BRETT , CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JUNIOR HOCKEY EXPERIENCE ? HOW WAS LIFE ON THE ROAD AWAY FROM HOME ? BL Well to tell you the truth , it really flew by . At first you ’ re really young , and going on the road and leaving your family is tough off the bat . Especially when you ’ re used to eating your mom ’ s cooking every night . It can be difficult sometimes , but you just have to tough it out . It ’ s not like your family won ’ t come to see you or anything , so it ’ s really no big deal . |
WHERE DID YOU PLAY MINOR HOCKEY GROWING UP ? BL I played out in the country for the Springfield Ice Hawks growing up , and then my dad moved to the city and I started playing for the St . Vital Vics . Then it was Sharks , Warriors and Wild before heading out to the Blades .
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOUR LONG HAIR AND CRAZY BEARD ? I KNOW YOU ’ VE ALWAYS HAD THE LONG HAIR , BUT THE BEARD IS NEW . IS THIS A BRENT BURNS KIND OF THING ? ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE MISSING TEETH AND A FULL-SLEEVE TATTOO NEXT TIME I SEE YOU ? BL Haha , yeah , you ’ re right , I ’ ve always had long hair , but I actually couldn ’ t really grow a beard up until my first year pro . But when it finally started coming in , I really started to like it and I felt like it suited my style of play and my personality . And totally – I mean Brent Burns is a funny guy and he definitely likes to keep things really light . He ’ s a really offensive defenceman and a great overall player , but the guy that I really try to model my game after is Chris Pronger .
FOR SIDNEY CROSBY , IT WAS SHOOTING PUCKS AT A DRYER , WHAT WAS IT THAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH HOCKEY ? BL For me it was definitely playing mini sticks at my older brothers ’ games all the time . I wouldn ’ t even watch , I ’ d just be playing mini sticks .
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You know , I loved going to Gateway … now that was a fun rink . It was always a good time whether I was playing , practicing , watching , or playing mini sticks . Red ice or blue ice , it didn ’ t even matter to me .
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GETTING DRAFTED BY THE CANADIENS – THEY TRADED UP TWO PICKS TO SELECT YOU IN THE THIRD ROUND , WHAT WAS THAT LIKE ? BL Yeah that ’ s actually an interesting story . I figured I wouldn ’ t be going until about the sixth or seventh round , because that ’ s where d-men like me usually go . And then out of nowhere I get this call from my agent . I was kind of wondering why he was calling me then , but it ended up that my television stream was a bit delayed and he told me that I had been drafted to Montreal , 73rd overall . It was crazy ; it was awesome . We celebrated and it was really exciting .
TELL ME ABOUT BEING CALLED UP TO PLAY YOUR FIRST NHL GAME IN 2016 . I KNOW IT KIND OF WENT OFF SCRIPT RIGHT AWAY , BUT HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE ? BL Oh it was great – it ’ s the Montreal Canadiens , like come on ! After getting the call , my family and I flew down to Florida . It was just a really great time , and something I ’ ll always remember . Like you said it wasn ’ t perfect , in the second period I got hit behind the net and fell awkwardly on my knee . I ended up tearing my PCL and was out for about 13 weeks after that . Definitely the worst injury of my career so far , but it was the experience of a lifetime .
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SPEAKING OF FUN EXPERIENCES , HOW WAS IT COMING BACK HOME TO WINNIPEG TO PLAY AT THE BELL MTS PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME ? BL Yeah it was definitely a big deal to be here in front of my family and all of my friends watching me play pro hockey . Some of them had never actually seen me play live , so it was nice that I could actually go out and see them after the game . |