Tell us about the recent spider incident in your shower

Do I have to? Do I have to relive it? I had never really seen a spider that big. We came in and there was a huntsman in our bathroom. It was our first week here.

Me and Kuhner (Steve Kuhn) had to get Joe (Harcharik) to come and get the spider out for us. It was the size of my hand. It was big. I was scared to say the least.

Where were you before you came to Newcastle?

I was at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. I was taking criminology there. And I played for the hockey team at Uni.

We didn’t do as well as we should have last year, but the year before that we went to the national championships.

How is it experiencing Australia with one of your best mates (Kuhn)?

It's been really fun so far. I think we would like to have won a few more games, that’s kind of the only thing that could improve. The rest of it has been unbelievable.

I have never really been in a place this long where I can go to the beach anytime I want to. There are no Australians on the beach right now though.
 
How do you feel the team is coming together?

All the guys here, top to bottom, are really nice. Very accommodating. The whole organisation is really good and we are starting to come together real nice.

When you’re not playing hockey what do you get up to?

I’m a sports guy. Actually I like reading, a lot. Admittedly I like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I like fiction. And other sports like tennis and golf. Country club sports. I love hiking in the summer.

Back home we are right beside some of the best mountains in the world. Anywhere around the Banff area is beautiful. 

Who is your favourite NHL team and your favourite player?

The Calgary Flames, obviously, because I'm from Calgary. Favourite player was Steve Yzerman when I was younger.

In the league right now Jamie Benn and Anze Kopitar. They’re both big centres and probably some of the league's best right now.

In a zombie apocalypse what would be your weapon of choice and would you survive?

I better survive. I hope I survive. I think I've seen enough television and movies that I think a baseball bat would be my weapon of choice. I need something that’s never ending. So I am going to have to get a good weapon.

I thought about using a sword. I saw the Walking Dead and one of the characters walked around with a samurai sword.

If you had the chance to spend a day with someone living or dead, who would it be and why?

It would have to be a president. I don’t know who it would be, which one, but it would be an American president. I love American politics. I am very interested in it and I would like to hear what some of the old guys would have to say.

How did you start in hockey? What was your inspiration.

My parents. My parents were hockey fans. And just like any kid, my friends were doing it and that’s how I got into it. I ended up being pretty good at it and that’s when you start loving the sport - when you get good at it. We had two rinks walking distance from my house. And the outdoor rink you could use whenever you wanted to. 

What would you tell someone about hockey, who has never seen the game, to get them into it?

I don’t know about telling them. I would probably try and teach them how to skate. I always feel that when someone starts skating they start to love the sport. It's hard to do when you get started but its really fun once you get good at it.

Is there anything on your bucket list you would like to do while you’re here in Australia?

Great Barrier Reef! Even though I am, self admittedly, not very fond of some of the stuff in the water. Sharks kind of scare me. I’m in the water every day but sometimes I think of some of the stuff in the water. But everyone here tells me that I have nothing to worry about. We don’t have sharks at home.