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Posted on: 07-05-10 08:23 PM Posted by: Clutch
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From NHL.com
Feared tough guy Bob Probert dies at 45
Monday, 07.05.2010 / 8:25 PM / News By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Staff Writer
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Legendary NHL tough guy Bob Probert died Monday after collapsing while on a boat on Lake St. Clair near Windsor, Ont. He was 45 and is survived by his wife, Dani, and their four children.
Probert was boating with his children, father-in-law and mother-in-law. His father-in-law, Dan Parkinson, said in a short news conference Monday night at Windsor Regional Hospital that Probert developed "severe chest pain" around 2 p.m. before collapsing to his death. Emergency crews attempted to revive Probert on the shore, but to no avail.
The Windsor Star reported his death was confirmed by Ontario Provincial Police spokeswoman Shawn Coulter shortly after 5 p.m.
"This is a tragedy for the family and totally unexpected," Parkinson said.
AM 800 CKLW, a Windsor radio station, first reported that Probert had collapsed. Probert was rushed to a Windsor Regional Hospital, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Probert, who turned 45 last month, spent his 17-year career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. He was known as one of the NHL's most feared enforcers and fighters, and he wracked up 3,300 penalty minutes in 935 NHL games. He also had 384 points.
Probert ranks fifth on the NHL's all-time list for most career penalty minutes behind Tiger Williams (3,966), Dale Hunter (3,565), Tie Domi (3,515) and Marty McSorly (3,381), though he played in fewer games than all of those fellow fighters/enforcers. Probert holds the Red Wings franchise records for career penalty minutes (2,090) and penalty minutes in a season (398).
"Obviously this is terrible for Dani and the kids," Eddie Olczyk, a former teammate of Probert in Chicago, told NHL.com. "For as tough as he was on the ice, and that everybody saw, he was kind of soft spoken, the opposite inside the locker room.
"I don't think there is any doubt, in his era he came as tough as there was," added Olczyk, now a Blackhawks' broadcaster. "He was tough as nails. You stayed well clear of him when he was on the ice and when you were on his team you knew he had your back. He knew his role and he was tough. He was tough."
A third-round pick of the Red Wings in 1983, Probert debuted with Detroit in 1985-86. He was voted to the Campbell Conference All-Star team in 1988, the only time he received such an honor.
Probert finished the 1987-88 seasons with career highs in points (62) and PIMs (398). He also led the Wings with 21 points in 16 playoff games, though Steve Yzerman did not play in the playoffs that season.
"Bob was a part of our very first NHL Draft class that also included Steve Yzemran, Joe Kocur, Petr Klima and Stu Grimson," Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch said in a statement. "Bob was always there for his teammates and was one of the toughest men to ever play in the NHL. He also was one of the kindest, most colorful, and beloved players Detroit has ever known. We are very saddened by his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob’s family."
"This is a very sad day for Red Wings fans as we have lost one of the toughest players, best power forwards and all-around great guys who ever wore the Winged Wheel," Kocur said. "My favorite memory of Bob would be sitting down before a game, going over the opposing lineup and picking and choosing who would go first and if the goalie would be safe or not. It was great to be able to go out on the ice knowing that he had my back and I had his. He was like the brother I never had. My prayers go out to his family."
Longtime Red Wings executive Jim Devellano told the Detroit Free Press that the team never got "100 percent out of him because of his off-ice problems."
Probert was suspended indefinitely by the NHL in 1989 after he was arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine across the Canada-U.S. border. He was involved in a minor motorcycle accident in July 1994 and suffered minor injuries, but police determined his blood alcohol level was roughly triple the legal limit and he had traces of cocaine in his system.
Soon after the Red Wings announced they weren't going to re-sign Probert.
"This is the end," Devellano said at the time. "(In) my 12 years with the organization ... we've never spent more time on one player and his problems than we have on Probert."
"This is a very sad day for Red Wings fans as we have lost one of the toughest players, best power forwards and all-around great guys who ever wore the Winged Wheel. My favorite memory of Bob would be sitting down before a game, going over the opposing lineup and picking and choosing who would go first and if the goalie would be safe or not. It was great to be able to go out on the ice knowing that he had my back and I had his. He was like the brother I never had." -- Joe Kocur on former teammate Bob Probert Probert signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 1994, but he did not play in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season because he was suspended for violating the NHL's substance abuse policy.
He returned for the 1995-96 season and played through 2001-02. Probert officially announced his retirement on Nov. 16, 2002.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Probert family during this difficult time," Blackhawks President John McDonough said in a statement. "Bob will always be a member of the Blackhawks family and his memory will live on through our fans."
Tony Amonte, who played seven seasons with Probert in Chicago from 1995-2002, remembers him as a guy who was always on the move and never let life pass him by.
"He had a lot of hardships in his life, overcome a lot of obstacles, and it looked like he was doing really well these last few years," Amonte told NHL.com. "We had a lot in common because we both loved motorcycles. In the offseason we would be on our Harleys riding around. He seemed to be attached to things that went fast, cars and motorcycles, and that was driving him since he got away from the game.
"He always had to be doing something. That's what was fun about him," Amonte added. "You knew you'd be doing something with him because he was never a guy to sit still. He was a guy that had to get up and go."
Amonte said he last saw Probert at the Blackhawks Convention last summer in Chicago.
"(Probert) was an unbelievable guy, great person, almost like a kid in a man's body is just the guy he was," Amonte said. "He always had a great heart and was always there for his teammates. It was awesome playing with him. I'm devastated by the news, of course." |
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Posted on: 03-11-10 11:02 AM Posted by: DPR4444
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http://www.examiner.com/x-2711-Boston-Bruins- Examiner~y2010m3d11-The-B ruins...
On Feb. 26, 2004, Flyers' leading scorer Mark Recchi got his lip busted and stitched from a two-handed swinging stick to the kisser by Ottawa Senators' forward, Martin Havlat. The right-wing Havlat would receive a two-game suspension for his cowardly act; while Recchi, his teammates, and coaches awaited their next meeting for retaliation.
`He's a reckless player and someday someone is going to make him eat his lunch,'' said Flyers' head coach at the time, Ken Hitchcock. ``He's going to get it someday, and it's going to be harsh.
This is something in my opinion that the players should take care of.” added Hitchcock.
“He two-handed me across the face.” said the fat-lipped Recchi after the game. ``It might not come from our team, it might come from some other team, but he will because he's cheap and he does stupid stuff like that. He'd better learn to protect himself.”
On Mar. 5, 2004 – one-week after the Halvat cheapshot – Philly hosted Ottawa as the two top-teams in their respective Divisions' squared-off. Nonetheless, the bad blood carried over and escalated into an NHL-record-breaking 419 penalty minutes in the 60-minute contest. Five separate brawls took place – goaltenders included – and the ejections of 16 different players occurred within the final two-minutes of the third period. (The old NHL record for most penalty minutes in a game was 406, set by the Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins in 1981)
``My teammates didn't forget what happened,'' said Recchi after the battle. ``There was a lot of emotion.''
Fortunately for Havlat, he skated through the contest virtually unscathed, as he served Zdeno Chara's two-minute instigator penalty during the melle. But even though Havlat didn't “eat his lunch” that Friday night, Recchi and his teammates rallied around each other and made a statement to the Senators, to the rest of the league, and to their fans. The Flyers won that contest 5-3, all while keeping retribution in the back of their minds.
I write this story of six years ago in the recent wake of Penguins' Matt Cooke's headshot-hit on Boston Bruins' No. 1 center, Marc Savard, and the non-suspension decision of Cooke by NHL's Sr. V.P. and Director of Operations, Colin Campbell. In real-life hockey speed, it was clear that no referee saw the TKO-hit to No. 91. And it's still unclear if any of the players on the ice – other than Michael Ryder – actually saw it either. To much of the fans' dismay, the Bruins did nothing to avenge Savard's Grade 2 concussion on Sunday afternoon.
I, for one, was OK with the non-retaliation at the time. [OK as in not super-stoked, but not incredibly ticked-off either]. Not only with the aforementioned reasons, but also according to the NHL Rule 47.22, which states: “A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five minutes or at any time in overtime shall be suspended for one game, pending a review of the incident. The Director of Hockey Operations [Campbell] will review every such incident and may rescind the suspension based on a number of criteria. The criteria for the review shall include, but not limited to, the score, previous incidents, etc...”
And with the Bruins past luck with Director Campbell [no suspension for Scott Walker's sucker punch to Aaron Ward in Game 5 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals] and the Penguins fortunate calls with Campbell [no suspension for Evgeni Malkin's instigator penalty in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and now Cooke's no time off for his actions] it seems as though that the Sr. V.P. uses his “criteria” in mysterious ways.
The Black-and-Gold have been endlessly criticized since the hit on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh. From infuriated callers and hosts on local sports talk radio, Bruins bloggers, and even the most faithful of fans, the Bruins' heart and toughness have been called into question – as well as the man behind the bench. Even the general manager and the front office personnel has been constantly picked-apart since his stagnant effort to improve this year's squad on the Mar. 3 trade deadline.
But Thursday, Mar. 18 should be a different story. Milan Lucic, who has had his dinged-up nose [via Colton Orr] protected with a half-shield, will hopefully be cleared to remove the half Itech in time. Captain Zdeno Chara has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so the B's can only hope for a return before then. And Boston's enforcer Shawn Thornton may need to put "The Code" aside for a small portion of that game and right the wrong and earn his policeman's paycheck. The Bruins host the Penguins in their final meeting of this 2009-10 season and will still be without their top-center, as he remains at home: still “sensitive to light, sleeping, throbbing headaches.”
Four games still remain – all against Eastern Conference teams – for the Bruins between now and the 18th. While sitting in eighth-place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points, the B's are just four-points behind the Flyers, and three-points ahead of the ninth-place Rangers. So for the next week, it should be business as usual for Boston: aggressions in check, playing composed, and capturing as many points as possible while on their longest road trip of the season.
I'm sure that Friday night game back in March of '04 is forever embedded in the minds of both Chara and Recchi. This isn't to say that the Bruins need to go out there on Thursday night at the TD Garden – their first home-game back from this recent seven-game road-trip – and break NHL penalty-minute records. But if they want to get their fans back on their side by gaining a whole bunch of respect, someone needs to hand Matt Cooke his lunch on Thursday night.
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Posted on: 02-04-10 02:55 PM Posted by: DPR4444
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http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/2010/01 /31/12684051-sun.html
Flames tough guy McGrattan keeps teammates in stitches
Memorable images left behind by last year's Flames heavyweight include a Dion Phaneuf impression complete with a protruding rear and a mask.
There was also the time Andre Roy put shoes on his hands and stuck them out the door Superman-style in front of Hockey Night in Canada cameras interviewing centre Olli Jokinen on After Hours.
Filling those shoes as class clown has been almost as easy for this year's pugilist Brian McGrattan as it has been for him to surpass Roy in the role of enforcer.
McGrattan flattens foes with his fists, but he keeps teammates in stitches with incidents like Saturday morning's spontaneous interview of Mikael Backlund.
Sticking a water bottle inches from the AHL Abbotsford Heat call-up's face in the scrum, McGrattan decided to fire a question at the kid, too.
"How do you feel you're only two goals behind the Big Ern," said McGrattan, referring to his three tallies on the season.
Backlund scored his first career NHL goal in Phoenix Thursday night.
"Oh, you scored three?" Backlund responded with a smile. "I'll try to beat it tonight, then."
Laughs all around -- and those are tough to come by when a team is struggling as badly as the Flames were heading into the Battle of Al-brutal with the equally lame Edmonton Oilers at the Saddledome.
The Flames ended a nine-game skid with a 6-1 rout of their provincial rivals.
"I know my role. I know I'm not gonna play every night, but I think the other important role is to be a good team guy and a good room guy," McGrattan said. "I think it's essential to have on a team. I'm glad I can bring that.
"It's really important to keep the room loose -- especially when you haven't had a good stretch of late."
Even if it means passing gas during teammates' interviews, which McGrattan has been known to do this year.
Maybe that's why he's been moved across the room from his usual stall and plopped beside the captain, Jarome Iginla.
"A little change, I guess," McGrattan said after being directed to his new spot after Saturday's morning skate.
"Gotta protect the big man."
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Posted on: 01-27-10 11:01 AM Posted by: DPR4444
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http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details /article/1424/2010/januar y/...
When it comes to goons, give me the Penguins’ Eric Godard.
Godard plays to his strengths, works on his limitations, knows his role and kicks butt when the situation dictates. Godard is an excellent teammate, highly regarded in the locker room. He could play for my team any day.
Daniel Carcillo and Georges Laraque couldn’t.
Carcillo — born to be a Philadelphia Flyer — violated the code and embarrassed hockey Thursday when he pulled Marian Gaborik out of a scrum and goaded the New York Rangers’ sniper into a rare scrap. Gaborik is sixth in the NHL in goals; Carcillo leads humanity in stupidity.
An informal survey of the Penguins’ locker room harvested predictable contempt for Carcillo, but surprisingly little sympathy for Gaborik. “Gaborik’s strong, and he dropped the gloves first,” said one Penguin. “Give him credit for sticking up for himself.”
I would say Carcillo has never sold a ticket, but he probably has, especially in terminally knuckleheaded Philadelphia. But Carcillo is a thug, a circus clown, a player with no honor, everything bad about the game. Gaborik is a treat to watch. For Carcillo to negate Gaborik is disgraceful.
Just as shameful was the Rangers’ lack of immediate response. Daniel Girardi stood there and watched. Sean Avery, the Rangers’ mirror image, fought Carcillo later, but someone should have pulled Carcillo off Gaborik with great malice right then. It would have been worth an ejection.
“If that happened to Sid (Crosby) with a guy like Carcillo, everybody’s there,” said one Penguin.
When Laraque was a Penguin, “everybody” would not necessarily include him.
Laraque only fights other heavyweights, goons he sees at his elite level. If that means some little rat taking advantage of a superstar comrade, so be it. Laraque is a horrible teammate. He serves his own agenda 24/7.
Montreal cut Laraque Wednesday. Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey cited “lack of productivity and distractions to our group.”
In other words, Laraque can’t play and is a pain in the backside besides. Fifty-three goals in 12 NHL seasons corroborate the former, but Laraque never figured that out. He lobbied endlessly for increased playing time and better linemates, politicking harder than he ever practiced.
Laraque sucks up to the stars, an act that quickly wearies when he doesn’t defend them on the ice.
Laraque is praised for his charity work, and deservedly so. But he certainly doesn’t mind when his efforts are publicized. Whatever’s convenient, whatever heightens his profile. Good things get done, but Laraque’s primary aim is to benefit Laraque.
Laraque is of Haitian descent. When the Canadiens dumped him, Laraque chastised them for making the move while he was “dealing with Haiti.” Typical Laraque: Me, me, me. The Canadiens raised over $150,000 for earthquake victims just before ditching Laraque. At last look, Laraque was nowhere near Port-au-Prince.
Give me Godard. Godard’s teammates feel the same: they voted him “Players’ Player” for outstanding leadership and teamwork last year. He was also recognized for his community service. Godard not only executes his role, he embraces it. Godard has his name on the Stanley Cup.
Carcillo and Laraque do not.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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Posted on: 01-10-10 03:22 PM Posted by: Lowsie
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Janssen hopes coaching change gives him more opportunities
Blues' enforcer wants to show he can be more than just a tough guy on the ice
By George Csolak
To know Cam Janssen is to understand the incredible energy wrapped into his 6-foot, 215-pound frame.
He is a man who was not blessed with the lightning speed or dazzling puck-handling skills of Andy McDonald or T.J. Oshie. He does not possess an uncanny talent to find the back of the net the way snipers such as David Perron or Brad Boyes can.
So to sit him out of games as a healthy scratch or, when he does dress for games, leave him perched for 57 of 60 minutes at the end of the bench, is like caging a hungry lion.
"It's tough," said Janssen, the Blues' physical right winger, "especially when the game's physical. It's the worst feeling in the world watching it and not being involved. I know it's a numbers game."
Last Saturday, Janssen made public his emotions after Andy Murray was fired as coach of the Blues. After getting some things off his chest about Murray – something he has since apologized to the former coach for – Janssen began to focus his intensity on a new opportunity.
When Davis Payne was introduced as interim coach hours after the firing, Janssen's ears perked up with the news that the new man in charge wants, among many things, for the Blues to play physical hockey.
That's Janssen's game. That's his way.
"I hope Davis Payne feels this presence is needed in the lineup," said Janssen, who had no points in 28 games, with 97 penalty minutes prior to Thursday night's game against Anaheim. "I hope it's needed. We want to play his style of game. We're going to be physical. Guys feed off the intensity and fights when they happen. I hope Davis feels the same way."
The Eureka native was in the lineup for the first two games under Davis and, even though the Blues lost to both Chicago at home (6-3) and San Jose on the road (2-1 in overtime Wednesday night), Janssen saw playing time in both. He dished out some heavy hits in the Chicago game. Against the Sharks, he engaged in an impressive, lengthy fight with San Jose enforcer Jody Shelly.
Longtime hockey fans smile and refer to it as "old time hockey." Janssen loves that style.
"I was so pumped up, I couldn't think straight," said Janssen after the Chicago game. Surprisingly, he didn't judge his line's performance on hits or fights. Rather, it was how effectively they established the forecheck. He and linemate Derek Armstrong talked about what they could do better, how they were a bit late on the forecheck at times.
"We'll start off on the West Coast trip and play our game and prove to Davis that we can be extremely effective," he said prior to the current Blues' trip.
The words may seem a bit surprising to some Blues fans. Forecheck? Forget that…we want to see Cam pummel someone. And while Janssen understands his abilities in the pugilistic department, he sees himself in broader terms.
"I hear some people say my role is to fight," the 25-year-old said. "It's not my role. Sometimes you have to go out and do it. My role is much more complex than that, though."
Ten years ago, being a player with talents limited to fistic prowess was the ticket to job security. It's not that way anymore.
"You have to be able to do more," he said. "There's no room in the NHL for guys who just fight any more. You need to be the guy who can go get the puck every time. You need to be the guy who can be hard on the opposing defensemen. It's the intimidation factor."
He also has the ability to make a point by dropping his gloves.
"If they do anything to our guys, they'll have to answer to me," said Janssen. "It's a tough thing to do…complex. It might be one of the most complex roles there is. 'Do I fight this guy? Or do I try and goad him into taking a penalty, maybe an instigator penalty that will help our team.'"
If it's the former, Janssen is willing, even if the opponent towers over him and has a decided edge in reach. Whatever the case, he won't back down.
"I love it," he said. "I do it every night. I love coming to the table every night."
One of Janssen's biggest supporters is Kelly Chase, the Blues' broadcaster and former winger who has earned iconic status in the St. Louis community since he broke in as a player with the Blues. Chase and fellow tough guy Tony Twist were two people Janssen admired as a youngster, a rink rat who hung around and watched the Blues at games and practices.
"I like the kid a lot," said Chase. It's hard to find tough guys in the league that are willing to do it every night…and can play. Cam's a great reminder of how you've got to work to stay in the league. He's a reminder of what work ethic and determination can do for you."
Janssen revels in being turned loose on a shift with linemates who enjoy wreaking havoc. Hurtling his body into an opposing player at a high rate of speed gives Janssen a rush that is unparalleled. It has nothing to do with looking for a fight. It has everything to do with being a disruptor.
"It's so important, the way it rallies the fans and it wears down the opponent," Janssen explained. "Do you know how much it hurts to take a hit against the boards? I try and knock a guy through the glass every time. It takes a toll. It really wears them down."
He cited the Chicago game when defenseman Brent Sopel was hammered by Janssen into the end boards. Television replays of the hit showed Sopel's eyes grow as big as saucers on the play. Such punishment can make a player do uncharacteristic things with the puck. It can throw him off his game in a hurry…force him to make mistakes.
"Sopel saw me coming and tried to get rid of the puck," said Janssen. "He hurried it and passed it to one of our guys at the point and our guy got off a shot. We got a scoring chance out of it."
Another element of his game is to get to know the officials for each and every Blues game. This is a critical gesture, Chase said, for a player like Janssen to utilize that will allow him to do his job. Before each game, Janssen will find out who is officiating and engage in conversation during the pre-game skate. The discussion is polite and genuine.
"He understands the importance of that," said Chase. "He understands that you have to have a rapport with the officials. He'll go up and talk to a guy and call him by his first name. When they know he's honest, they like him.
"There are a lot of chicken (bleep) guys in this league, but he's not one of them. He has a chat with the officials and he knows their names. He looks at the game sheet and understands their game. You know the guy's name and you go up and say, 'Hey Brian, this is going to be a tough game. I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a little leeway along the wall.' And they respect him for that."
That respect carries over to Janssen's teammates and to the fans in the seats at Scottrade Center. It gets a crowd into the game and, as Chase says, "brings the out of their seats a bit."
"That's important to this team, especially right now," said Chase. "Especially to a team with a lot of young guys who know they're not going to be taken advantage of."
It's like a fraternity, this friendship between energy or physical players. Janssen treasures his relationship with both Chase and Twist and former Blues tough guy Reed Low, who makes his home here as well.
"Very good friends of mine," said Janssen. "I talk to Kelly every day."
Those talks often have Janssen seeking advice from Chase, who has been through the wars. He admits that Janssen will come to him when he's frustrated.
"I don't ever try and tell him what to do," said Chase. "I don't try and tell him how to fight because he knows how to fight. Sometimes it's hard for someone who hasn't been that job to relate to a guy like Cam because they haven't been there. It can be lonely.
"I may say, 'Here is something you may want to think about.' I try to keep it to giving him advice instead of telling him what to do. I do that when I coach kids, too. Cam's been good about that. He listens…I root for him. I really cheer for the kid."
Often times the conversations are good-natured. Janssen laughs, saying how he likes to give Chase a hard time. The good-natured needling works both ways.
"I like to tell him, 'Cam, I'm 42 and I'd kick the (crap) out of you if I was the same age as you' and he'll laugh," said Chase with a smile. "It's good natured fun."
The root of their relationship has Chase as mentor and Janssen as sponge-like student, taking in any tips or counsel he can offer.
"Kelly's a very loyal, honest man," said Janssen. "He's done it all. We grew up kind of the same way. I'm proud to say he's a very good friend of mine. I look up to him a lot, but I also like to give him hell any chance I can."
Chase feels for Janssen when he's a healthy scratch, especially when the Blues are at home.
"There are two things you don't do in St. Louis," said Chase. "You don't drink Coors or Miller beer and you don't sit your tough guy at home. You want to be respected at home."
Similar conversations take place when Twist is nearby, but not as often.
"He's a busy man so I don't see him as much," said Janssen. "He grew up as one of the toughest heavyweights the NHL has ever seen. He's always on my side. So is Reed Low. We're good buddies, too.
"It's kind of like a fraternity," he continued, adding fellow Blues tough guy D.J. King – close to returning to the lineup from a hand injury – is also a friend and confidant. "We all think alike. They all are great to talk to. They have the best sense of humor and they are fun to hang out with. I'll be friends with them the rest of my life."
It's funny how the toughest, meanest guys the NHL has to offer have this kind, gentle and humorous side off the ice. It's a unique personality that Janssen says he's had all his life. Hockey has always been his first love, dating back to his AAA days playing for coach Don Morehouse, whom Janssen credits in shaping him as a player.
He speaks fondly of the days playing for the Chesterfield Falcons, a team his older brother John, a defenseman – who Janssen called "a big hitter" - toiled for during their youth. Janssen said those days were fun, but tough, playing against superior talented teams in Canada.
"Kids with goatees," he said, "Sometimes we'd get our butts kicked 10-2 and I'd have two goals and 40 minutes in penalties. We worked our butts off together. We went to battle together. We might not have come out a winner every time, but we worked hard and loved what we were doing."
Hockey wasn't offered at Eureka High School, so he played football, wrestled and ran track. Eventually, he had to quit playing football because it overlapped with his AAA hockey.
"So I decided to run cross country to keep in shape," he said. "As you can tell, I'm not built to run cross country, but I did it. I also ran sprints in track."
Janssen hasn't forgotten his roots. He hasn't moved into an expensive home in the burbs, or opted for a fashionable loft apartment in downtown St. Louis. He lives in a home in his native Eureka with his two cats, just down the street from his parents, Amy and Dennis, who he says were his primary influences growing up. They helped shape his personality and work ethic.
"My father knew the game, but he didn't know the complexities of the game," said Janssen. "He knew how to talk to me. He and my mother did everything they possibly could to give me a good life. I took advantage of their generosity. I did it."
Their outgoing nature helped mold Janssen's personality as well.
"They have good people smarts," he said. "They are nice people. I just blended in."
Janssen also has many friends who follow his life with the Blues. A quote in the Blues' game notes under his name gives one a good idea of his sense of humor. It reads, "My friends are really cheap and now they're actually spending their own money to buy tickets. They've got no money, but they're paying to come see us play."
Janssen's career began with the New Jersey Devils, who chose him in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He worked his way up to the big club and established himself as one of the more physical players in the game. In February 2008, the Blues traded defenseman Bryce Salvador, who was in the option year of his contract, to the Devils for Janssen.
The experience in New Jersey was very good, Janssen says, and he singled out Devils GM and former coach Lou Lamoriello as "one of the smartest men in hockey." Janssen played 100 games with the Devils. When he learned of the trade to the Blues and his hometown, he was overcome by emotion.
"I cried," he said. "I was ecstatic. It's the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."
Prior to being dealt, Janssen was injured, but he was ready to come back at the time he got the call. He made his debut with the Blues shortly after the trade, calling it the "greatest feeling in the world."
He admits to being a bit of a showman, an entertainer when he drops the gloves and goes to war with an opponent...especially at home. He knows the pressures that go with playing for a team in your hometown.
"Everywhere you go, all eyes are on you," he said. "I love the attention, but sometimes it's tough."
He also identifies with the blue-collar fan that enjoys what he brings to the game.
"The fans here are so awesome…it really pumps me up and brings tears to my eyes when they are up there screaming for you. They love hard work and I know how they think," he said. "I'm one of them, but it's the best feeling in the world to hear them cheer when I dish out a hit or get into a fight. There's nothing like getting the fans going. Nothing like looking up at the crowd while I'm heading to the penalty box and going, 'Yeah, you like that, guys?' It's the best.
"I don't ever want to leave…ever," he said.
During the off-season, Janssen enjoys taking his boat out on local lakes and rivers and chilling on a sand bar. He also likes to play golf and talks about how good his good friend Perron is on the links, calling him "unbelievably good. I'm starting to get as good as him."
He also works out with Blues fitness coach Nelson Ayotte, skating four times a week and lifting weights every other day. He also regularly visits Jessie Finney, who owns a martial arts and kickboxing school in Crestwood to work on the finer points of boxing.
"I do boxing, not to learn how, but how to hockey fight," explained Janssen. "I've been working with Jessie for seven years. He's been unbelievable, especially for a guy like me who's 6-feet and often has to do business with guys 6-foot-5 or bigger. You've got to be able to dodge punches. It's an art. It really is. I have a different style for different guys. It takes a lot of work, but it's the best way to learn. I've been doing it most of my life, going back to when I was 15 going against guys who were 22."
Off the ice, he's content hanging out with family and friends or spending a quiet evening at home. Janssen also enjoys signing autographs for kids and doing charitable work, especially if it involves children or animals.
"He takes time to work with the young kids, whether it be going to see them in the hospital or working with youth hockey," said Chase. "He doesn't do it because he has to…he does it because it's his nature."
Janssen likes what fellow forward David Backes does working with dogs and says he is going to get charities of his own going this summer. He isn't sure whether those charities will involve kids or animals, but it's something he's working on right now.
Meanwhile, Janssen is geeked up about his Blues and what the future may hold for him. He likes what Payne has to say and the style of play he's encouraging. Janssen also knows that he must do everything he can in all aspects of his game to earn more than just three shifts a game.
"I have to play my role well, prove to him that I can play," said Janssen. "That I can play aggressively and bring hard-core play to the team. We need that in-your-face element that takes it over the top.
"I have to do my job and do it extremely well so he has no choice but to keep putting me out there," continued Janssen. "I just have to do it well when I get the chance."
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