Adam: It was actually my wife's idea. She would like to work here one day and we wanted our son Kuba to learn English too. Head coach in Reading , Derek
Clancey was my coach in Jackson during my first year pro . He asked me if I would like to play for him again couple of years ago but at that time I had some other
plans. This time it worked out and I'm happy about the decision of coming back to North America .
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Dave:
What are the details of your contract? Are you
signed to return to Reading next season?
Dave:
Bring us up to date on the hockey you have been
playing since you left the Crunch. I understand you attended the Polish National Team camp.
Dave: What was the key factor in you deciding to return to your homeland? Adam : Of course I would have stayed in Syracuse
if I was offered a contract . I decided to try to play somewhere closer to
Poland instead looking for something in US. I was hoping that together with my
family we will be able to find some place that we like and maybe stay there for
a longer period of time. It would be closer to our whole family back home and I
could help my National Team as well Dave: How do you feel about the
Polish fans? How do they compare to US fans?
Adam:
Polish fans are taking a good example from the north American fans. They
started to watch the game and try to understand all the little things . We
have a great fans in my hometown ( Gdansk ) and some other polish cities.
Polish fans are singing songs and cheering through the whole game sitting
together in a large group. I personally like the atmosphere during the
games in US. Americans and Canadians know how to make a show of the
hockey game.
family .
Adam :
It was great! The Monarchs have bunch of very good players on their roster.
The coaching stuff is doing a great job as we can see looking at the
standings.
I was very happy about my ice time
during my stint in Manchester. It was fun to play in the AHL again and be a
part of the winning team .
Adam:
I played for the Swedish division 1 team Hammarby
Hockey IF last season. Our goal was to advance to the Swedish Elite League but
we didn’t make it. Lots of skills but not a lot of hitting . We had a great
group of guys and the organization was great too. I had a great time living in
a beautiful Stockholm.
I did attend the Polish National Team camp. We played the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge in Italy . We won a tournament
playing against Slovenia , Italy and Netherlands.
Dave: Tells us how your wonderful family is
doing? How old are the children now? Adam:
He loves all kinds of sports . We try to teach him a lot of English and he’s doing pretty good. He still has a lot of kids shows in English from our good friends from Syracuse Rob and Debbie Gray. We spent a lot of time with them and Kuba loved to play with their boys Garth and Garrett. My wife is preparing for the American Medical Exam and we hope one day she’ll be able to work in the US. The big news is that my wife and I are expecting a new baby girl at the end of April!
Dave: If you could have any one of your old Crunch teammates join you to to play with this season, who would it be and why?
Adam: We actually talked about it with Paul Manning before last season but it wasn’t anything serious. I don’t think I could choose one guy. It would be fun to play with any of the guys I played with.
Dave: Who were your closest friends on that Crunch team? Do you still keep in touch with any of them?
Adam: During my first year I stayed close with Andrei Sryubko . During my last season my wife and I liked to spend time with Mathieu Darche and his wife Stephanie and Andrej Nedorost and his girlfriend Lucy.
Dave: How did you feel when you learned of the passing of Trevor Ettinger? Where you as surprised as everyone else seemed to be?
Adam:
I couldn’t believe it. I called Andrej Nedorost right away and we were devastated.Dave: Do you have a particular memory of your time with Trevor you would like to share with the fans?
Adam: Trevor was my roommate during the 2001 training camp in Syracuse. I got to know him a little more. He was without a doubt one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met . The thing I’m going to remember about him is his positive attitude and that he had always smile on his face .
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Dave: You've been gone from Syracuse for several years now. What did you like best about Syracuse? What did you like the least?
Adam:
At first I liked Syracuse because there was an AHL team that wanted me to play for them. I loved to play in the War Memorial! It has it’s special spirit. Fans were great to me and my family. I understand that Syracuse is not one of the nicest cities in the US but my wife and I liked it a lot. We really liked to shop in the beautiful Carousel Mall. I can’t remember if there was anything that I didn’t like.Dave: Is it true you almost ended up playing some games for the Crunch this season?
Adam:
It is. I was very close to coming to play for the Crunch but our Reading team was down to four defensemen at the time and I did not want to leave the team like that. After that, it almost happened again, but by then my wife was pregnant and I did not want to leave her alone with Kuba. It would be so nice to play for the Crunch again!Dave: Fans still ask me about you often. Why do you think you have remained so popular with the Syracuse fans?
Adam: I have no idea! You should probably asked them . The thing I can say it’s that I have great memories about Crunch fans.
Dave: Obviously hockey has been a big part of your life for many years. Who do you feel has been the best NHL player over the last ten years and why? Is it their style? Is it their success? The respect they have earned from the players/coaches/league?
Adam: It’s a very difficult choice between Gretzky and Lemieux . I think every hockey player has a great respect for those two unbelievable athletes . It was always interesting to watch those guys play. You always expected them to do something out of ordinary and they usually didn’t disappoint you.
Dave: If you were not playing hockey, what sport would you play? Do you think you would be good enough to be a pro at it?
Adam:
I can’t imagine that I would play any other sport than hockey. I watched my father play and I never though about choosing other sport. I enjoy playing tennis, soccer and golf and I hope that if I wasn’t playing hockey I would be good enough to be a pro in any of them. At least I would try to be.
Dave:
What do you do when not playing
hockey? What hobbies do you enjoy?
Adam:
Dave: What would you like to do when your playing days are over?
Adam:
I’d like to own a little business. It would be nice to stay close to hockey too.Dave: Who is your favorite ( answers in red)
a) Pro athlete?
Peter Forsbergb) Hockey player while you were growing up? Mariusz Czerkawski and Peter Forsberg
c) Non athlete celebrity? Mel Gibson
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Dave: Are any of your siblings athletes?
Adam:
My father played hockey. My mom and my sister played volleyball. My brother in-law is playing beach volleyball in Poland . He even got promoted to the Polish Beach Volleyball National TeamDave: Who has been the greatest influence on your career thus far?
Adam: My parents and my sister . They always supported me and helped me with everything . They helped me with the decision of going overseas to play hockey as well. My father being a coach always had some pointers for me after every game. Since couple of years I got my new little family and my wife Irmina and my son Kuba are my biggest fans. It gives me a big boost when I think that everything I do now I’m not doing just for myself anymore.
Dave: Do you read any of the stuff on the internet, whether it be positive or negative, and let that affect your play?
Adam: I check hockey on the internet and of course I’m checking my team site as well. I don’t think it affects my play. It’s always nice when people say good things about You but You’re not going to make everyone happy. There’s always going to be someone that doesn’t like the way You play .