I’ve been in the NHL about 11 or 12 years. It’s gone so quick. I’d love to play until I’m 40 years old, but as quick as the last 12 have gone, and now that I’m getting older, who knows. I want to win a Stanley Cup and I realize there’s only a certain amount of time.

I was absolutely disappointed not to be in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. On the one hand, I have a lot of respect for Detroit, what they’ve done as a team and how good they are. Between Detroit and Pittsburgh, certainly if there was a team that had the veteran experience to be on top, that was Detroit.

On the other hand, the regular season is enjoyable, but I played to be in the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup!

Golf Season

In the summer my wife and I spend a lot of time out in Kelowna, British Columbia. We have two kids – our daughter turns four in October and our son turns two in August. We actually have another one on the way in August. It’s busy.

During the season the focus is on preparation for games; summers are really just about recovery and family time. We’re very fortunate to have that time in the summer to chase the kids around.

When I was younger, it was pretty much all hockey, movies and whatever, but as I got older I had to manage my time a little bit more. It’s all still enjoyable.

Making It

There have been a lot of enjoyable moments in my career, but I think the one that stands out the most is probably my first NHL game and getting called up to the playoffs.

The night before, I was playing major junior in Kamloops, British Columbia and we had lost out. One minute I was watching highlights of the NHL games, and all of a sudden the next afternoon I was playing against Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick, playing on a line with Theo Fleury and shooting on Ed Belfour. This was all in one day!

Individually, that was my most exciting moment because I’d made the NHL. This was something that I’d wanted to do since I started playing hockey at age seven. As a team, the most memorable moment was probably winning the Olympic gold medal for Canada in Salt Lake. That really stands out.

Being so close to winning a Stanley Cup in 2004 was a pretty cool run as well.

Segregated Sports

I think there are more black players in the NHL. Culturally there are a lot of different nationalities represented, from Swedish players to Czech players, et cetera. But there aren’t that many black players.

When I grew up watching hockey and then when I came into the league, I was aware of being a black hockey player. People remarked on it and so on. I followed as many black players as I could in the NHL, and it was definitely helpful for me to see that there were black players. Now there are more than there was when I was younger, in the draft and a lot of different positions – goal tending, fighters, defencemen, scoring forwards…

I don’t know what the answer is, but I think the game could still grow.

The Quiet Leader

I’m not so sure that people view themselves accurately, but I don’t know if I’m a “quiet” leader. When I first came up, I was quieter, just because I was a younger guy. I’ve been around a while and I’m turning 31 now, so I’m probably less so. Some guys would probably argue maybe I need to be quiet more often. (laughs)

Compared to different people’s styles, I’m not a yelling kind of guy. I don’t really try to have a certain approach; I just try to be myself and help out some of the younger players the way the older guys helped me when I was younger. I try to lead by example – go on the ice, compete hard and enjoy the game. Hopefully it’s positive for the group.

As the captain I carry some weight, but pressure is part of what drives a professional athlete. Sometimes I do push too hard and let it get to me, and other times I handle it better, but I think that’s part of the battle of every professional athlete.

Battles On Ice

It might be shifting where there’s a little less fighting in hockey, but I think it’s still an important part of the game. With all the emotions that go on over the ice, how physical it is and the history of fighting being a part of hockey, as odd as it may sound, I think it helps limit some of the dirty stick work.

If there wasn’t fighting there would probably be more cheap shots, elbowing and whatnot. Guys watch how they play a little bit more when there are enforcers. Fighting makes people more accountable.

Famous Flame

I don’t know about famous! When I was younger and went to the Oilers or Eskimos carnivals in Edmonton, Alberta or saw the different players on TV, it was something that I always dreamed about: being an NHL player and a goal scorer. I dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup.

The NHL has been everything I dreamed it would be, from the games on the ice, down to seeing how excited the kids are to see us off the ice.

Some people do recognize us in Canada around town in our home cities, and that's cool. Like I say, it's something I realize isn't going to last forever, and as soon as I retire, people won't even remember what I look like. (laughs)

The Ultimate Goal

I'm very fortunate to have had some good seasons individually, but the ultimate goal is to be on a championship team. Winning a Stanley Cup is the thing that drives me. We've been a part of the playoffs and been one game away from winning the Stanley Cup, and it definitely still stings that we didn't take it. Ultimately it's about winning.