During the NHL season, Ontario hockey player Ryan O’Reilly is busy putting up numbers on the ice. But in the off-season, you might find him in a recording studio in Nashville, creating a kids’ album under his alter ego, Mac, alongside Cheeze, his former teammate and friend Kelly James. The pair released their first album, Pizza Party, in April — and they’ve been hard at work writing another one. We caught up with O’Reilly just before the NHL regular season kicks off again to talk about his new passion.
Where did the idea for Mac N Cheeze come from?
I was always making silly little songs for my kids, and since I signed in Nashville, my wife originally had the idea of me recording the songs just to play in the car, so they [my family] could listen to my voice. I called up my buddy [Kelly] because we always had this funny idea for a kids’ duo called Mac N Cheeze.
I heard a certain Toronto musician influenced your music.
Yes, I went to a Raffi [the famous children’s singer behind “Baby Beluga,”] concert, and my kid was just so entertained. He [Raffi] is someone I really idolize, especially now just dipping our toes into this children’s music space.
Were you always interested in music?
I got a guitar for my 16th birthday, and that was right around when YouTube was coming out, so I taught myself through those free lessons online. In hockey, you have a lot of down time, so I kind of got into playing that way. I remember being really into City and Colour, and the first time I was able to play one of his songs and make it kind of sound like Dallas Green, I thought it was the coolest thing. And obviously the Hip was a huge influence growing up; all you want is to be onstage and buzzing around like Gord Downie.
Fast facts
Name: Ryan O’Reilly (a.k.a. Mac)
Record breaker: Holds Team Canada record for most World Championship games
Playoff power: Joined the Leafs in 2023 and led them to a historic first-round playoff win
Toronto roots: Played for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the OJHL
Are your kids your focus group for new song ideas?
For sure. Even just messing around the house and singing a crazy lyric, and then you’ll hear them singing it later in the day, it’s like, “Oh, we’ve got something good there.” Sometimes we even ask them for ideas. One of the songs on the album is “Bok Like a Chicken,” and that’s because I asked my then-four-year-old Jameson what he wanted to hear a song about, and he said, “Well, I want to hear a chicken bawking.”
How have your teammates reacted to this new project?
When the album dropped, it was still during the season, and when I got off the ice one night, I could hear a bunch of guys in the shower singing one of the songs: “Coconut.” It’s hilarious that we got it stuck in their heads! They’ve really been my biggest fans. Last year, “Pizza Party” was our win song.
What advice do you have for people who have multiple interests, like a sport and an art?
I’m a hockey player and I feel like I have the greatest job in the world — but I also love playing music and being creative. I think kids should get into anything you want, find what excites you about it and give it everything you have. Sometimes we get stuck in these avenues where we feel we have to do it this one way, but you don’t. If you love something, do it and be OK if you’re not good at it. My buddy and I, we’ve never done anything like this, and we’re around all these musicians, and we catch ourselves being shy. But eventually it’s like, “Hey, let’s just enjoy this!”
What do you miss about Canada when you’re gone?
My wife is from Toronto, so we love going back to the Beaches. And there’s something about people in Canada; they’re so good and people just take care of each other.