In Episode 5 of Peach State Puck, host Matteen Rad shines a spotlight on the people who rarely receive the recognition they deserve but have helped shape hockey throughout Georgia for decades. While players score the goals and coaches draw up the game plans, the sport’s foundation is built by countless individuals working behind the scenes. Through an in-depth conversation with longtime ice technician, Zamboni driver, and Georgia hockey historian Kyle Schnitzer, listeners get an inside look at the passion and dedication required to keep the game alive across the Peach State.

Kyle shares his journey from growing up during the Atlanta Thrashers era to playing youth and high school hockey, working for the Atlanta Gladiators, maintaining the ice at Akins Ford Arena for the Athens Rock Lobsters, and becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Georgia hockey despite never wearing a professional jersey. Along the way, he offers a fascinating behind the scenes look at ice maintenance, arena operations, equipment management, and the countless details that fans never see but are essential to making every game possible.

The conversation also explores the remarkable growth of hockey throughout Georgia, from the expansion of youth programs and adult leagues to the arrival of new professional franchises across the state. Kyle explains why grassroots development remains the key to hockey’s future, discusses the possibility of the NHL returning to Atlanta, and reflects on why preserving Georgia’s hockey history is just as important as building its future. His work documenting the sport through the Peach State Hockey Collection has become an invaluable archive of the teams, players, and moments that have shaped hockey culture throughout the region.

Part conversation, part history lesson, and part celebration of the people working behind the scenes, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how hockey has quietly flourished in Georgia. Whether you’re a lifelong fan, an aspiring hockey professional, or someone curious about what it takes to build a successful hockey community from the ground up, this episode reveals that the future of the game depends just as much on the people behind the glass as those on the ice.

00:00 - Welcome Back to Peach State Puck

02:17 - Around Georgia Hockey

06:45 - Meet Kyle Schnitzer

15:59 - Finding a Career in Hockey

23:15 - What an Ice Manager Actually Does

28:11 - When the Ice Doesn’t Cooperate

32:07 - Can Hockey Keep Growing in Georgia?

37:24 - Preserving Georgia Hockey History

40:28 - The Future of Hockey in the Peach State