Rockin’ role: Meet the man behind the Manitoba Moose music

WINNIPEG — His name is JC Lipon but you can call him DJ JC.

“No, no, no,” said Lipon. “My nicknames are pretty set in stone.”

Okay the name may not be a hit with the Manitoba Moose forward. But music – that he’s a fan of.

“I like downloading music,” said Lipon. “There’s always other guys that complain about it but they probably have the worst music on their iPhone.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I like downloading music," said Lipon. "There's always other guys that complain about it but they probably have the worst music on their iPhone."

Lipon is tasked with setting the tempo inside the Moose dressing room.

“If it’s in the morning, it’s country or classic rock,” said the 22-year-old. “On a game day, it could be more upbeat stuff. Before the games, it’s all upbeat.”

With every teammate also a critic.

“You get responses from the team on which songs not to play and which songs they like,” said Lipon. “For the most part, they like my songs.”

Like Lipon said, for the most part.

“Sometimes the coaches will walk in to the room and hear some of the music that’s going on,” said Moose defenceman Josh Morrissey. “They’re not a huge fan of it. They like some older stuff.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Sometimes the coaches will walk in to the room and hear some of the music that's going on," said Moose defenceman Josh Morrissey. "They're not a huge fan of it. They like some older stuff."

But Lipon isn’t just responsible for pumping up players before a practice or game. He also takes care of the arena acoustics. Lipon selects the songs spun every warm-up. His goal is to help spark some energy once the puck drops.

“Music is a big part of the vibe before the game,” said Lipon. “If it’s quiet, that carries over. If it’s on tempo, it carries over to the game.”

And hopefully cues up a win.