Moose House DJ JC

Wait is that Runaway Train from Soul Asylum?

Sure it is, and there it was coming from the Manitoba Moose dressing room at MTS Centre early one morning last week.

It wasn’t loud, but it was clear and somehow very fitting in its tone.

It was the start of another day of honing the craft and gelling as a team for this year’s new Winnipeg-based AHLers; practice in the morning followed by an off-ice workout.

Spirits were up a little after the Moose earned a split in Charlotte, but there was plenty of work to be done with a group coming together still fairly early in a long and gruelling season.

The impressive Chicago Wolves were next on the schedule and sure to be a handful too so it would be easy for the players to get ahead of themselves but then there’s that music to keep things in the moment and help set a tone.

On this day that meant a series of chart-toppers from the 80’s and 90’s with some country music mixed in for good measure.

So who’s behind the tunes? Who has the important job of gauging the mood and helping keep everyone focused and yet at ease?

The answer is JC Lipon.

“In junior I was the guy, and now I’m the guy again” he said during a quick chat in the dressing room after practice Sunday.

The third-year pro has taken over the job from veteran Blair Riley who handled the duties with the Jets’s AHL team in St John’s before joining the Stockton Heat this season.

Lipon enjoys the role and says Riley allowed him to grow into the job last season by turning over mornings while keeping the all-important game-day duties for himself.

Now it’s all on J.C. but he’s confident in the role.

“In the morning it’s country and oldies; for games rap and electronic music; and I put the playlist together for warm up in the rink too.”

That’s right, if you get to MTS Centre early for the pre-game warm-up on game nights the music you’re listening to is handpicked by J.C.

Lipon says a key to getting things right is taking the time to say hi to the guys and get a feel for how they’re doing; from there it’s instinct and experience.

- Mitch Peacock - MooseHockey.com