January 9,  2002

Dave: Bring us  up to date on the status of your knee injury
Jeff:   The injury has not improved since I went out of the line-up.  I've seen
some great doctors and I'm scheduled to see a few more of the top specialists
in North America within the next few days.  Hopefully they'll have some good
news!
Dave: What goes through your mind when you sit in the stands and 
watch the team play without you?
Jeff: I really dislike sitting in the stands watching the team for a bunch of
reasons.  First of all just being injured is frustrating enough, but when you
don't know when you'll be back, well, that makes it even worse.  I love being
a part of the team and contributing during the highs and lows, so sitting out
makes that hard.  Finally, I hate watching other teams try to take advantage
of some of our guys when certain physical players aren't in the line-up.  Not
that our guys can't take care of themselves, but I just wish I was there to step in!
Dave: Did you ever fight someone you wished you hadn’t?
(worse beating you have ever taken)
Jeff: I've been lucky in that I've never taken a bad beating.  I've been cut,
and I've taken my lumps here and there, but it's just part of fighting.  It
takes awhile to learn how to fight and to develop your own style of fighting,
so I just look at every fight as a learning experience and look at what
worked for me and what didn't

Dave: Your fighting majors are way down from last season? 
Was that due to how short the Crunch were at the time?
Jeff: I'm actually on the roughly the same pace I was last year for majors, 
although I've been in a couple of fights that didn't last too long and I only
got double-roughing.  That drives me crazy!  It's also an ongoing joke with
Jody and myself:  He can't touch anyone without getting a major and I can't
buy one!  Also, I haven't had that much opportunity at home to fight, so it
may seem like I'm fighting less.  But under the right circumstances when it
won't hurt the team, I'll take on all challengers!
    
Dave: What is your favorite local restaurant?
Jeff: Lemongrass

Dave: Who is your best friend on the team/person you spend time with?
Jeff:   I like to spend my time with everyone on the team because we have such a
great group of guys.  I'd say that I talk to Sean Pronger the most about
pretty much everything under the sun.

Dave: Have you gotten a chance to see some of the farm team? 
Who do you feel has the best shot of making the Crunch next season?
Jeff:   I've seen some of the farm players at Columbus' training camp and I think
there are a few guys that really make an impact up here.  I think Preston
Mizzi has shown a lot of energy and could play full time, and we have some
real role players that can really mix it up, like Wingfield and Ettinger.

Dave: Are you impressed with the progress of Duvie Westcott and Paul Manning?  Did you think it was a gutsy move to pair two rookies together?
Jeff:   Duvie and Paul have really come into their own lately and they're only
going to get better.  They just needed a little time to get used to AHL
hockey as opposed to college hockey and now I think they're both playing with
much more confidence and poise.  I think putting them together was both gutsy
and smart by the coaches.  They knew they'd make some mistakes together early
on, but they read each other so well that it was just a matter of time before
they really started to click.

Dave: Most fans felt you had the inside track on being named team captain this season.  Were you disappointed that you were not? 
Jeff:  I was disappointed in one sense but not in another.  I was hoping to
have the "C" full time, but I'm honored to even to have the opportunity to
wear it sometimes when we're on the road (and when Pronger is in Columbus). 
But even to be named a captain is a great privelage and responsibility and I
welcome it.  But honestly, there are lots of guys who lead in their own way
who don't have a letter on their jersey.  As far as I'm concerned everyone
has to be a leader.  All that said, I wouldn't want anyone else but Sean as
our captain.

Dave: Who, other than yourself, are the leaders in the locker room?
Jeff: We are lucky in that we are deep in the leadership department.  The
older guys bring a lot in their experience and know how and the young guys
bring a lot in their energy and desire.

Dave: Which current Crunch players do you feel will be regulars for the 
Jackets next year or the year after?
Jeff:  It's hard to say who will be playing in Columbus next year.  If I had my
way there would a lot of the Crunch players up, but that's not realistic. 
Obviously the guys who have played up this year have great chances at
sticking and I'm sure one or two, hopefully even three of them will stay. 
That would be amazing!

Dave: What do you think Jamie Heward will bring to the Crunch?
Jeff:  I've played both with Jamie Heward in St. John's and against him.  Jamie
will bring a lot of offensive punch to the team and a blistering slap shot.

Dave: All time fav movie
Jeff:  Favorite movie - Gladiator

Dave: All time fav video game
Jeff: Favorite video game - Soldier of Fortune

Dave: What do you do when not playing hockey
Jeff:  When not playing I take classes from the University of Toronto,
excercise, and hang out with my friends and brothers.

Dave: What do you want to do when your playing days are over?
Jeff:   There's nothing else I'd rather do than play hockey!!!

Interviewer's note: Jeff, there is nothing Crunch fans would rather have you do!