If you understand swedish,
here's an article I wrote on Carolina's Justin Faulk - his role on the team, his friends that keep him grounded and those luscious locks of his. If you don't understand Swedish, here's the english version...
The Carolina Hurricanes have hit a rough patch these past two weeks as they've won just one game since losing arguably their best defenseman, 20-year-old Justin Faulk, to a knee sprain. If you ask his teammates and coaches, they'll tell you what an asset he is to their team, but he will be the first to tell you that he still needs work.
"I play a little bit of everything, I guess - power play, penalty kill, last minute of the game and against other teams' top lines. I'm lucky enough to be able to play in just about any situation and am glad my coaches trust me enough to put me out there, said the Minnesota native who won an NCAA National Championship with Minnesota-Duluth in 2011. "I want to be out there in those situations. I want to be to be the guy that's relied upon in every situation and when I'm out there I have to trust in myself to get the job done whether it's grinding it out in the corners or generating some offense by getting the puck up to the big guys up front. While I think I've been doing ok out there, I also think that as a player you have to keep wanting to get better in every aspect of the game. I think when you get complacent is when things start to not go as well for you. Being 20 years old, I don't think I've masters any one area of the game, so I just want to keep improving."
One area of his game that he's always been known for is his skating. His ability to maneuver in tight areas and then create separation with his speed is what caught the eyes of every scout when he played with the US National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, MI and it's a big reason why he's been able to find so much success so quickly in just his second professional season with the Hurricanes.
"I think I can skate pretty well," said Faulk before a nearby teammate yelled at him for being so modest.
"We're talking about the best league in the world…" he fired back.
"This league that you're running right now," stated his teammate.
"No…not at all!" he said bashfully.
But, it's true. He's 20 years old averaging 23 minutes a game in key situations against their opponent's best players and is a +4 with 10 points. Fortunately, he has his friends and teammates from Minnesota-Duluth, where he would have been a junior this year, to keep him grounded.
"I have a bit more free time on my hands than I'm used to now that I'm not in school anymore. I worked my schedule so I only had class two days a week my second semester, so I was somewhat used to having some free time, but I'm not used to being by myself all the time. I like having people around. I like to joke around and have some fun. When I'm at home, I just sit there on my computer and talk to guys on skype or facebook or whatever and they like to chirp me pretty hard. I know it just means they miss me," he smiled. "They don't care that I'm in the NHL. They make fun of me. I make fun of them. It's nice having guys like that. Some people might think what the hell is wrong with me for saying this, but it's nice to have guys around you that don't care. I think I'm pretty much the same way now as when I was at school and it's nice that they don't treat me any different either. I have a great group of friends. I'm very lucky. I keep in touch with them as much as possible."
In addition to a great skill set when it comes to hockey and great friends who help keep his ego in check, Faulk also has a head of hair that would make any female jealous.
"He'll say he has the best hair, but I'll tell you it's from the 70's. He used to wake up some mornings when we were on the road and it would be all over the place. Just an absolute mess - almost like a mini-afro - and he'd still think it was the sweetest hair on the team," said teammate Riley Nash, who also used to live with him during his time in the AHL in Charlotte.
"Skins [Jeff Skinner] is really challenging him for the title of best hair on the team," said fellow defenseman Jay Harrison. "We could probably get that online and get some voting going on that one. I'm sure there are some young chicks who like the wavy look while others dig the curls. You'll have to go to a vote for that!"
But for Faulk, this is one topic he's not modest about, "No contest. I have the best hair. Hands down," he said with a confident smile.
His confidence, work ethic and easygoing attitude is something the Hurricanes have missed these past two weeks, but the good news is that he started skating with the team and is expected to be back on the blueline next week - just in time to help the Hurricanes make a push for the playoffs.
Julie
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