It seems like yesterday I was up there watching my first NHL game, and I was skating on the ice this time. It brings back memories, but at the same time it's something I'll remember forever.
We're concerned how gambling and betting affects the NHL game and changes the perception of and challenges the integrity of the NHL game.
As a player, remember that the bench is not a prison, but an extension of the first group. Concentrate on the quality of your play when you do get into the game. If you play 20 minutes, play the best 20 you can possibly play.
Being in the flow of play, always follow the puck and be set early. It's something you don't think about because you think you have all those little things mastered when you get to [the NHL]. It comes back to being ready for any shot, no matter where it is from the [centre] red line in, and always having your stick on the ice. It's a subtle difference that makes you feel so involved in the game and it's really helped me.
The first game I remember being ridiculously passionate about was Super Mario Bros. 2. It was the first game where you could play as Princess Peach. It wasn't just a game where the boys had their adventure. Peach was in the game and she was so powerful there.
You look at the best players in the game - Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr - they didn't sit on the couch and then one day join the NHL. They worked on their game. Their talent was perseverance, dedication. Those are talents to me; that's what gets you to the NHL.
I remember many a time, going into someplace like Wrigley Field - where you could cut the humidity with a knife - and playing a doubleheader. I loved to play the game. It didn't matter if it was a doubleheader, or a single game, or a day game after a night game. I wanted to play.
There's always pressure playing in the NHL. You want to play your best game every game. Expectations are always gonna be there; it's just important that you know how to handle expectations.
The literary game is the abyss of human society itself: interactive, playful and tragic. We can't live alone. For me, Robinson [Crusoe] is either a false myth or else he represents the denial of human society. We can't play by ourselves. In literature, it's even more complicated, because one has to play with an indeterminate number of players simultaneously and every game is different. The other player can abandon your game at any time...to go play chess.
I'd never seen my father stand up. As far as I can remember, my father was always in a wheelchair. I always remembered that. And I remember my first basketball game, ever, he rolls into the gym, he stays by the door and he watches me play. And that was the only game he ever saw me play because he passed away shortly after that.
I've learned that every game is different. You could play one team and have a terrible game and the next time you play them have the best game of your career.
I think it's really cool when any of your songs play on the radio for the first time.
I'm 100 percent sure this is it. I know that I'll never play in the NHL again. It's not a hard decision. I think the hardest thing is you get a little emotional talking about your family. I couldn't have played any longer than I did and I accomplished what I wanted to.
What I meant by that is, any time you have adversity, now you've got a chance to see all of these guys play every game the rest of the way like it's a playoff game. What you want guys to do when there's adversity is to play harder and play better, and that's when you see what kind of guys you have in your locker room.
When people come up to me and say, "I was at your Game 7 in the playoffs in Toronto," or, "I saw your first goal in the NHL," that triggers memories. But I don't sit around my kitchen table and tell my kids, "You know, one year I got 92 goals."
I hope one day I will be able to play in a game in the NHL, not just practice.