5 Things You Might Not Know: Da Tif Edition

He Loves His Sleep

We all know Yannick Tifu as an energetic and VERY entertaining individual, but that's only because he naps. A LOT. “I’m a big sleeper,” Tifu explained. “If I could sleep 24/ 7 I would.” You might think he is exaggerating, but on a non-game day, Tifu hits the pillow from 1pm to 8pm. “I don’t even call them naps; it’s a full night sleep, in the middle of the day.” The fan fave then hits the pillow again right around midnight. Hey, as long as he keep up the energy on the ice, than we're not judging!

He Can’t Handle the Heat

Tifu might have a bit of a spicy personality, but he certainly doesn’t do spicy when it comes to his food. “I can’t eat spicy food,” remarked Tifu. It’s not that he doesn’t like the taste, but his body just can’t take it. “I sweat. Like SO much.” Ek! You might think he is exaggerating but he REALLY can’t handle the heat. “Let me tell you. I mean Buffalo Wild Wings MILD sauce makes me sweat so much.” Whelp.. no sriracha sauce for you!

He Loves Music

Tifu loves music. “At home all day, I leave music on,” Tifu explained. “I play everything. From totally random 50s all the way to 2016, I just love to have music on.” His love for music started at a very young age through a tradition his Dad instilled.“When I was a kid, my Dad would play music all the time. I would wait for him every day to get home from work, he would put a record on and we would listen to music together.” Aww, what an awesome tradition!

He Can’t be Alone

Tifu is a tough guy, so it might come as a surprise that he does have a pretty big fear. His fear? Being alone. He HATES to be alone. “I have fear being home alone especially at night. I freak out,” said Tifu. Thankfully after being this way his whole life, he has developed a system that helps him cope. “When my roommate isn’t home, I have to leave all the lights on.” Hey, when you take into account all the cities he has played in and all the places he has lived, we don’t blame him for having a fear of being alone!

He Can Cook

We all know “Da Tif” is a star on the ice, but did you know, the man can cook? “I make the best poutine in the League, by a mile,” Tifu explained. Poutine, for our non-northern fans, is a Canadian dish, originating in Quebec made of fries, gravy and cheese curds. The secret behind his legendary poutine? “It requires Quebec cheese. Fresh Quebec cheese”. Tifu doesn’t just stop there; he can make a mean lasagna too. YUMM, wonder when we can get Tifu to bring us some food!?

5 Things You Might Not Know is a weekly column capturing glimpses into the lives of different Reading Royals players and coaches. Looking to learn more about a specific player? Make sure to write into Alexy at aposner@royalshockey.com- we want to hear from you!