It's 1 a.m. on a Saturday, and Connor Bowie wanders out of his room for a glass of water to find a scene that repeats itself every so often

Kai Edmonds is parked on the couch, fully alert, illuminated by the glow of a Formula 1 (F1) race streaming live from halfway across the world. Edmonds spots Bowie and immediately waves him over, insisting he sit down and watch because it's the middle of the race.

Bowie jokes that he barely knew anything about F1 before living with Edmonds. Now, he's used to the late-night races and the PS5 F1 sessions, emphasizing that his roommate is a full-on F1 super fan.

This is one of the small patterns that's become typical of living together for Bowie and Edmonds,just another part of the routines, habits and jokes that have built up over their time sharing an apartment. Late-night F1 races, detergent-pod mishaps, ping-pong battles and lots of food have all become part of the everyday rhythm between them, a rhythm that formed mostly by chance and now four years in, there are no regrets.

Like many students trying to settle in Toronto, Bowie had managed to secure a two-bedroom apartment, but didn't have anyone to fill the second room. On the other side, Edmonds also needed someone to live with. It wasn't planned; it just lined up.

"It was by chance and by luck," said Edmonds. "I was lucky enough, Johnny hooked us up and got us connected. I ended up moving in there and it was awesome."

For Bowie, the fit made sense. They were the last two guys on the team still looking for living arrangements and it felt natural just to pair up.

Both of them were already used to sharing space. Bowie grew up with two older brothers and Edmonds with an older brother and younger sister. Noise, a bit of mess and constant company were normal parts of their lives long before university.

"That was normal for me," said Bowie. "I've always had friends over my whole life and was always a roommate type of person."

Junior hockey only reinforced it — Bowie always had roommates, so having someone around was something he felt comfortable with. Edmonds shared a room with his brother growing up, so his relationship with Bowie is similar to that dynamic with his sibling.

Another thing they share is that they both came to Toronto from out of town — Edmonds from Ottawa and Bowie from Fort St. John, B.C. — and both places are far enough from home that many holidays are spent in Toronto. It meant from the start, they weren't just teammates living together, they were two out-of-town guys figuring out life in a new city at the same time.

"This is our home away from home," said Bowie. "We've worked on it and built our friendship over the last few years. I can't say enough good things about the situation."

Building a home away from home involves making a routine and building relationships. It's safe to say that both Edmonds and Bowie have learned a lot about one another and their routines.

Game-day routines are a show in themselves. Kai's pregame meal plan is a constant; Bowie can recite it in his sleep.

"He's getting two breakfast sandwiches from Loblaws every game day," said Bowie. "That's happening 100%. Then after that he's going to pick up a bowl from Global and he's eating that before the game probably at two o'clock."

Bowie's own pregame order is just as exact. He gets the lemongrass chicken bowl from Basil Box with broccoli, sweet potato, long grain jasmine rice and the classic peanut sauce. 

Food has become its own form of roommate entertainment for Edmonds. Bowie eats—a lot. Edmonds calls him a two-steak guy, a title Bowie doesn't dispute. 

Then there was the night Bowie pushed the limit. He ambitiously aimed for three steaks, thinking that three could be his number, only to find himself planted on the couch long after, an infamous story among the team. Chicken tacos, a weekly occurring dinner, had Edmonds estimating Bowie could eat seven or eight. When asked himself, Bowie didn't hesitate: 12 tacos.

Throughout the food talk, Bowie couldn't help but smile and laugh about his roommate pointing that out.

The surprises didn't end with food. Living together came with its fair share of unexpected quirks like laundry fails and old shower habits.

 Kai had an interesting relationship with detergent pods.

"Early on in his laundry career, he was horrible at laundry to a point where I've never seen any of this happen to anybody else, ever," said Bowie, his voice lined with disbelief and amusement. "He takes the pods, throws them in and maybe three out of five times they're going to explode all over his clothes. The blue detergent would be all over his clothes."

Edmonds has now graduated from using the blue detergent pods to the clear ones to avoid the issue.

Bowie's showers, on the other hand, brought their own minor issues.

"Anytime he would shower and I would go in to use the bathroom after him, it was almost guaranteed that the floor was going to still be wet from him coming out," said Edmonds, smiling while recalling the story.

Despite the chaos of the earlier days, their lives have synced on so many other levels. 

On weekdays, their days are shaped by hockey, school and the need to unwind. Mornings often start with a walk to the rink, followed by breakfast or brunch at home. Classes are spread throughout the day and into the evening. Evenings revolve around dinner — sometimes made individually, sometimes together — followed by a bit of ping-pong or video games. Depending on the day, they might catch a Maple Leafs or football game or a few episodes of a show.

On off days without hockey, the pace is more relaxed. Mornings involve making breakfast at home or stopping at Fran's. Afternoons include a mix of schoolwork, a nighttime bike ride or a lift and time to just hang out. Despite the structure of their everyday lives they leave space to relax, keeping the apartment a place to recharge while staying connected.

"We're having a good time and making sure we're not always thinking about hockey," said Edmonds. "Just distract ourselves a bit by playing on the Switch or playing ping-pong."

Being student-athletes means relying on each other more than most. Both being in Business Management, they lucked out being in the same type of program throughout their undergrad, helping each other out with notes, quizzes and tests. Edmonds enjoys having a friend sitting beside him to talk to and study with.

"Connor works hard, in hockey and in school," said Edmonds. "He's always on the move, getting some studying done. We've had a lot of classes together, got some tutoring sessions done together, did some studying together, kind of checking in, making sure we're on top of our stuff."

Working through school side-by-side naturally carried onto the ice. Bowie says their familiarity and closeness as roommates comes through in the way they communicate during games. If there are tight moments and Bowie is in the defensive zone, he talks through plays and lifts teammates' spirits when things aren't going great. Edmonds has all the trust in Bowie's capabilities on the ice, especially during faceoffs or during the penalty kills.

"We have chemistry out there," said Edmonds. "Just knowing each other so well, it allows us to be on the same page. I know he is willing to do whatever it takes to get the win. When you know and you have that belief in someone it makes doing your job easier."

Their on-ice connection followed them overseas to the FISU Games. For Bowie, it was a new experience representing Canada, and he took pride in it. The chance to play with really good players and being able to do it with his roommate and teammate was unforgettable.

Edmonds, who has been before, felt the difference of sharing it with someone he knew so well. It made things easier having a familiar face. The icing on the cake was winning gold together.

Through all of it — hockey, school, and everything that comes with living together the way they see each other has solidified. Bowie describes Edmonds as independent and easygoing, the kind of person who doesn't need much help and stays calm no matter what is happening around him. Living with a goaltender was new for Bowie, and he noticed how focused Edmonds became on game days, how dialled-in he gets when preparing and how steady he remains through it all. To him, Edmonds is relaxed, locked in when it matters and genuinely kind. A great roommate in every sense.

Edmonds speaks about Bowie with the same certainty. He sees him as someone people naturally gravitate towards — positive, hardworking, and outgoing. Around the team or in their apartment, Bowie brings an energy that's easy to be around. Edmonds sums him up simply: positive, outgoing and dedicated, a combination that makes him an easy person to live with.

Going on four years of late-night race watching, multi-steak dinners, exploding detergent pods, and ping-pong matches, Bowie and Edmonds have built a space that works for them. This year, they've added teammate Mitch Lafay to the mix and moved into a three-bedroom, giving them more space while keeping the same camaraderie. Even with the slightly different setup, Bowie and Edmonds still push each other on and off the ice, support each other academically, and leave enough room for each other to breathe, proving that friendship, routine, and a little disorder can make a home anywhere.

"I can easily call him one of my best friends," said Bowie with a grin.