On his reaction to the trade
It’s tough to say exactly the way I feel right
now. It’s always a shock first of all getting traded, but after when
they told me the place I was going, the place I was there for more than
10 years and where everything started, so it’s
going back to the place where I’m really familiar and really excited to
go back to Philly.
How are you feeling these days?
Health-wise I feel really good. Hockey-wise it’s a
little tougher the last couple weeks, in and out of the lineup and not
playing much. Trying to understand what was my role here with the Kings
this year, try to figure out what’s going
on. It’s part of the game and now it’s behind me and it’s time to
focus on what I have to do to help the Flyers to win.
Do you feel like you’re in game shape?
Game shape’s good even if I haven’t played the
last, I think, five games. It’s been, what, to weeks since I played.
Still practicing with the team, still getting a skate after every
morning skate, still riding the bike. That was the only
thing I was able to do, try to focus on and keep myself in shape for
exactly what happened and try to go and play for another team. I’m in
good shape. It’s going to be maybe a tough one tomorrow night, I think
they want me to be in the lineup. First of
all I’m excited to be back and play in front of the fans in Philly
tomorrow night. Right now the plan for me was there as no flight left
for this afternoon so I have to take the red eye and fly all night. So
it’s going to be a special game tomorrow but I’ll
try to take all that emotion and try to bring that energy to the game.
On his offseason neck surgery
Yeah actually I feel really good since the surgery.
The neck problem was going on for quite a while and it was a tough
situation the last couple years having the head injury, but who knows it
was maybe more my neck sometime. Having the
surgery, finally finding a doctor here in LA that was willing to do the
surgery – it was a tricky place to do the surgery, around the neck and
close to nerves and stuff like that. After that I felt the difference
right away, just overall like in normal life
coming at the house, playing with the kids, sleeping at night, stuff
like that, it makes a huge difference. I’m now really excited about
that. I was looking forward to starting the season and playing pretty
much every game but it was not the case. It’s
a little bit difficult to be in the lineup and play and now try to see
the difference, but I could tell I felt different on the ice and I feel
better and I can’t wait to try it on a regular basis.
When was the surgery?
I had the surgery in June right after we won the
Cup, so I think it was five days after we won, everything was planned.
That’s why I was able to come back in the lineup. I had the chance to
meet a lot of specialists that were willing
to do the surgery for the neck and everything was planned. That’s why I
knew at that point the head was OK and it was more a neck issue at the
end, so that’s why I came back and played [in the playoffs]. Right
after we won everything was scheduled to do
the surgery. I’m 100 percent now, and like I said I was really excited
about this year because of that, but unfortunately things didn’t work
the way it was here in LA this year, so now having a chance to play with
Philly and play on a regular basis, I’m really
excited to try that. It will be fun.
On the state of his hockey skills after not playing
It’s not an easy situation. As a hockey player not
playing a lot last year and not playing at the end in the Final and
having the long lockout, not laying for almost six months before we
started the season. But I have to say I felt really
good – the games that I played this year, I felt really good on the
ice. My leg was feeling good, the skill was coming back, but it’s hard
when you start to feel your game coming back and you’re not playing the
next five games, and after that you have to
go back into the lineup, any player it’s going to be hard to ask
someone to go back in the lineup after not playing for five games. It’s
almost like a week not playing. It’s hard. But like I said the games I
played here this year I was feeling really good.
I think it’s just a matter of playing a little more hockey and all that
stuff will come back.
Did you ask for a trade?
It’s funny you mention that because it was
definitely something in my mind the last couple days. I talked to my
agent three days ago and the situation here you could tell was not going
to get better, and we started talking about the options.
It’s just a little different now. I have a family and I have two kids,
and you’re thinking about them a lot more than you’re thinking about
yourself. I was willing to suck it up maybe for a couple more games or
couple more weeks and see what’s going to
happen here, but at the end I knew it was not my place here and it was
time to move on. It just happened like that. I didn’t have a chance to
ask Dean [Lombardi] or [Ron Hextall] to try to trade me, they just did
it on their own. It just shows you the class
those guys hav. Even if it’s hard getting traded in the middle of the
season, going to Philly – and they told me it was maybe the best place
for me to go – they’re really gentlemen to do that to me this year.
Did you talk to Paul Holmgren?
I talked to him a couple minutes after I met Dean
and Hexy. First thing he told me is are you ready to play tomorrow
night. I told him I’m taking the red eye flight tonight so I’ll be on
the plane all night. So it’s going to be a tough
one but he wanted me to be in the lineup so I’ll be there for him
tomorrow.
Have you thought about whose line you want to play on?
No… actually I just got a call right now and it
just said Peter Laviolette on my phone. That’ll be the first time I
talk to Lavi. I don’t know what the plan is for me tomorrow. I know
they want me to play. I’ll play and we’ll see.
It’s gonna be fun.
Did Homer tell you what he thought you could do for the club or what it needed right now?
No, we didn’t have a chance to talk too much about
that. Like I said, it was basic welcome-back, a couple laughs, more
talking about the game tomorrow. Just said that I want to play, and he
said I’m going to have a chance to play a lot
of minutes with the Flyers, and that was the only thing he said. I’m
sure I’ll have a chance to catch up with him when I get to Philly. I
think he said the next game will be Saturday after that, so that will
give us some time between games to talk about
the future.
Do you still have a home in the area?
Yeah I still have it, but last month I finally
found someone willing to buy it, so the closing’s going to be done on
March 15. It’s part of the life, but at the same time we all know the
market in Jersey’s not too good. So just getting
to find a buyer to buy the house, it’s something that even if I’m going
back to Philly, and it’s a house we lived in for quite a while, where
my son was born, and a lot of good memories, but at the same time it was
maybe the best option even if I go back there
to sell the house and maybe renting something for the next couple years
or at least the next couple months. Lavi was renting the house
actually. Lavi was staying in the house for the last 2 ½ years.
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