Heise’s Still the Nickname with Taylor Fox

Sarah Spain (0:01)

Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're giving you permission to call in sick today to watch game six of the WNBA Finals at 1230 PM Eastern. If your boss complains, just give them our voicemail number. We'll set them straight.

It's Thursday, October 29th, and on today's show, we're skipping the need to know and getting straight to my conversation with reigning Olympic hockey champion and Minnesota Frost forward, Taylor Fox, who you likely know as Taylor Heise. Your girl got married over the summer, and she now has a new last name on her jersey, so watch out for that on the ice. I caught up with Taylor earlier this week before Team USA took the ice for their first exhibition game against rival Canada. We discussed how the team is preparing for the upcoming World Championship, the most fun parts about the off-ice hangouts with teammates during training, and how our marriage started with a beer pong meet-cute. It's all coming up right after this.

Joining us now, she's a forward for the reigning Olympic champion, the US. Women's Hockey Team and the Minnesota Frost of the PWHL. She played her college hockey at the University of Minnesota, where she won the Patti Kasmeier Award as the nation's best player in 2022 A two-time Walter Cup champ with the Frost and the 2024 Alana Kloss Playoff MVP. She delivered the pass to Megan Keller for the goal that sealed gold in Milan. She grew up on a dairy farm. She's got the cutest pup named Winston. She just got married, and we're definitely going to call her Taylor Heise a few times by mistake this season. It's Taylor Fox. Hi, Taylor.

Taylor Fox (1:26)

Hi, how are you?

Sarah Spain (1:28)

Taylor Fox is going to get some, it's going to take some getting used to.

Taylor Fox (1:31)

100 percent, and I will give people grace on it. I'm not too crazy about it, nor do I think it's that big of a deal, but here we are.

Sarah Spain (1:39)

Are these upcoming games going to be the first with the Fox jersey?

Taylor Fox (1:42)

I got to do two photo shoots this summer. I got to see the jersey and obviously sent it to Parker and his family, and they were super pumped.

Yeah, really excited, and we're with the US team right now. Our coach and some of the girls, some of the ones come up and ask me, and I was like, Heise is still my nickname, not a problem. You can call me Taylor Heise. I'm not going to dissociate you for my life, so you're good to go.

Sarah Spain (2:03)

I feel like it's especially hard in sports because usually people go by last names. I'm just Spain to almost everyone, so if I changed mine, it would be a whole new name altogether. Well, the last time I saw you, you weren't quite married yet. We were living it up in Vegas for She Weekend with Flavor Flav, hanging out with the Backstreet Boys and riding on top of a bus down the Strip.

Taylor Fox (2:22)

And you did the splits.

Sarah Spain (2:23)

I did do the splits. The word is getting out now. I'm getting requests everywhere it goes. So they've been happening more frequently ever since the Backstreet Boys splits went viral.

Taylor Fox (2:33)

Made the rounds. Yes.

Sarah Spain (2:34)

Not quite viral, but made the rounds for sure. You two resisted getting married by an Elvis impersonator in Vegas, although there were some people urging that. And you got married in August. So what's married life been like?

Taylor Fox (2:45)

It's been great. Parker and I have lived together for the past two and a half years. So it actually has felt like we've been married for a long time. But no, it's been super fun. Winston always keeps things entertaining.

He's going through a naughty phase right now. I just saw him on the Furbo camera eating my ugg. And Parker will not be home from work for a while. So that's been great. But other than that, everything's been good. Like I think the non-stress of wedding planning and just getting to chill and enjoy. Each other's company has been really fun.

Sarah Spain (3:13)

Yeah. Can you tell us how beer pong played a role in you guys meeting?

Taylor Fox (3:16)

Yeah. So that's how we met. Parker played red shirted and then played three years at the University of Northern.

Why am I blanking? I only know him from the Gophers.

Sarah Spain (3:27)

This is important. Probably should have figured this out before the wedding.

Taylor Fox (3:30)