Work Hard, Play Hard

When the sun rises, so does Joe Zelenka. The ping of his alarm sounds at 5 a.m and it’s go time. 

Some mornings, early-bird hockey practice calls. On others, surgeons need scalpels and vitals need checking. 

This go around, it’s a Friday — the tail end of his trio of 12-hour shifts as an operating room nurse at St. John’s Hospital. By 6:45 a.m., he’s attentive in a meeting, jotting down the day’s operation schedule.

At 7:30 a.m., he’s scrubbed in, dueling instruments back and forth between surgeons, overseeing the sterile field. 

Finally, 7 p.m. hits, and he begins his mad dash to Snow King Sports and Events Center, where the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. and the Jackson Hole Moose take the ice. 

“I miss warm ups, put the gear on and just go play hockey,” Joe said. 

Robotic hernias, total joint surgeries, knee and hip reconstruction are just a handful of the surgeries Joe helps orchestrate. Simply put, his job isn’t like the rest of ours but the assists don’t just happen under the knife.

Joe, a Michigan native, plays forward for the Jackson Hole Moose, and is collectively known around town for shooting zingers and shutting out bad guys on Friday and Saturday nights. 

The Moose, equipped with a 20-plus man roster, play a 30-game season within the Senior A division of the U.S.A. Hockey Association — seems pretty standard, right? Many, however, would argue that the Moose are far from the average.

On winter weekend nights, hundreds flock to the rink to watch the Moose play. When the beer is plentiful and fights are encouraged, the guys behind the glass thrive. 

“Who would’ve thought that in Senior A Men’s League hockey that you’d get to play in front of thousands of fans a weekend,” said Ryan Glantz, a forward for the Moose. “And still being able to live a Jackson Hole life — skiing and having fun — it’s kind of the whole package.”

Ryan, now in his seventh season with the Moose, has never not loved hockey — so much so that he made the sport his career.

After the demand for private lessons got high, Ryan went all in on building his own company.

Following in the footsteps of his dad, Ryan started his own organization, Ryan Glantz Hockey, in 2024. Focusing on developing and strengthening youth hockey players in “the core aspects of the game,” Ryan hosts camps, clinics and individual sessions all winter long, and has recently expanded to rinks outside of Jackson. 

“I’ve had a couple of parents do this over the years, where they show me a video of their kid scoring a goal,” Ryan said. “And I look, and they’re doing the exact same move that I taught them. That’s super special to me.”

It wasn’t all hat tricks and breakaways, though. Ryan dealt with all the trials and tribulations many independent business owners face — juggling administrative duties and managing the risk of burning out.

“It’s for sure some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey.”  — Robbie Leslie 

But, after one year of his new gig, Ryan has found the work-life balance he had always been searching for. 

“Coaching, playing and practicing, too — if you’re not giving your best and not showing the effort every time you step on that ice, it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’” Ryan said. 

Robbie Leslie, a goaltender for the Moose and project engineer for Two Ocean Builders echoed Ryan, adding that having faith in what you do fosters success, on and off the ice. 

“In hockey, as well as at work, just having confidence in yourself to be able to make decisions is important,” Robbie said. 

After graduating from the University of Denver, Robbie moved to Jackson when former Moose head coach Bob “Howie” Carruth, a high school classmate of Robbie’s dad, called with a roster spot. 

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the future, so I was kind of like, ‘Hey, I’ll go to Jackson Hole and play hockey for a year and enjoy myself, then I’ll go back to Minnesota and find a job,’” Robbie said. “I’ve been here ever since.”

After coaching a private lesson, Robbie was approached by the parent of a client, who subsequently offered him a job in custom home building. 

For the last three years, Robbie has spent his weekdays on job sites, managing remodels and new million-dollar builds. While his line of work varies from his hobbies, the lessons learned have never failed to overlap between the two. 

“I didn’t become the hockey player I am now in a year,” Robbie said. “It took me 22 years to be a good hockey player, so I take that same approach at my job. Everyday you’re learning. It’s okay to make mistakes, and as long as you're learning from your mistakes, you’re doing something right.”

For Mason Brinich, playing hockey in college was like a job. It was a demanding, high-pressure environment, which ultimately stripped him of his love for the game he grew up playing.

However, when Mason got a job as a head accountant with Aermark at Signal Mountain Resort, he decided to give hockey another go around. 

“I’ll never forget — my first shift, I elbowed number 23 on the Bozeman Stingers in the head as hard as I could and the whole place went nuts,” Mason said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do this forever.’”

Mason has always been a numbers guy. When he’s not slamming opponents into the boards, he’s mapping money to and from Signal Mountain Resort, ensuring vendors and employees receive their cut.

“When I start in the mornings, I’m just an accountant,” Mason said. “Then, on Friday night, we’ll go out and play Vail and fight a few of their guys.”

Planning ahead allows Mason to leave work off the ice and put his entire mind into the game. By having a job that he can manage efficiently, he’s been able to make time for the things he loves.

“If you put your passions first, while also still working and finding something you’re good at… there’s balance in that,” Mason said. 

While Joe, Ryan, Robbie and Mason’s day jobs vary from one another, there’s always something that they can all agree on — and that’s their love of hockey.

“Brian ‘Upes’ Upeslieja said to us that this was his NHL, and honestly, I agree with him,” Ryan said. “I still love playing and I can make a very educated guess that all the other guys will say the same thing.”

And they did. 

“Just seeing how much joy it brings the community is really fulfilling,” Joe said.

“It’s just hard to put into words how special it is,” Mason echoed.

“It’s for sure some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey,” Robbie said. “I’m blessed that I’m able to be a part of it.”

Catch the Moose

Want to enjoy all the excitement of a Moose Hockey game in Jackson Hole? The season’s first puck drops on November 14th. Games start at 7:00 p.m. at the Snow King Sports and Events Center (100 E. Snow King Ave.). Purchase tickets online ahead of time at snowkingsec.com/events-ticketing/ or get tickets at the door.