True Patriot Love - Olympic Gold, Reinvention & the Power of ‘Why Not You？’ ft. Jennifer Botterill

00:00:00.000 she's a member of the hockey hall of fame a three-time olympic gold medalist and now i believe

00:00:10.080 a soon-to-be best-selling author with a great book called why not you with a friend of mine

00:00:15.240 christina rutherford a book i greatly enjoyed about inspiration perseverance and and reaching

00:00:21.800 goals and jennifer an absolute pleasure thank you for joining us oh well thank you so much

00:00:26.540 nice to connect well you have so much on your plate let's just start with the first question

00:00:31.660 why a book why now at this point in your life sure well it's uh it's something that's been on my

00:00:37.600 radar or maybe my wish list for a really long time and i think for me i wanted to make sure

00:00:44.340 that i could allocate the dedication to it to make sure the project came together nicely

00:00:48.940 so i'm really thankful i've been surrounded by a great team christina was amazing to work with

00:00:55.740 in terms of picking out moments of my journey that were the most important or the most significant.

00:01:02.000 So in that sense, it's just been an amazing time of reflection.

00:01:06.760 And I think the one thing I was surprised at how strong I think all of the emotions were,

00:01:12.240 reliving everything in the book project.

00:01:14.820 So it's been a pleasure. Thank you.

00:01:16.480 Your father and Cal and your mother, Doreen, a huge influence in your life, obviously.

00:01:22.480 but I always I'm struck by the advice that Cal gave you as you were a young female athlete

00:01:29.140 trying to compete at the higher level and I know it related to athletics and hockey but as I read

00:01:35.500 it I felt it related to life the whole premise why not you like why not well exactly so it felt like

00:01:42.220 a very natural fit for the title of the book that it sort of originated from a you know one

00:01:50.020 conversation as a teenage girl growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba and lunch with my dad and the

00:01:54.940 advice that he shared that day was why not you and that conversation was about my dream and my

00:02:01.320 ambition of making an Olympic roster but then voicing to him that I wasn't sure if that was a

00:02:06.380 possibility and then him responding with why not you and you know it's not as though I was instantly

00:02:12.640 convinced it was a possibility but it certainly shifted my attitude of going for it or pursuing

00:02:19.060 that dream and then it has stayed very relevant throughout the course of my life so whether it

00:02:24.900 was applying to harvard university or career plans or goals in my career after competitive hockey

00:02:32.580 it has been a very i think consistent part of my approach to life so uh yes hugely grateful for the

00:02:40.180 influence that both my parents have had on me and your brother for people don't realize jason

00:02:45.140 Botterill um long time hockey career executive career uh you know you could have been a young

00:02:51.680 woman getting into hockey and had an older brother playing the elite level who wasn't supportive but

00:02:56.140 he was the complete opposite uh yeah I feel like Jason sort of provided I think this just constant

00:03:02.120 motivation of of what was possible and when I think back to my mom and dad you know in terms

00:03:09.040 of the environment Jason and I grew up in there wasn't pressure there wasn't expectation that we

00:03:13.660 had to pursue the sport of hockey or that we had to pursue elite competitive sports it was more

00:03:19.240 about communication with our parents and talking through what the possibilities might be what are

00:03:23.960 the choices for us in terms of sports activities schools that we could potentially attend and I

00:03:30.320 think from there Jason and I both found that internal drive and motivation and so I think for

00:03:36.280 Jason whether it was in basement hockey in Winnipeg or at the end of the street at the

00:03:40.140 Wildwood Park Community Center where we had the outdoor rink. I just think he was so inspirational

00:03:46.120 for me, but also supportive of the path that I was on and different decisions that I made along

00:03:51.360 the way. So we've remained close. He's been an amazing, I think, resource for me in terms of a

00:03:57.340 sounding board for possibilities throughout my life. But I think it's a reflection of some of

00:04:03.460 that communication and the conversations we had with our parents from a young age.

00:04:07.840 a very quick favor before we continue a large percentage of you who watch or listen to tpl

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00:04:34.320 nothing keeps you informed so thank you now back to the show three-time olympic gold medalist the

00:04:40.800 first time in salt lake city in 02 you're so very young and i was really encouraged by the stories

00:04:46.560 in the book of mentorship and i think that's one thing about hockey whether the olympic level or

00:04:51.440 the nhl level where the older athlete takes the real young player like look i'm gonna take you

00:04:56.640 under my wing i'm gonna shepherd you through this because we need you you're part of this

00:05:00.000 Well, absolutely. And when I look at my journey through Team Canada, you know, it was very different from making it as an 18 year old and then winning at 22. And that was a big part of going back on these memories and thinking about some of those leaders and some of the more experienced players that were hugely supportive.

00:05:20.740 I mean, Fran St-Louis is one that I mentioned in the book, and, you know, from the first Olympic year, I was 18, and she was turning 40.

00:05:29.360 And, I mean, we were competing for the same spot on that roster.

00:05:33.160 We eventually both made it, but I feel like throughout the entire process, she was so encouraging and so supportive,

00:05:40.160 not feeling intimidated by a young player that's trying to take one of those spots on the team.

00:05:45.160 And even when I had the chance to play on a line with her in terms of conversations,

00:05:49.680 communication, I just think it was about pushing each other, right, to a new level of performance.

00:05:55.900 And to this day, I think she's still an inspiration for one of the kindest, maybe most

00:06:01.720 thoughtful human beings I've ever met. I mentioned Cassie Campbell Pascal at one point,

00:06:07.060 giving me a nickname when I was part of the team and going into that Salt Lake City Olympic

00:06:10.660 year or the first time that we won. So there's so many little things. I think leaders on those

00:06:16.540 national teams that had strengths in different ways, but that were, I think, really influential

00:06:24.300 on me and my experience. And that's the one thing I took from the book in your journey with Team

00:06:29.580 Canada and all the Olympics is you are a group of sisters. It's an extended family for a bond that

00:06:36.460 will last for life most definitely and I mean we all agreed I mean every single night whether

00:06:43.080 there was a group of 20 of us or 28 players that were on a training roster through the you know

00:06:48.060 tryout process or the evaluation we didn't all have to go to dinner 20 28 of us every single

00:06:54.540 night but I do feel like there was an amazing connection and a mutual respect of every person's

00:07:01.300 strengths and absolutely every one of my teammates I consider a friend for life and what we went

00:07:06.600 through in terms of the demands of the Olympic process for the few years in between the training

00:07:12.480 days and I think there were a lot of days that were moments of joy and elation but also a lot

00:07:19.040 of demanding days physically mentally emotionally and so friends and teammates were such a massive

00:07:24.540 part of the support network. Speaking with Jennifer Bottle Roll the author of this great new book

00:07:28.700 why not you before we get to your award-winning broadcast career and where you are right now

00:07:34.140 for for those of us who don't know what it's like what is it like to get a call from someone like

00:07:39.720 ron francis to let you know that you're going to the hockey hall of fame i think that was just a

00:07:45.620 moment of pure happiness and at the time sort of a funny story that i was at my parents cottage in

00:07:52.340 manitoba and we had been on a on a boat so i didn't have my phone with me the day that they

00:07:57.660 making the calls and so eventually we got back from the boat ride and then my brother jason had

00:08:03.820 to eventually message my husband adrian to say look you need to get jen on her phone so i check

00:08:09.900 and then i see seven missed calls i wondered if something was wrong i called the number back and

00:08:15.260 sure enough it was the hockey hall of fame calling and so i ended up being sort of up one staircase

00:08:21.580 when i took the phone call uh so i think immediately it was just sort of tears of joy and

00:08:26.460 and happiness and I ran down the one flight of stairs

00:08:29.100 by the water and got to celebrate with my daughters,

00:08:31.700 with my husband and my parents,

00:08:33.900 which felt very fitting for that moment

00:08:35.980 to see the emotion from both my parents.

00:08:40.180 Did you ever think that you would end up having

00:08:42.600 the kind of broadcast career that you have had up to date?

00:08:47.360 Well, I think for me, it was staying open to possibilities.

00:08:51.180 I can't say as a young girl,

00:08:54.300 I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish,

00:08:56.780 but I was always a fan of the Olympic games.

00:08:59.960 So not only the athletes, the coverage, the storytelling,

00:09:03.120 how connected you felt to those big moments

00:09:05.180 that our country shared in.

00:09:07.680 And so I think for me, when I was playing,

00:09:10.580 I had done some keynote speaking events

00:09:12.540 when I was still an athlete.

00:09:13.800 And I had a conversation with Andre Bren,

00:09:16.180 who was the media relations contact at Hockey Canada

00:09:18.920 when I was retiring from the sport.

00:09:20.880 And he just asked if I was intrigued

00:09:23.640 interested in potential broadcasting opportunities and so he ended up

00:09:28.080 passing along an introduction to a couple networks and I think it was just

00:09:32.280 a path and an evolution of you know covering some international events

00:09:36.660 finding that this is something I really love and hopefully I can make the game

00:09:42.360 more captivating or more interesting for viewers and for fans and so I decided it

00:09:48.140 was something that I really wanted to dedicate myself to and and strive to

00:09:52.680 reach a level of excellence in that industry. Hey, before we go any further, please hit the

00:09:57.880 subscribe button right now. If you want the raw debates, the full uncut conversations you won't

00:10:03.100 see here, head straight to tplmedia.ca, subscribe, and lock in your membership. Trust me, you don't

00:10:08.980 want to miss what happens behind the paywall. All right, back to the show. I think there's a

00:10:13.680 misconception that you have to agree with everything everyone says in broadcasting. I didn't

00:10:19.060 always agree with everything ron mclean said or kelly rudy or what you said but i respected your

00:10:24.300 opinion and your acumen and your background and the message you were trying to get across

00:10:29.260 is that maybe the biggest sentiment from a lot of people maybe i didn't agree with what you said

00:10:33.960 this week but i respect you and i love what you had to say well absolutely and i think whether it

00:10:39.860 was it's you know from feedback of fans or viewers of the show or even within colleagues of mine the

00:10:47.300 panels that I was a part of in terms of those conversations, there's always a

00:10:51.060 level of mutual respect for our experiences in the game, opinions on

00:10:56.840 incidents that might happen in the game, or what the future of the game could

00:11:01.460 potentially look like. And I think I was really fortunate, yes, to receive a lot

00:11:06.740 of support that they were happy to hear perhaps a different perspective than

00:11:10.280 they had heard in a long time. And I always know when I'm covering a game,

00:11:14.660 whether it's an in-game analyst role or in a studio. I mean I'm never gonna

00:11:19.640 please a hundred percent of viewers all the time but I think we were all given

00:11:24.100 an opportunity to share our point of view, our perspective and to hopefully

00:11:29.900 articulate that. And so between those of us that were on a panel, mutual respect,

00:11:34.940 it's okay that we disagree. We agree we're gonna disagree but we can share

00:11:39.320 those opinions and hopefully it encourages people to think of things

00:11:44.420 from maybe a different point of view.

00:11:46.200 Before we get to your exciting new chapter,

00:11:47.860 what you're doing at TNT Sports,

00:11:49.700 how did you find out you were no longer going to be part

00:11:52.500 of Sportsnet slash Hockey Night in Canada?

00:11:55.300 And how did you take the news?

00:11:57.540 Yeah, I had great communication with them

00:12:00.620 throughout the spring and the summer.

00:12:02.940 And I'm filled with such gratitude for my years there.

00:12:07.100 And for me, they've been such a big part of my path

00:12:10.400 in broadcasting, even back to before I was a part

00:12:13.640 of Hockey Central or Hockey Night in Canada or Wednesday Night Hockeys, I had done the show

00:12:18.620 Rogers Hometown Hockey, and it was just such a significant point in my career of gaining

00:12:23.800 experience. And so for me, the same way we talked about teammates of mine with Team Canada,

00:12:30.100 my colleagues, friends for life in the industry, for me, I've been fortunate to also have the

00:12:36.440 opportunity to work with the NHL on TNT team, and it ended up being the right fit, the right

00:12:42.440 opportunity at this point in my life in my career so filled with gratitude looking back but also

00:12:49.800 feeling extremely grateful and excited for this phase and the opportunity to be a part of this

00:12:56.760 nhl on tnt team and to that end the nhl tnt jennifer bottle roll there will be some studio work but

00:13:03.560 you're doing a lot of analyst work am i correct that is where i do spend the majority of my time

00:13:09.000 with the nhl on tnt team so on site um typically up in the booth uh at the games um so it's it's

00:13:18.520 something i've really enjoyed to be in the action part of the conversation uh throughout the game

00:13:24.040 so something i've really loved i guess in support has always been such a big theme throughout this

00:13:29.720 book in your life from my perspective on interpreting the book the support of your family

00:13:34.920 the support of your husband and kids the support of your olympic teammates now broadcast who do you

00:13:40.280 support now uh hopefully a lot of people um and so yeah i think that's when i think back a lot of

00:13:47.720 people that have been such an integral part of my journey my life my career um i've been in touch

00:13:54.680 with some others in the industry that are aspiring to reach new levels and new opportunities and

00:13:59.800 hopefully provide some meaningful conversations. For me being a parent and

00:14:04.900 being a mom to three young kids I think is a massive priority for me and so

00:14:10.900 again I'm really thankful to have the chance to balance a career where I can

00:14:17.020 dedicate time to being at my best when it's time to prepare and get ready for a

00:14:22.300 show or a game but on the time when it's an opportunity to pick up my kids from

00:14:28.000 school or run a practice for them or be on the bench for one of their games i also want to make

00:14:33.040 sure that i'm fully present and engaged in those moments uh so that's a big focus of mine as well

00:14:39.200 i have two daughters in their 20s neither more than we're going to be broadcasters but

00:14:43.200 i think for them and their circle of girlfriends of people like you are inspiring to them

00:14:47.920 realizing that as the book says why not you and if you can do what you've done in broadcasting

00:14:53.600 in life they could do what they do in life and you know as a parent i appreciate that jennifer

00:14:58.000 Oh, well, thank you. That means a lot to me. And I take that to heart. And sometimes people have asked the question about my broadcasting career, what my hopes are for others in the future. And I think I'd maybe compare it to even the sport of female hockey. Not every girl has to play now, but I really love it's a choice for an activity or a sport.

00:15:20.400 And I guess I'm hopeful I've played a small part in creating more choice, whether it's on the air for broadcasting and covering the sport or if it's producing or directing or coaching or managing or scouting, whatever it might be.

00:15:34.760 Hopefully it's provided just a little more choice and opportunity for others.

00:15:38.980 So thank you for your kind comment.

00:15:40.860 You're very welcome.

00:15:41.640 And thank you for a great book.

00:15:42.860 I really enjoyed it.

00:15:43.800 And all the best.

00:15:45.020 I can't wait to see you on the NHL and TNT, Jennifer.

00:15:47.500 Oh, thanks for the nice conversation.

00:15:49.040 And say hi to your daughters for me, too.

00:15:50.820 Will do.

True Patriot Love - October 04, 2026

Olympic Gold, Reinvention & the Power of ‘Why Not You？’ ft. Jennifer Botterill

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