In Wednesday’s media scrum on the driveway of Nicole Langlois’ house during the Bring Home a Stanley Cup Champion event in St. Albert, Mark Messier weighed in on a number of hockey-related issues prior to game four of the Stanley Cup final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.
What do you think of the series so far?
“Great hockey. Actually it’s been great hockey all the way through the playoffs this year. There is some tremendous skill in the game. The series is shaping up to be quite a series.”
Who are you cheering for?
“I think as Canadians it’s hard not to cheer for the Canadian team. We haven’t had a Canadian winner since 1993. We haven’t had the Cup back in Canada for a long time. It’s not so much that you’re cheering for one team or another but I think the people in Canada don’t want to let the Cup get away too far so it would be nice to see it back in Canada,” said Messier, who played three seasons with the Canucks between stints with the New York Rangers.
“Both teams have earned the right to be here and I think more importantly as a guy who is watching it as a fan it’s nice to see the teams rise to the occasion in the playoffs. Both teams have survived tough seven-game series. They’ve answered the call and now we’re down to the last series. It should be a great game tonight and I’m looking forward to watching it.”
Your thoughts on headshots in general, especially after Nathan Horton of the Bruins was knocked unconscious by Aaron Rome of the Canucks in game three.
“It’s something that’s been discussed and needs to be addressed. It’s always easy to sit back on the sidelines and judge anything that happens on the ice. When you’re on the ice it’s a completely different situation but obviously the hit was late and I think the right decision was made.”
Discuss your involvement with the Messier Project.
“We started the Messier Project [www.cascadeicehockey.com] to inform and educate everybody on the risks of concussions, dealing with concussions and how to hopefully prevent concussions,” Messier said of the hot-button topic.
“We also wanted to address the fact that we’re basically wearing the same technology in our helmets that we did 40, 50 years ago. Nothing has changed in helmets and we set out to prove that we can build a more protective helmet that significantly reduces the risk of concussions. Every other piece of equipment in our game has evolved other than the helmet and that’s what we set out to do and we’ve made huge progress.
“Obviously change in anything is tough but we’ve been around two years now and people are starting to get used to the fact that change is needed to help reduce the risk of a concussion. I think it’s up to us and the NHL and NHLPA and all the other people that are responsible for our game in protecting our players that we demand a better helmet through stricter certification standards of what we’re allowed to wear in the sport. The players in the league deserve that, not to mention the grassroots level and all our children that are playing as well.”
Was that hit a wakeup call?
“There has been many hits like it and you can’t allow that in our game because if you do, what’s to stop a Bruins’ player from going out and taking out one of the other players tonight,” Messier said.
“I know there is nobody who feels worse about the hit than Rome. If he could have it back right now, he would. But the fact is we have to judge by the actions, not by the intentions. If we allow that hit to take place without punishment, there is nothing stopping a Bruins’ player going out there and accidently running into Sedin when he is not looking and that’s basically the problem that we’re facing right now. We have to get rid of those kinds of hits, whether they’re intentional or not.”
Are you happy to see the NHL back in Winnipeg?
“I am. Winnipeg was one of my favourite places to play. It’s a great hockey town and I really like the ownership. [Media mogul] David Thomson is a great guy. I got to know him this year. He is a very passionate hockey fan and a very passionate Canadian and is really in it for all the right reasons. I’m really pleased. He will run that organization that Winnipeggers and all Canadians will be proud of.”
Are you concerned about hockey in the United States and teams leaving to come to Canada?
“No, I’m not worried about hockey in the U.S. Hockey is very, very strong in the U.S. USA Hockey is proving that with the amount of success it’s had with the U16s, U17s, U18s and how well they played in the Olympics. Hockey is thriving in the United States. It was unfortunate to lose a team in Atlanta but that is going to happen and that shouldn’t determine or judge the state of hockey in the United States because we lost that team. I’m living there. I know it’s alive and thriving.”
How did it feel to drive down Mark Messier Trail today?
“It was pretty humbling to say the least. I’m very proud of that honour.”
How did playing with the St. Albert Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League help in your development as a hockey player?
“Playing in St. Albert and playing for the Saints and playing with my friends and living here was great,” Messier said of his 1-1/2 seasons with the Saints before turning pro in the World Hockey Association with the Cincinnati Stingers after a five-game tryout with the Indianapolis Racers.
“I haven’t followed [the AJHL] as close lately but tier II back then was an excellent league. It was a real development league, both for college and major junior. It was excellent hockey. A lot of players that played tier II turned pro out of that league.”
