I do speaking engagements on a regular basis up here in the Ottawa area, as well as elsewhere in Canada and pockets of the United States. While I am capable of speaking about many different topics, the main theme always ties into hockey.
Regardless of the age of the audience members, they all want to hear about hockey. That's especially true up here in Canada. Even those who may not vividly recall my career -- or are too young to have seen me play -- perk up as soon as they find out I was someone who played over 1,000 games in the NHL.
That is the power this game holds, and the allure of being a member of the NHL Alumni fraternity. It's something very special that I never take for granted.
In order for my speeches to leave a lasting impression, I have developed a number of hockey-themed speeches that have various bigger-picture life and/or business messages woven throughout them. I have found that the hockey stories make people pay attention and understand the main reason why I'm speaking to them.
With each speech, I always follow the same format – a little background on myself, a message that touches on the specific theme, experiences from my hockey career that relates back to the topic, I talk about some of my former teammates – these stories also relate back to the theme that I was talking about.
Then comes the big close! Quite often, this is a motivational message relating to the type of audience that I am speaking to. My presentations are quite different than many - I engage the audience throughout. During my talk I give out prizes like hats, t-shirts, etc.
This also forces the audience to pay attention. Regardless of age everybody likes to win something! I always go back to revisit the various topics that I spoke about. I ask the audience to recall things like how many goals I scored, which NHL teams I played for, etc. The questions get harder as I proceed. People have a lot of fun and it really does get them to pay attention throughout the presentation.
I always follow up the big close with a question and answer period, which I really enjoy. I always tell the audience right from the start that I will be doing questions and answers afterwards; this really does get them engaged as their minds are already thinking of what they can ask me.
This never fails: I always get several questions about topics that I spoke about in my speech which leads me to poke a little fun at them and this is usually followed by some friendly jeering from the audience, which once again engages them.
What I always find amusing about the question and answers is this: regardless of the age of the audience, regardless of the gender, regardless of their ethnic background, whether it is a business or a sports or school audience, the first number of questions are always the same – they all want to know the same things!
Here is an FAQ sampling of the questions and answers that I most commonly go through at the end of my speaking engagements. Remember, there's no such thing as a silly question in an open forum. I just may give a silly answer in reply!
How many fights did you get into in your career?
Lots. I won some, lost some. Fighting was different when I played. It wasn’t staged as many of the fights are now. The fights were not just between the “tough” guys, everybody could fight – you had to be able to look after yourself. Everyone had to fight from time to time. It wasn't just the enforcers. A little-known fact is that Bobby Orr was a fierce fighter! So was finesse forward Rick MacLeish, who may have actually been a better fighter than any of his Broad Street Bullies teammates. Back in my day, you fought for the team, not for a notch on your belt. Many fights today are for selfish reasons. Alternatively, they may be part of a "strategy" for getting back into a game where the team has been playing lousy.
Do you have all your own teeth?
No. I have two false teeth. However, unlike so many of my Alumni brethren, I did not lose teeth playing hockey. Actually, I lost them changing a tire; the jack sprung loose and hit me in the mouth. Yes, it hurt!
What was your favourite place to play?
Everywhere! The object was to play in the NHL. To me, it did not matter where so long as there was a job for me in the League. Yes, I liked playing for some franchises better than others but I am really splitting hairs when choosing a favourite. It is an honour to play in the NHL, no matter the uniform or city!
What kind of car do you drive?
Fancy cars were never my thing. Honestly, it didn’t matter to me what I was driving, because I never cared about status symbols. A car to me is transportation; no more and no less.
When I was traded to Philly, I bought a 1972 State of New Jersey Department of Highways GMC pickup truck. It was bright yellow, with number 292 stenciled on the door panels. Yes, my teammates ragged on me daily about it! I didn't care. It served me well. I drove this truck until I was traded to Detroit, when I finally sold it for $300. Oh, and it had well over 350,000 miles on it by then.
The one vehicle I owned that I laugh about nowadays was the van that I bought with my first NHL signing bonus. Shag carpet, bar, mood lightning, a stereo that would blow you away, a bed; a lot of fun in that van!
In terms of cars I drive now, I have a 2008 GMC Torrent (with over 300 km on it by this point). I also have a BMW which is a company car, and by far the nicest car I have ever driven. But I honestly don't care what I drive, so long as it's working properly and gets me where I need to go.
How much money did you make in the NHL?
I always enjoy answering this question because everyone assumes that because I played in the NHL for so long, I had to make a lot of money. Believe me, that's far from the truth.
In my first year with the Atlanta Flames, I made $55,000 dollars before taxes. Keep in mind I was a 1st-round pick, so I was actually doing a little better than many other young players. The most I ever made in a year was $250,000 in my 15th and final season as a professional hockey player.
In short, I made a good living in the NHL, but I was far from set for life financially.
I always comment here on today’s salaries, not only in hockey but in all professional sports. While I do not begrudge what the players make, my honest opinion is that it is far too much. There are far too many players making too much money that they have not earned. It creates complacency, makes life MUCH tougher for coaches and also drives a wedge between players and those who pay for tickets with their hard-earned money.
When I was playing, players were basically working-class guys who made decent but not eye-popping money for their years of sacrifice and devotion. We felt a bond with fans and the community that does not genuinely exist to the same degree anymore. Our kids went to the same schools. We socialized in everyday hangouts and not trendy hotspots. Our non-hockey friends were not celebrities. All those things change when big, big money gets involved. It just is what it is.
One lifestyle is not necessarily better than the other. But in my old-school way of thinking, I do think we appreciated everything more and the work ethic was more automatic back when I was playing. The job security of long-term contracts and mega-million contracts was not our reality.
We had to go out every day and work our tails off to earn our keep, which is why I think we related so well to the everyday fan. Of course, if someone had come along back then and offered me a four-year contract at $3 million per season -- which is roughly what veteran defensemen who play my role make nowadays -- I certainly would not have said no!
Do your kids play hockey?
Yes, all four of my kids played hockey, including my daughters. Two of the kids quit hockey and took up speed skating, which is very popular up here in Canada (insert your favourite Brad Marsh "slow skating" joke here).
My son, Patrick, took his speed skating career the furthest. Most recently, he competed in the Olympic trials for a spot in the Canadian contingent in the 2014 Winter Games. He did not get a spot in Sochi, but his dad is very proud of him. Speed skating is fun to watch. I love that sport.
My youngest daughter, Maddy, is a collegiate goaltender playing NCAA women's hockey in the USA. I guess all my years of blocking shots wore off on her!
Who was the best player that you played with as a teammate?
From a strictly offensive talent point of view, I would have to say Kent Nilsson, the original magic man. Kent was one of the first Swedes to come over to play in NHL, and boy was he talented! Some of things he could do with the puck were truly amazing. Even Wayne Gretzky is on record as saying Kent was the best ever from a skills perspective.
From a complete player standpoint, I'd say Steve Yzerman. Steve had it all: skill, desire, leadership and the do-whatever-it-takes attitude that all great players have.
From a D-man teammate outlook, I played with Mark Howe in his prime. I also played with a young Nicklas Lidstrom when he was an up-and-coming NHL star. Both of those guys could play the position at a very high level and were complete players. I also played with both Brad McCrimmon (Philly and Detroit) and a young Vladimir Konstantinov and they were excellent shutdown defensemen.
There are many other great players that I played with, but those guys are among the best.
Who was the best player that you played against as an opponent?
The players that I always talk first about here are players that were older than me. They were players that I watched as a Junior hockey player, I was in awe of them and it was such a thrill to be able to play against them.
I played my first NHL game with Bobby Orr on the other side. So I list him, simply because he was Bobby Orr. Rick Middleton of the Boston Bruins was another great opponent; no one was as tricky or nifty as he was on a one on one – this even goes for current players. He deked many defenseman “out of their jockstraps”. Gilbert Perrault of the Buffalo Sabres was maybe the best skater ever with the puck. He was electrifying! Add to the mix his linemates, they made up one of the best lines ever, the French Connection.
Add anyone on the Montreal Canadiens. They were a dynasty back in the 70’s and they were all good. The great ones Lafleur, Cournoyer, Richard, Robinson, Savard, Dryden all made the average players seem better than they really were. It was very tough to play against them.
Throughout the 1980s into the 1990s, I played against Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Yzerman and players like Dale Hawerchuk, Brian Leetch and even a young Jaromir Jagr and Teemu Selanne. Talk about great players: It doesn't get better than those players from an offensive standpoint. But I didn't grow up watching these guys, so the awe factor of being on the same ice wasn't quite the same feeling as with the older players.
Who was the toughest player you ever saw?
Toughness was different back when I played. Everyone was tough to a certain extent. But the player that I had the most respect for was Terry O’Reilly of the Boston Bruins. If you checked him, he could beat you up. If you left him alone, he would score. A little-known fact about Terry is that he led the Boston Bruins in goal scoring, I believe, on two occasions. Rick Tocchet of the Flyers was also this type of player.
My Flyers teammate Dave Brown and my Detroit teammate Bob Probert were two of the best fighters of all-time. Probert could also put the puck in the net a little bit.
Toughest referee: My HockeyBuzz colleague Paul Stewart! I had to say that or Stewy, an ex-enforcer in the WHA and NHL, would have challenged me to a fight.
What was the best team that you played on?
Philly, simply because we had the most success. The Flyers teams that I went to the Cup Finals with twice were a very unique group of guys. We were not expected to be good, but a group of young kids, a rookie head coach (Mike Keenan) and a rookie GM (Bobby Clarke) took the league by storm. We became a very close-knit team that went through a lot together, on and off the ice. We didn't win a Cup like the Fred Shero-era teams, but we walk together forever in our own way.
What were the best teams that you played against?
I played in an era of Cup dynasties. Montreal of the '70s was so deep that there was never a single easy shift against those teams. The New York Islanders of the '80s won four Stanley Cups in a row. They were a hard nosed team that punished you shift after shift. Of course, there was the mid-'80s Edmonton Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky and the other six Hall of Famers. Late in my career, Mario Lemieux and his stacked Penguins teams won back-to-back Cups.
Did you win the Stanley Cup?
Sadly, no. With the Flyers, I lost in the Finals on two occasions; 1985 and 1987, both times to the Edmonton Oilers. In 1987, we lost in Game 7 after scoring first. Yeah, that still hurts to this day. Answering this question, to steal a line from Billy Crystal in the Princess Bride, is like giving me a nice paper cut and pouring lemon juice in it. There was nothing I ever wanted more, but couldn't get, than the Stanley Cup.
What are the traits of a great hockey player?
So many things go into making a great player, but the one trait that I believe that they all have in common is their desire to win, their desire to be the best. Great players do not accept being average; it is not in their DNA.
What all-time player in his prime would you start a new franchise with?
That is so tough to choose. Here are my top three in no particular order: my former Flyers teammate Bobby Clarke, my former Red Wings teammate Steve Yzerman, and my hockey idol Bobby Orr.
So there you have it. I hope this wasn't too much of a "Seinfeldian" blog: a blog about nothing. I think it is still fun to reminisce, and I hope it got you thinking about your favorites a little, too.
Alright now: what question would YOU like ask me?
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