Dave:
How did you first get involved in
hockey? What inspired you to bring your game to the pro level?
Olivier : My parents, especially my
dad. My mom told me that the first thing he bought when I was a
born-baby was a little hockey
stick, to me that says a lot. Since I remember ,I always had a pond-rink
in my yard, and not a small one, it was barely the regular size of an
inside rink, my dad was taking care of it so good that all the kids from
the neighborhood were coming to play on it thinking it was a city rink.
Being a NHLer always have been the dream of any little kids that grow up
in Quebec. We admire the Montreal Canadiens and the only thing we were
thinking about was to play for them...so I guess it all start by a dream
that start to became more realistic as the year goes on...but I'm not
there yet so I guess it's still my a dream that became a goal.
Dave: What part of your game do your feel will need the most improvement if you are to make it in the NHL?
Olivier : A little bit of everything I guess but especially my speed while carrying the puck.
Dave: What do feel is your game's greatest strength?
Olivier : My determination and my grit
Dave: Do the new rules help or hinder you?
Olivier :
90%
Help, 10% didn't...I'm not the bigger guys so if the opponent cant hold me
its easier for me to fore-check and give some big hit, also there is more
PP, so far this year I didn't had the chance to play on it ,but still
scoring goals in front of the net on the PP is defiantly one of my biggest
strength. The down side is that I get a little more penalty due to
aggressiveness
Dave: How did it feel to score your first AHL goal? Did you get the puck?
Olivier : yes of course I keep the puck, its at
my house in St-Eustache, it felt pretty good, like a big relief
Dave:
You were known as a scorer in Juniors. Has
it been hard to adjust to playing mainly on a checking line?
Olivier : It's only my first year so I understand my role and as long as I help the team I am fine with it. But of course scoring goals is always a good feeling so I'm just gonna work as hard as I can and I am sure the opportunity will come.
Dave: You are already being regarded as one of the leagues hardest hitters. Do you enjoy that role?
Olivier : Who said that ha-ha??? Right now that's my role and I try my best to give momentum to my team when I got the chance to give a big hit, so yeah it feel good.
Dave: Like all heavy hitters, you get challenged and need to drop the gloves from time to time. How do you feel about fighting in hockey?
Olivier : It's part of it and I know it, I'm not the best fighter but when I have to do it, I do it. That's how it works.
Dave: Petr Pohl played with you in Juniors. Are you surprised he did not make the Crunch roster? Do you think we will see him called up this season?
Olivier : Though question. He's a skill guy so I think its maybe better that he get some top line play-time in the coast than not playing here. But I hope he will have is chance in the near future here.
Dave: How do you like living in Syracuse? How is it similar to you hometown? How is it different?
Olivier : I've seen a lot of different thing in the last years so I'm getting use to everywhere I have to play. But Syracuse is a very nice city and I really enjoy it so far.
Dave:
What do you do when not playing
hockey? Hobbies?
Olivier : movies, talking to my family and friends on the phone or
on the internet, TV, video games,...
Dave: Who is your favorite (answers in
red)
a) Pro athlete? - Tiger Woods
b) Hockey player while you were growing up? - Patrick Roy (not anymore ha-ha)
c) Non athlete celebrity? - none in particular
d) Musical artist? - none in particular
Dave: Comment briefly on the following people (answers in red)
a) Joe Motzko - pure skills
b) Andrew Murray- serious person
c) Adam Pineault - hard shot
d) Jamie Pushor - experience, leader
e) Adam Pineault -
very smart
Dave: How did you feel about Brandon Sugden leaving the team?
Olivier: He did what was best for him and is family and I respect
that, he always have been good for me and I thank him for that
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?
Olivier : I don't know...I was pretty good at soccer by I stop early to train for hockey 12 months a year so I really don't know...I am a really good athlete overall so maybe if I would of start when I was young I could of became a pro football player or something
Dave: Who has been the greatest influence on your career thus far?
Olivier : My parents
Dave: Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are they athletes? Have family members come to see you play?
Olivier : One brother, he's 18, he plays hockey but more for fun, .my parents, my brother and a lot of my friends has already come to visit me so far
Dave: Who do you most admire on the Crunch?
Olivier : Jamie Pushor ... he has had a great career
Dave: How do you feel about the Syracuse fans? Are you comfortable signing autographs? Are you usually noticed in public?
Olivier : They are very nice and I am really comfortable to sign autograph its never a problem ... I guess it didn't happened a few time
Dave: What would you like to do when your playing days are over?
Olivier : not to sure about it,...I don't plan to stop soon if I am healthy so I will see...
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?
Olivier : not really , I read some stuff for fun but I don't take it too seriously
Interviewers note: I would like to thank Olivier Labelle for taking
the time to do this interview.