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2009/2010 Season in Review
Player Profile
- Where did you grow up and play your minor hockey?
I grew up in Tsawassen and played my minor hockey out of an old airplane hangar in Ladner. - Did you play rep the whole way through minor hockey?
No, I didn't play rep until PeeWee, I think I was about 9 I started playing rep and played rep from there on in. - Being a smaller guy, was size ever an issue for you?
Yeah, it was an issue in Pro hockey for sure. It wasn't in junior here with the old Victoria Cougars but once I turned pro it was definitely an issue. Guys were bigger at that time; the new rules weren't in so there was a lot of clutching, grabbing and holding with some of the big guys. I remember when I got to New York, my first game against the Islanders I couldn't really go anywhere. You would get stuck in the corner with someone holding on to you like a guy that was 6'3" - 6'4" so size became an issue. - So when you were growing up in minor hockey size was never a concern of yours?
No, not at all, minor hockey was great and I never had a problem. - Who was your favourite player growing up?
It kind of switched a couple times. Early on, kind of weird for a forward, but I loved watching Brad Park and then later on obviously Gretzky. - When was it during minor hockey or junior that you realized you were talented enough or that you would have the opportunity to play professional hockey?
I don't think until really late in junior, probably until I got drafted. I just sort of played for fun all the time. It was always a real good time and I never really thought too much about the future of it until my second year of junior when I got drafted and then all of a sudden it was "Woah, maybe I can do this for a living." - As a player did you have a favourite place to play, home or away?
I think I had some great experiences in great buildings. Played in the old Montreal Forum a couple times, I thought that was a great spot. Maple Leaf Gardens, Chicago and Madison Square Gardens all those buildings were eye-opening and it was a real experience. - What is your most memorable hockey moment as a player?
Without a doubt winning the gold medal at the World Junior Championships, it was an incredible experience with a group of great guys that all still to this day talk. - During the World Juniors you played with Garth Butcher who later married your sister. Now his son and your nephew is a Canucks prospect. Is coaching him in the next couple years on the radar at all?
You know I'm not too sure, I mean I guess it's an outside possibility, but I'm not too sure what Matt Butcher's future is in hockey with the Canucks or just on his own. I'm going to let the Canucks handle that for the first little while here. - With Father's Day coming up and your son, Lance, playing his first season with the Salmon Kings last year do you have any advice for Hockey Dads out there?
I think Hockey Dads should make sure that their kids enjoy the sport and not put too much stress or pressure on kids and to just let them really enjoy the game because the more fun they have at it the better they get. - Do you have any off-season hobbies?
You know I like to do a little bit of everything. I like to golf a little bit; I like to fish a little bit and definitely hang out with my daughters a lot. We love the area, we love Victoria, and I mean we go on small trips to the interior but most of the summer we love to be on lakes or in the ocean around Victoria. - After playing in different cities in North America and Europe you settled down in Scotland where you played and coached for 12 years. What was it about Fife that made you want to stay there?
Fife was much like living here in Victoria. The people were great; we lived right on the ocean. It was a real small community of real friendly people and it made it very easy for me to live there. My kids went to school there for a couple years and it was just a real family-oriented community and I liked being there outside of hockey. - Recently you helped Scott Arniel and the Moose during their playoff run, how was it and was there anything their coaching staff and organization did that you would like to bring back to the Salmon Kings?
Well without a doubt, you know that's part of the reason why they have me there is to get the experience and to see what they do differently. Probably their preparation of the opposition in the playoff run was a lot more in depth than what we do and we have to be more in depth than that here. They knew which way every player turned, where every player shot, what their tendencies were. They have a scouting staff that does that for them but we have to find a way in playoffs here to know more about our opposition. - What areas are you looking to improve upon with respect to player acquisitions this summer?
Well we're definitely going to be a stronger hockey club physically. Our skill players will be better skill-wise with some size and strength behind them. So we're going to protect our skill guys this year and we're trying to get the mix right here. - How do you complete the sentence?
We Will... Strive for a championship in Victoria.
Contact Us
The Salmon Kings are always happy to hear from you! You can reach us by phone at (250) 220.7889, email at fanzone@salmonkings.com or in-person at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (1925 Blanshard St).