Hangin' out with...

Rob Zamuner - Boston Bruins

Article by Nadia Fezzani

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST HOCKEY MEMORY?
I don't know if I have a first hockey memory but I recall skating on the pond. We lived outside our town and we had some land where my dad built a pond and where I was playing with my friends. The other memory was getting up for early morning practices wearing my school outfit underneath the hockey equipment. I must have smelt good in school! (laughs)

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED TO PLAY HOCKEY?
I was late. My parents are from Europe so hockey was not a big thing to them. So it was more that I wanted to be with my friends. I started when I was eight, which is actually old, in Canada.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST MEMORY IN MINOR HOCKEY?
I guess it's all the friendships that I've made when I was young. We were all so naive and just played for fun; it wasn't a business. We played because we wanted to play hockey, not to fight for jobs and different things like that. I think that's the simplicity of why you play and I think that was fun. Obviously there were different championships that we won, and different tournaments, those were fun, and I think it's just a combination of everything put together.

WHAT KIND OF CHAMPIONSHIPS DID YOU WIN?
I was fortunate that we had a really good team in Oakville. Our age group had a lot of good players, so we won a lot of tournaments when we were younger, the Silver Stick, and I remember we had a tournament in Toronto at Maple Leafs Gardens when we were young, that was a highlight. When we were around 14, we won an OMHA Championship, which was a big thing for us.

WHAT PART OF HOCKEY DID YOU FIND THE HARDEST WHEN PLAYING FOR THE OMHA?
If there's anything, I was the shortest guy on the team, so maybe I always wished I could grow. It took me a little while to reach puberty. Obviously kids grow at different times and I was a late bloomer. There's nothing you can really do about your size.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE OLYMPICS?
Aside from not winning the gold medal, which was very disappointing because Canadians have such a high standard for hockey, the experience was incredible. The Japanese culture, playing with and against the best players in the world was amazing experience. It is a little bitter because we didn't win, but it was just exciting to be part of Canada, not only for hockey but the whole Olympic experience. Seeing Canadians who worked so hard for long hours was really a unique experience to be part of that.

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR OMHA PLAYERS?
I think the biggest advice I can give is very simple, but it's just to have fun. There is so much pressure these days with parents wanting their kids to be in the NHL and wanting them to be on the ice more, so they can get a step up and it's tough for a lot of kids.

QUICK HITS

HOCKEY IDOL GROWING UP
Darryl Sittler

FAVOURITE CITY ON THE ROAD
New York

FAVOURITE PRE-GAME MEAL
Salmon with pasta

FAVOURITE TV SHOW
I like watching the Food TV Network -- that's gonna wreck my image! (laughs)

FAVOURITE SINGER
Neil Young

FAVOURITE BAND
Crash Test Dummies