Versteeg Verbatim

The National Hockey League dotted its I’s and crossed its T’s this month, holding its annual awards show in Las Vegas.  With the Pittsburgh Penguins on top of the hockey world as Stanley Cup Champs, it was time to dish out some individual hardware.

The NHL Awards is a must see thanks to how unintentionally funny it is.  Asking current and former hockey players to deliver lines off a teleprompter is like watching a bunch of graduates from the Steven Segal School of Acting. 

This year’s show had plenty of car-accident-can’t-look-away moments: the opening song with Chaka Khan and Michael Buble “electrifying” the crowd, Glenn Anderson producing a nominee for the least funny joke of all-time and Jeremy Roenick flubbing more lines than Goldie Hawn.

There was a legitimate reason to watch as well: Kris Versteeg was up for the Calder Trophy.  The Lethbridge native was a key cog of the Chicago Blackhawks in the ’08-’09 season.  However, Columbus goalie Steve Mason took home the rookie of the year award.

Leading up to the Awards, I caught up with Versteeg to ask some “hard-hitting” questions about his season and life in the Windy City.

Q: What is it like being part of the Blackhawks resurgence in Chicago?

A: The team before last season really got fans back on their feet about halfway through the year.  Being a call-up guy and seeing what the city could be like if hockey was back…and now bringing it back, our whole team from the management side, (‘Hawks President) John McDonough, lit that city on fire.  You walk around the streets and everybody knows who you are.  They love their athletes there.  It’s like a small town atmosphere with 20 million people in the whole area.

Q:  What’s it like playing for an Original Six club?

A:  Knowing that’s it’s an Original 6 team and this history and the heritage behind the whole organization and being able to see guys like Tony Esposito and [Denis] Savard and these guys walking around the room at times and [Stan] Makita it’s pretty cool to watch all these greats.

Bobby Hull…that guy’s a whole storybook right there.  He’s a pretty cool guy to talk to, he’s really nice.  Stan Makita’s a really nice guy too.  So when those guys are walking around the room you know they’re there, they have a presence about them and it’s pretty special when you get to see legends and Hall of Famers on almost a daily basis.

Q:  What was the best place to play outside Chicago?

A:  For the atmosphere playing [it] was Calgary.  That atmosphere, in that barn, and Chicago’s barn…that had to be the best two atmospheres in the whole league.  (In the NHL playoffs) Calgary had flags passing around it almost felt like you were at a soccer game at times.  You didn’t see one white jersey, besides that one Chicago guy, poor Chicago guy, but every jersey out there was red, they had flags flailing.  It was unbelievable, that atmosphere, to play in Calgary and it was pretty crazy that it was close to my hometown.

Q:  Which opposing defenceman were you most impressed by?

A:  The one I liked watching a lot was (Nashville’s) Shea Weber.  The guy’s got an absolute cannon and he can make plays from the back end, he’s good defensively, he’s good all over the ice.

In regards to Versteeg’s only fighting major of the year, an end-of-the-game scrap with Phoenix’s Kyle Turris back in December.  Afterwards, Coyotes Head Coach Wayne Gretzky said, “I don’t like to see and 18-year-old kid (Turris) pulled out of a pile in a 7-1 hockey game and take a beating.”

Q:  Is there a planned rematch with Kyle Turris?

A:  (Laughing) If he wants a rematch I’m willing…but no…that’s the way hockey’s played.  It’s played tough.  When you’re out there…you’re not always thinking, especially in mine and Kyle’s game, we don’t think about fighting.  We just try to keep to what our strengths are.  I mean that was just emotions running high and things happen, it got heated but it was a pretty crazy ending.

Q:  Where on the road were you most impressed by?

A:  Florida was pretty sweet, Fort Lauderdale.  But not only Fort Lauderdale I liked LA…going out there, the lifestyle.  It’s a bit different than the lifestyle I like, but it’s kind of neat to get out there and see movie stars and see them walking around and watching them up close, it’s almost surreal at times.

Q:  What was your favourite thing to do away from the rink?

A:  Me and my roommate, we had a couple of scooters, when it got nice out we’d rip on our scooters and head down to the beach in Chicago and hang out.  That city when it’s hot out and that beach is packed it’s a pretty fun place to be.  But you gotta watch at times, going into the water…I don’t know really if people have their sewage going into it or what.

Q:  What do you recommend for newcomers to do in Chicago?

A:  During the winter time you can go check out the John Hancock building, and Sears Tower and overlook the whole city and see pretty much every building downtown and there’s a couple restaurants on the top of those buildings and it’s pretty neat to eat up there and overlook all of Chicago.

Versteeg is a restricted free agent on July 1^st.  He made $490,000[1] for the 2008-2009 season.  After an invite to the NHL Awards, expect the 22-year-old to get a bit of a raise.