Q and A

Q: Comparisons have been made between yourself and Wayne Gretzky, and you've commented that you do a lot of visualization away from the ice. Aside from this, what else do you do to separate yourself from the average guy in the NHL (not that ANYONE in the NHL is in any way average)? Jeff McQuillan
A: During the offseason, I do a lot of weight training and biometrics to improve my power and speed, Jeff. I also spend a lot of time watching players and trying to learn from them. When I watch hockey, I don't really watch it to enjoy it, so to speak, I watch it to learn. If the Bruins are playing, watching guys like Adam Oates or Cam Neely, I see what they're doing. If I can pick one or two things up from guys like that, or Brett Hull or Wayne Gretzky, it's only going to help my game.
Q: What do you think of college hockey and what it means to the NHL? Alex Bricker
A: I don't know the exact statistics, Alex, but I think the numbers are growing in terms of the amount of college players playing in the NHL now. It's a tremendous developmental league hockey-wise. But most importantly, you're getting your schooling while you're playing hockey. That's one of the reasons why I went there. To have a degree or at least start a degree before you turn pro is really going to give you something to fall back on if things don't work out. College hockey worked really well for me.
Q: What do you, Paul, think of all of the competition for the Calder (Trophy), especially with you being one of the top candidates. If you don't win it, who will? Mike Rennett
A: It's been an excellent year for rookies in the NHL, Mike. There are a lot of great player who had great seasons, especially goaltenders. If you talk to anyone around the league, they'll probably say that goaltending is the hardest position to break into in the NHL. I think guys like Jimmy Carey and Blaine Lacher really shouldered the goaltending load for their teams. Obviously, Peter Forsberg had a great year in Quebec. The two guys in Edmonton, Todd Marchant and David Oliver, also had great years. I think any one of those guys, or even a guy like Roman Oksiuta could win the award. As to who might win, that's up to the voters and I'll leave it to them.
Q: Do you feel any extra pressure coming to such a young team and being asked to perform as the team's star immediately? David Aronson
A: No, not really. I think the only pressure I placed on myself was to improve every game and I think I accomplished that. I never read the newspaper articles or watched TV and I think that where a lot of the pressure comes from, David. I just worry about what happens within the team and what we're trying to do.
Q: Has living with an actual family helped you focus more on playing hockey rather than everyday decisions? Kevin Sokso
A: It certainly made the transition into pro hockey easier to deal with, Kevin. All I had to do was play and everything else was provided. At the start of the year, most of the players were either married or had other living arrangements, and there weren't really any other young guys on the team to room with. But I really enjoyed living with the Frederick family. With a family there, I was always eating well and that's important. I know exactly what to eat, but sometimes when you're coming off a road trip you just don't feel like cooking, so you take a short cut by going out to dinner or stopping at a fast food place.
Q: Paul, what do you think the Mighty Ducks have to work on in the 1995-96 season to become really competitive? Craig Viney
A: Craig, I think we were competitive all year and for the last 15 or so games, were playing .500 hockey if not better. The trades we made at the end of the season for guys like David Karpa, Mike Sillinger and Jason York made us young, faster and more skilled. Just by keeping the roster we have, we're going to be very competitive next year and we'll definitely be in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Q: What were the best and worst moments of your rookie season? Chris Tihor
A: I think the best moment was a combination of two things, Chris - our first win of the year in Winnipeg and my first goal. I beat Tim Cheveldae in Winnipeg. The worst? I guess that would have been the end of January or early February when the team was in a big losing streak and we weren't playing well. That was the low point.
Q: Since you grew up in British Columbia, did you ever want to play for the Canucks? Source unknown
A: Not really, to tell you the truth. My favorite team growing up was the Edmonton Oilers. I would have loved to play for them when I was a kid. But after awhile, I was indifferent because I just wanted to play for any team in the NHL. If Vancouver had been the team that drafted me, that would have been great. But I really didn't have a preference.