Mr BioFile Interviews by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
STATUS: NHL defenseman for Colorado Rockies, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings from 1977-1990. Five-time All-Star.
HT: 6-3 WT: 215
DOB: June 3, 1957 IN: Vancouver, British Columbia
FIRST HOCKEY MEMORY: “Dad tried to make a rink in our backyard. We had record warm weather in February over night. When I got home, my friends and I went swimming instead [smiles].”
HOCKEY INSPIRATIONS: “John Ferguson. Ernie ‘Punch’ McLean. Bobby Orr. Herb Brooks. And man I really looked up to The Man – Dick Butkus.”
LAST BOOK READ: “Can’t remember.”
FAVORITE MOVIES: “Man on Fire with Denzel Washington. And Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe.”
FIRST JOB: “1960 black Meteor. Three on the column. Price tag was $50. I bought it for the huge back seat [smiles].”
FIRST JOB: “Was moving animal hides on docks.”
CURRENT CAR: “I take the train now.”
FAVORITE MEAL: “Roast chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, Caesar salad, lemon merenge pie, and a glass of ice cold chocolate milk.”
FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: “Lime sherbet.”
GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT: “Becoming a New York Ranger. When I got to New York, I thought: ‘This is what hockey is all about. Playing in a historic arena like Madison Square Garden in a city like New York City.’ You have to be consistently good every night as a player, instead of every other night. The highlight memory was putting on a Rangers jersey and skating out on the Garden ice for the first time.”
MOST PAINFUL MOMENT: “Not being able to win the Stanley Cup with teammates and fans.”
MOST MEMORABLE GOAL: “First game at Madison Square Garden with the Rangers against the Los Angeles Kings.”
FUNNIEST PLAYER(S) ENCOUNTERED: “Me!”
TOUGHEST COMPETITORS ENCOUNTERED: “Messier was one of many guns the Oilers had. Both the Islanders first and then the Oilers after them, had similar qualities – scoring, toughness and leadership equals Stanley Cups.”
FUNNY HOCKEY MEMORY: “There’s hundreds of stories…the photographer was trying to get us to smile for the team picture. He was using all these lame ten-year-old jokes and we weren’t having any part of it. The ice finally broke when Nick Fotiu said in his Staten Island accent, ‘Just take the photo you fuc…g sausage!'”
FAVORITE UNIFORMS: “New York Rangers.”
FAVORITE ARENAS TO PLAY: “Madison Square Garden. Checkerdome in St. Louis. The Igloo in Pittsburgh. (Why those two? Nobody has ever said them.) Every rink is different, like a theater. The sight lines change from one arena to the next. The Igloo and Checkerdome always felt comfortable for me. There are some places you can never play a great game in…maybe good but not great. When you get on the ice you know right away. I like the boards and glass too. Lots of give.”
PEOPLE QUALITIES MOST ADMIRED: “Balls.”
You can ready more 80s Hockey Biofiles in Scoop’s book “80’s Hockey Biofiles” $14.99 at amazon books.
