I have always said we would do in her honor is to continue to fight and continue to find ways to make it a better outcome for somebody else. I think she’d be proud of that.”
This year’s campaign invites fans to donate $17 — a nod to the number both brothers wear — or whatever they can give. One hundred percent of every donation goes directly to the V Foundation for breast cancer research, expanding the impact of the Janis Foligno Foundation, which has raised more than $1.2 million for research and patient care.
For the brothers, this is more than a cause. It’s a continuation of the life their mother helped shape. Her voice, her presence and her joy still echo in the memories that shaped them. While their dad, Mike, played in the NHL, Janis was often the one driving them to their own games and practices, which were often several hours away.
She made plenty of sacrifices to help both brothers reach their dreams of playing professional hockey.
“Our dad played hockey, and we listened to him for advice on how to play,” Marcus, a forward for the Wild, told The Athletic in 2023. “But if it wasn’t for our mom getting us where we needed to go, being such a supporter and booster of our confidence, I don’t think we would have made it.”
“She was the drill sergeant in the family, the motivator, the everything, really,” Nick told The Athletic. “She was the rock — which is why it really rocked our family when we lost her.”
Though she never saw the full arc of their NHL careers, she did see both boys get drafted and saw the start of Nick’s career after he was drafted in 2006 and made his debut in 2007. Marcus was drafted in June 2009 — by the Buffalo Sabres, one of the teams his father played for — and Janis passed away in July.
“It was emotional,” Marcus told The Athletic. “You think your mother hung on for that day, to see you get drafted. It was weird how full circle it was. Buffalo. It could have been anywhere in the NHL. She knew I’d be going home with a lot of family and friends there. She knew I’d be good. I’d be safe. It was a crazy, crazy, special moment.”
The lessons she instilled carry forward in both men’s lives, now shaping the way both brothers parent their own kids and the way they lead in their locker rooms.
Their faith in God also plays a central role in how they move through grief, success and every season in between. Both are actively involved with Hockey Ministries International.
Nick often returns to the clarity of Romans 12:12, which says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
“I just love how simple and direct a message it is,” he once told HMI. “I think it perfectly describes the journey we go on in our faith in Christ. Always be hopeful because without it, I firmly believe we are lost. When hard times come, be patient and strong and know it won’t last. And lastly be constantly in dialogue with Jesus because to me that’s how you stay connected.”
Marcus said he’s fortunate to be able to play the game he loves “with Christ guiding me through all the ups and downs.”
“Attending team chapels throughout the season also helps me,” he once told HMI. “Our schedule is demanding and it’s easy to get caught up in uncontrollable events. Chapel provides a place for me and some of my teammates to sit down, reflect and grow our faith together. It helps us see the bigger picture and ease the stresses that come with our job — and to let go and focus on Jesus.”
Nick missed the first of his face-offs with Marcus (Nov. 26) due to injury, but the brothers are scheduled to meet three more times this season (Jan. 27, March 17 and March 19). Each time, fans can choose between Team Nick or Team Marcus, and each donor will be entered to win a Hockey Fights Cancer jersey signed by both brothers, as well as a signed puck from one of the teams.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING KENT JOHNSON & OWEN POWER
Owen Power is a defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres. He was selected first overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, and made his NHL debut on April 12, 2022, against Toronto.
Kent Johnson is a center for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was selected fifth overall in the same 2021 NHL Draft, and made his NHL debut April 13, 2022, against Montreal.
Power and Johnson were teammates in college at the University of Michigan.
Today on the podcast, Owen Power and Kent Johnson talk about their time together in college, being top-five picks in the same draft, growing in their faith in Jesus, and how they want to live out their faith through the platform of hockey.
