Dave: How does playing in Syracuse compare with the other cities you have played in?
Karl: Given that I only played in two cities, Dayton and Syracuse, in my two years as a professional I can only compare Syracuse with Dayton. They are both great cities with a lot to offer and I have enjoyed my time in each city
Dave: What city have you enjoyed most? What city has been just plain best to live in?
Karl: I have enjoyed each city the same as I have had great experiences in both cities and played with some great people.
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Dave:
How are the fans here in Syracuse?
Karl:
The fans in Syracuse are great and always provide great support for our
team. It is awesome to have people on your side to give your team a
boost when needed and to help make the Oncenter an intimidating building
for opponents to come play.
Dave: Is it a thrill to have
your father come to see you play? Do you feel yourself playing any
differently when he is here?
Karl: My father is my biggest fan and has been coming to all my games since
I can remember. It is great to have a father that supports as much
as he does and I am fortunate that he is able to watch my games quite
frequently. I don't feel as if I play any differently when he is here
and when he is unable to attend, I try to give all that I have
to the game every night regardless if my Dad is there or not.
Dave: What did he say to you after the
Hamilton shut out?
Karl: He just said congratulations and
said that it was tough for him to watch these close games in a joking
fashion.
Dave: What
do you do when you are not playing hockey?
Karl:
During the season I enjoy watching movies, playing video games and reading
books. In the off season I enjoy golfing like a lot of hockey
players.
Dave: Who is your best friend (or
closest friends) on the team?
Karl:
I would say that I am fairly good
friends with most of my teammates and enjoy hanging out with everybody on
the team.
Dave: Which teammate impresses
you the most as a player? (and why?)
Karl: I would have to say that Andrej Nedorost impresses me the most simply bacause of his amazing hands and all of the special things that he can do with the puck. He has an abundance of skill and can do some really great things on the ice.
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Dave:
What is the biggest difference between your style of play and that of:
JF Labbe - I like to think that JF and I have to play a similar style given our size. Obviously, JF has a ton more experience than I do and I was fortunate enough to learn a lot from him on positioning and playing big in the net. Both of us have to position ourselves well in the net and hold our ground to force shooters into making a great shot if they are going to beat us.
Pascal LeClaire - As mentioned above, in my style of play I focus a lot on positioning and holding my ground. Pascal is more of a butterfly style goaltender and that is the difference between our games.
Shane Bendera - I haven't really played too much with Shane, but from what I have seen we have a pretty similar style in playing simple and holding our angles.
Dave: Who designed your new mask?
Karl: To be honest, I am not exactly sure who designed my new mask, but I really enjoy the paint job and think that it turned out nice. I will be keeping this one until the time comes for me to get a new one.
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Dave: I have heard that you and LeClaire often talk with each other and try to give each other constructive criticism. What have you learned from him this year?
Karl: I have learned a lot about the butterfly style this year from simply watching Pascal and how I can add that to my game. Also, in recovering to the correct side from the butterfly position has something that has helped me out.
Dave:
What are your favorite restaurants in the Syracuse area? What is
your favorite dish that either you or your wife make?
Karl: I would say our favorite restaurant would be the Empire downtown and my favorite homemade dish would be the burritos that my wife makes.
Dave: Do you consider yourself a leader on this team
Karl: Yes, I consider myself a leader and I think teams need leadership at times from more than one player to be successful.
Dave: If you were faced with a choice like JF has (being on the “big club” and not playing vs. a lower-level league with lots of playing time), which would you prefer?
Karl: I would prefer to be with the big club simply because you are that much closer to your dream and you never know when your opportunity can arise. I think that it is good to push your comfort zone and develop as a player at the higher level even if it is with limited ice time. At the same time, there isn't anything wrong with playing a lot of games at the lower level, which is something that helped me tremendously last year in learning the pro style game.
Dave: What was it like to play in the AHL ALL-STAR game?
Karl:
It was an honor to represent the team
in the all-star game and I had an absolute blast playing with the best
players in the league. It was a fun game and the other team kept me
very busy in goal.
Dave: How
was the weekend? Was it a good time off the ice as well?
Karl: They
kept us pretty busy off the ice as well with banquets and other activities
which was fun because it gave me chance to meet other guys from
around the league.
Dave:
How were you received by the children at the school you visited?
Karl:
It was fun to talk with the kids and I think that
they enjoyed having us there. We talked about goal setting and did
an activity with the kids that promoted teamwork, which is a great message for
anybody.
Dave: Marc
Lamothe barely edged you out in the skills competition. He is still very
popular in Syracuse. Like yourself, he was terrific to the fans. Did you
interact with him at the event? Anything interesting come out of it?
Karl: Unfortunately,
I didn't get much of an opportunity to talk with Marc during the event.
I would have liked to talk with him given his experience and the Syracuse
connection that we have.
Dave: Which
player impressed you the most at the game
Karl: Spezza
really stood out to me in the period that I played given the offense that
he created and his ability. He is really smooth, has great hands and
sees the ice very well.
Dave:
Were any of your family members able to attend and what were their
impressions?
Karl:
My family was unable to attend, but they were able to watch the game on tv
which was great because it gave my friends and relatives back home a
chance to see me play again. They were all excited for me to be in
the game and happy to see me on tv.
Dave: Your stick save on Jean
Guy Trudel late in the game was easily the save of the game...how on earth
did you get your stick on that and bat it away?
Karl:
I was recovering and trying to get back into position when they got the
shot off and I just reacted without thinking and was fortunate to stop
it with my stick.
Dave:
What happened to PlanetUSA in the third period? It was like team Canada was
on a 5-3 powerplay all period.
Karl:
I think that the credit goes to the
players on team Canada who came out with a lot of jump and created a lot
of scoring chances. I was happy that it was a fun game for the fans
to watch and the fact that I was able to be a part of the weekend.
Interviewers
note: I would like to thank Karl Goehring for taking the time
to do this interview. Thanks to Andrea and Nicole for the pictures.