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The Program
9/5/2008 5:40 AM UTC
I am highly looking forward to this! DHS is great to toss ideas around all the time. Check him out on Fantasy Hockey Roundtable as well.
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Darryl Houston Smith presents news and insight from the world of Pro Hockey. Live Friday Nights at 10 pm (EST) online at www.fsc.fm Call-in Number: (914) 338-1445
Pro Hockey Weekly
Date / Time: 11/10/2009 6:00 PM UTC
Category: Sports
Call-in Number: (914) 338-1445
News and insight from the world of Pro Hockey with Darryl Houston Smith. Live Friday Nights at 10 pm (EST) on Blogtalkradio at (www.fsc.fm) with free replays on iTunes. Call-in Number: (914) 338-1445
Upcoming Episodes
11/14/2009 3:00 AM UTC - Pro Hockey Weekly
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Date / Time: 10/28/2008 5:31 PM UTC
Date / Time: 10/28/2008 2:38 AM UTC
Interview with Milan Lucic
October 23, 2008
By Darryl Houston Smith
Many younger teams take a while to reach their strides and the 2008-09 editions of the Bruins and the Maple Leafs are no different. During last Thursday night, the Bruins did not get off to a flying start against the new-look Toronto Maple Leafs (who were coming off five consecutive losses). The Leafs should have been easy pickings but the Bruins could not manage a shot on target until midway thru the first period (they would be outshot 37-28). Despite being out worked (a cardinal sin for any Bruins team), the B’s held a slender two goal advantage as Patrice Bergeron scored his first goal in over a year and young Blake Wheeler potted the second of his rookie season. In the end, the Leafs were able to make several defensive adjustments, score four unanswered goals and end up as 4-2 victors.
But not before the human maelstrom known as Milan Lucic would give the Bruins faithful yet another glimpse of his tantalizing future. Looking to spark his tired looking club, Lucic delivered one of the most spectacular hits of his young career in what is destined to go down in Boston lore as “The Hit” and be replayed on all Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts for quite some time to come.
A scant 20 seconds into the second period, Lucic lined up 29-year-old defenseman Mike Van Ryn perfectly and drilled him through the plexiglass above the dasher. With a shower of plexiglass pebbles Lucic announced that the Bruins were not to be pushed around on this -- or any other -- ice surface. To his credit, Van Ryn collected himself after shaking the pebbles out of his blue and white sweater and remained in the game. He even scored the first Toronto goal of the evening just a few minutes after the break once the Bruins bull-gang replaced the shattered glass.
The following game against the Thrashers saw the other side of Milan Lucic on display when the young 20-year-old scored his first NHL hat-trick using the soft hands, timing and brute strength that have become his trademark. The Thrashers had no answers for defending Lucic and went down to defeat, 5-4.
Prior to these games -- which put to rest any rumors of Lucic’s slow season start -- I chatted with the 2007-08 Bruins Seventh Player award winner.
Houston Smith: What advice would you give Blake Wheeler and Matt Hunwick or any younger player about life in the NHL?
Lucic: Well, that question would be easier for an older guy to answer. As a young guy, I would say just have fun with it. It is an honor and a dream to be playing in this league and that’s the way you have to look at it. You’ve got to treat it that you’re lucky to be here every day and you have to work hard to stay here.
Houston Smith: What was the moment or event that led you to believe that you could have an NHL career?
Lucic: There’s a bunch of moments. For me last year, the situation was a bit different than this year. If I played 10 games, they were required to keep me around for a year. Once that happened and after some guys got injured, I was able to play more and produce more. I say it happened in December, I showed myself that I could be an NHL player.
Houston Smith: You are of Serbian descent. What was your upbringing like in East Vancouver?
Lucic: I would say it was good. Sometimes it could get a little bit rough in East Vancouver. But I had good friends and family, a good environment that helped steer me in the right direction. I give them a lot of credit for that.
Houston Smith: Was there a large Serbian community there?
Lucic: It’s quite big. I can’t give you a number, but it’s pretty good. There are Serbian community events and we had our own community hall where we hold our get-togethers.
Houston Smith: Is there anything special? Are there saint days?
Lucic: We’re Christian Orthodox. Every family has a saint and every family celebrates its saint on a different day. It’s something handed down from generation to generation. For our family, it’s Saint Sava whose saint day is on January 27th.
Houston Smith: I don’t know if you know it or not, but you have set a family NHL record.
Lucic: I did, which one?
Houston Smith: You topped your uncle, Dan Kesa’s 8 goals in 139 games when you scored your 9th goal in 81. Did your uncle influence your career at all?
Lucic: Yes, my uncle was somebody I looked up to and somebody I always wanted to be like. I wanted to be a hockey player just like he was. Every summer he’d come home and you’d see how hard he worked to be where he was at.
Houston Smith: Last year, you had 13 fighting majors. Has Bruins Coach Claude Julien spoken to you about cutting down on the rough housing?
Lucic: You know, he told me to be smart and to pick your spots. Don't go in the box unnecessarily. For me, it's just a part of my game.
Houston Smith: Do people recognize you when you go out in Boston?
Lucic: Yeah, I would say so. Usually there are a couple of people who recognize me when I go out. At the beginning of the year last year, nobody knew who I was, but as the season went on, I got more and more recognized.
Houston Smith: We can’t do this without talking about the Metallica concert in Boston. I know you’re a big fan. Are you going?
Lucic: If we are here, yes, I will definitely go. I haven’t checked the schedule yet. I’ve never seen them in concert.
Houston Smith: Do you have a favorite album?
Lucic: I like their new one and all their early stuff is really good.
Houston Smith: You once talked about Tim McGraw’s “Live like you were dying.” Does that song still have special meaning for you?
Lucic: I think the message of the song is pretty clear. Live life to its fullest and do what you want to do and be happy all the time with how you live.
Houston Smith: The 2006 NHL Entry draft contained many fine players such as Erik Johnson, Jordan Staal, Nicklas Backstrom, Jonathan Toews and Phil Kessel. You have now played 82 NHL games. Only 7 other players of the Class of 2006 have even played as much as 70 and they were all Top 10 picks. What do you feel are the main reasons for your success?
Lucic: I feel that I had a strong junior year the year after the draft with the Giants, helping them win a Memorial Cup. I really didn't think I would be in the NHL last year but I always thought in the back of my mind that I could be there. I really worked hard and took it day by day to put myself in the position so that if I made the team I could succeed. That was the attitude and direction I took forward coming into the NHL.
Houston Smith: Speaking of winning the Memorial Cup. How awesome was that?
Lucic: It WAS awesome. It was probably one of the ten best days I will ever have in my hockey career. Obviously, when you win a championship like that it gives you such a great feeling. It’s a good thing to have and I think it has only made me stronger as a player and as a person. You want to get back to that winning feeling and hopefully I can feel that again with the Boston Bruins.
Original Air Date: 10/24/2008 7:00 PM UTC
Date / Time: 10/22/2008 1:01 AM UTC
NBC6 Articles about Darryl Houston Smith. Mock Draft: Media Experts’ Mock Draft Rotoworld participates in yet another experts’ draft. …
Date / Time: 10/20/2008 8:17 PM UTC
The 24-year-old Vanek picked up eight points (six goals, two assists), in a week that saw Buffalo post a 3-0-1 record. Vanek has nine points (7-2--9) in his first five games and is off to the best start of his four-year career, posting at least one goal in each of Buffalo’s first five games. Included in Vanek’s League-leading goal total last week were shorthanded goals in consecutive games (Oct. 13 at NYI, Oct. 15 at NYR), and a power-play goal in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Atlanta. Vanek also has a League-best 32 shots in his five games.
SECOND STAR – NIKLAS BACKSTROM, G, MINNESOTA WILD
Backstrom posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.30 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and one shutout as the Wild won three consecutive road games. Backstrom turned aside 80 of 84 shots for the week, beginning with a 24-save performance in a 4-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Oct. 14. He stopped 24 shots in a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 16 and finished off the week by posting a shutout in a 32-save performance against Tampa Bay on Oct. 18. He has four wins on the season.
THIRD STAR – FABIAN BRUNNSTROM, LW, DALLAS STARS
In his NHL debut on Oct.15, Brunnstrom scored a hat trick against the Nashville Predators, including the game-winning goal, becoming just the third player in NHL history to score three times in his NHL debut -- Alex Smart scored three times in his debut for Montreal in 1943, and Real Cloutier matched the feat with Quebec in 1979. Brunnstrom rounded out the week with a power-play goal against Colorado on Saturday.
Original Air Date: 10/18/2008 10:00 PM UTC
Date / Time: 10/14/2008 10:17 PM UTC
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