February 19 , 2006
OLY.005

UP FIRST – the MVP of men’s hockey at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the captain of Team Canada in 2006 Joe Sakic

Andrew Quinn-Young, British Columbia: Do you listen to any particular music to get pumped up before a game? If so, what?

JOE: Me, myself, particularly, I don’t listen to anything but in our dressing room, there’s always music being played until we go out onto the ice for warm-up. It’s always that newer stuff. It changes all the time. I’m not in charge of the music but I listen to it. But it’s pretty much Canadian and American Rock.

Brody Boldt, Regina, SK: How do I improve my wrist shot and make it as quick off the stick as yours?

JOE: It’s just practice. Whenever you have a chance, whether you’re at home in the basement or on the ice, get someone to pass you the puck and as soon as you get the puck, you try to shoot it as quick as you can. And just get it off your stick. The more you practice that, the easier it will be in a game.

Brian Allen, Texas: I was wondering what you did with your gold medal from 2002? Did you wear it around to tease your teammates from other countries?

JOE: I have it in a room downstairs with all my other mementos from that Olympics. I’ve never wore it around, but I did take it to ‘Show and Tell’ at my kids’ schools a couple times.

John Thomas, Kamloops, BC: Do you find it more difficult to play the international game now with its different style of officiating, or has it made it easier?

JOE: I just find the game better, because of the bigger ice, more skating room. The officiating, they same to call in our league now whereas our old rules, they called it more here. You’ve got to get adjusted a little bit as you’re allowed to do a little bit more here.

Ashley Bolen, North Vancouver, BC: If you were italian gelato, what flavour would you be and why?

JOE: Geez, I eat that stuff, too. I just love it. I just can’t think of some flavours here. I do like that lemon lime stuff. How about a mix, because I like all of them … Rainbow. Mix them all up, I like different flavours.

Dale Walker, Vancouver, BC: Which one of your teammates has most impressed you in the first few games in Turin?

JOE: It’s hard. Right now, everybody’s played really well. I can’t really pick one, because I’ve played with all of them before. There’s no surprise right now.

Lee Ryan: I was wondering who you idolized as a younger player?

JOE: Wayne Gretzky.

» 2006 Men's Olympic Team site