Dave:
How did you first get involved in
hockey? What inspired you to bring your game to the pro level?
Philippe: I started to play hockey
when I was 3... I was barely walking... my dad wanted me and my brother
to try it, we both really enjoyed it, but a little bit more on my
side... and then after a while I couldn't stop, I was coming back from
my practice and as soon as a got home, and wanted to go play at the city
outdoor rink... and then I started to play competitive hockey and I
really liked it... so I decided to try the real thing... the hockey
career!!
Dave: What part of your game do your feel will need the most improvement if you are to make it in the NHL?
Philippe: My defensive game
Dave: What do feel is your game's greatest strength?
Philippe:
My creativity with the puck
Dave: Do the new rules help or hinder you?
Philippe: It helps me a lot! I am not the
fastest player, so without the hook I have more scoring chances and
there's more power play so once in a while the coach send me on the ice to
see what I can bring offensively.
Dave: How did it feel to score your
first AHL goal? Did you get the puck?
Philippe: I was really excited and of course I kept the puck!
Dave: You have been the odd man out many nights Has this been frustrating for you?
Philippe: yeah for sure, because we are here to play hockey so its not easy to stay on the bench or in the stand... but like Ross told me I am young, I have a lot of things to learn so I am working hard on my off ice training, trying to stay ready in case they need me on the ice, but its not the end of the world I am still doing what I like the most... playing hockey.
Dave: Is it good to have an ex Juniors teammate (Adam Pineault) playing with you in Syracuse?
Philippe: yeah of course, because its so different then junior, so at the beginning of the season it was good not to be all alone in that new experience
Dave: How do you like living in Syracuse? How is it similar to you hometown? How is it different?
Philippe: its like Montréal in a certain way... I mean downtown Syracuse, but obviously a lot smaller then Montreal... I really like it and I felt like home already!
Dave:
What do you do when not playing
hockey? Hobbies?
Philippe: play pool I like to watch a movie, play play station
once in a while play a little bit of guitar
and of course, I listen a lot of music
Dave: Who is your favorite (answers in
red)
a) Pro athlete? - Lebron James
b) Hockey player while you were growing up? - Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic
c) Non athlete celebrity? - Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson
d) Musical artist? -
Nirvana, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, blink 182, Green
Day and (French artist) Vallieres, Dumas and Les Cowboys Fringants
Dave: Comment briefly on the following people (answers in red)
a) Olivier Labelle- intense, grumpy (ha-ha)
b) Mark Hartigan - hard shot!!
c) Andrew Murray - calm, responsible (off-ice)
d) Filip Novak - skills,
smiley face all the
time
Dave: How did you feel about Brandon Sugden leaving the team?
Philippe: it was hard... he really took care of me, we were sitting next to each other in the room, so every time I had a question or something was going wrong he was there for me... and he always made sure that I was positive about the fact that I was not playing, so basically he help me a lot in pretty much every situation...
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?
Philippe: Football, I don't know I was good when I was young, but now???
Dave:
Who has been the greatest influence on
your career thus far?
Philippe: My Father and my Grand-Father, they were always there for me no matter what.
Dave: Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are they athletes? Have family members come to see you play?
Philippe: 1 brother... he's in the Canadian army... my parents came here 5 times already, its not easy for my brother to come here with his schedule, but he is suppose to come here in a month.
Dave: Who do you most admire on the Crunch?
Philippe: Jamie Pushor... great and long career.
Dave: How do you feel about the Syracuse fans? Are you comfortable signing autographs? Are you usually noticed in public?
Philippe: great fans!! I was really surprise about the number of people showing up at the game, its a lot more then a thought, I think all the players are comfortable signing autographs because its always nice when someone like what your doing
Dave: What would you like to do when your playing days are over?
Philippe: I am too young to think about that right now... but maybe own a restaurant in Montréal something like that. like I said I am only 21 so its not for right now ha-ha
Dave: Do you read any of the stuff on the internet, whether it be positive or negative and do you let that affect your play?
Philippe: Once in a while I might read stuff, but it will never affect my game.
Interviewers note: I would like to thank Philippe Dupuis for taking
the time to do this interview.