<div align="center">This is a pre-draft interview, didn't have the time to post it.



1. You have been in the league since S8, that is about 15 seasons you have been in the league are you looking towards retirement at anytime soon or if you're willing to play how long is that for?

Well it has been an awesome experience playing in the SHL and has been quite the journey so far. To be honest I have not even thought once about retirement yet as I feel like I am still playing at an elite level. Looking at my play I think I have consistently been at least a top five defenseman in this league year in and year out so I see no reason of stopping until I slow down.

The biggest reason though I plan to keep playing for a while is because I still got some unfinished business on the ice. Heading into my seventeenth season in the league I have pretty much accomplished all I would have ever imagined on a individual level but the one most important accomplishment I have yet to reach is winning that elusive Challenge Cup. So far I am 0 for 2 in the SHL finals and there is really no way I see myself retiring without one ring. I have dedicated a ton of time on and off the ice striving towards winning the ultimate prize in hockey, the Challenge Cup and I could never pass up the opportunity to make history here in Toronto.

2. You have been on 3 different teams your entire career, can you take us to through that stage and why it was it needed you got traded to those teams?

Well originally I was kind of shocked that Hamilton took a chance on me in the season eight SHL draft and picked me in the top five of the draft. I was even more excited when they selected my brother Yousuf later in the draft. I had an enjoyable time learning under Kevin Lebacon throughout my first few season in the SHL. He was a great mentor for me and really helped show me the ropes on the blue line. Playing with fellow draftee Joe Mckiel was great as well and we got along great. After a couple of seasons though there was a lot of negativity in the Hawks locker room and at the time the team was in disarray. Players such as Lebacon, Cocran were on their way out and my brother was traded and I really did not like the direction the franchise was heading in. At the same time I was building a really close relationship with the Toronto North Stars general manager Krever as we were the affiliate send down team for Toronto. In addition, their captain Benjamin Wong was my co-gm in Montreal and we were working really closely.

In the end with my brother being shipped off to Toronto, having coached and made close bonds with the North Stars sends downs and Ben as well as working with Krever on a regular basis in the NWJHL at the time both parties felt it would be best for a trade.

I have spent my most enjoyable seasons on the North Stars having playing in Toronto for twelve seasons and counting. I have played with so many great teammates here in Toronto that there are too many to list. I was also so honoured when Krever gave me the opportunity to co-gm the North Stars with him staring back in season fourteen. I feel like we worked together as an entire team towards building the best roster in franchise’s history making it to back to back finals. The fun times and greatness all came to an end though when Krever announced that at the end of the season seventeen that he would be stepping down from the general manger spot and leaving the site to pursue a career as a journalist in the CFL. Krever was one of the only two remaining general managers from season one and was one of my closest friends on the site. It was extremely disappointing to see him leave but what made matters worse was the fact that our team made back to back finals yet was being blown up to start a full on rebuild by the new general manager. I felt like we still had a lot of great players on the team and I personally did not agree with the desire to rebuild so I left for a short while in a sign and trade with Manhattan.

The reason for going to Manhattan was purely based on the fact that I wanted to help Nike and JNH win a cup before they retired their old players. JNH and I went way back from the literally the day he signed up on the site and we became really good friends over the seasons. Nike was also a former Impact and a good friend as well so I wanted to help get them a cup. We had a whole bunch of free agents buy in to this plan to help Nike and JNH as well and for the longest time I thought we were for sure going to win it all. Sadly we were not able to do so and after two seasons both players retired and ended up getting general manager jobs, Nike as the next manager of Manhattan and JNH for the Toronto North Stars.At this point I was a free agent for the first time in my career and excited to test the open waters. There was one extremely well done pitch that I still remember to this day by the Edmonton Blizzard. If I remember correctly they acquired my players rights a few days before free agency opened and Tez, Jaywhy and the team gave me a great pitch and I was leaning towards signing with them but when JNH asked for me to return to Toronto and once again be the co-gm it was an opportunity that I could not pass up. With JNH being my best buddy on the site and after all the success we had together with the Impact there was just no way I could say no to this offer. So in season nineteen I signed back with the North Stars and officially became the co-gm of the team which brings us to the current chapter of my career.



3. Where would you put yourself among defenseman in SHL history? Who do you think deserves to be ahead of you and if not why?

Well it is kind of hard to judge who is the all-time best defenseman in SHL history due to the fact that there were different era within the SHL. I do believe though that I have been arguably one of if not the best defenseman in the last decade of seasons and I feel like the stats back it up. I have consistently put up forty plus points throughout that last ten or so seasons and have been solid in my own end as well racking up at least over fifty shots blocked in fourteen of my sixteen seasons. I currently hold the all time record for most points amongst defensemen, shots blocked and penalty minutes. While all these accomplishments are great I have yet to win a cup which puts an asterisk by my legacy in my opinion.

I also believe a guy like Chris Partlow should be considered as arguably the best defender of all time. Partlow and I have both been consistently been one of the top five defenders in the league year after year in my opinion. We both have really similar numbers and have shown the ability to produce at an elite level for a long period of time. A guy who played before my time who deserves to be in the talk as well is the legendary Jason Due.

Toronto CO-GM Interview:



1. You guys have been a lottery team for a long time now, what do you think is the next step for you guys to make that jump into the playoffs for years to come?

Over the past few seasons we have built up a strong core of young promising talent and right now it is all about being patient with the process and let our young guys develop. When we committed to a full rebuild a couple of seasons ago JNH and I came up with a plan and agreed we were not going to rush things because at the end of the day we want a team that can perform at a high level for a long period of time. Our ultimate goal is to bring this franchise not only its first championship but to create a window of time where we can compete for a cup of a regular basis. Honestly we could have just traded for a bunch of veterans right off the bat and been a mediocre team that makes the playoffs but doesn’t go far but we wanted to build an a unique identity and shape our core through the draft. I felt within our locker room we have established a sense of loyalty towards the franchise and a competitive environment that encourages hard work and dedication to the team. JNH and I knew that it would take some time to build a winning culture in Toronto but I feel like this upcoming season will be one where the franchises as a whole turns the page from the whole rebuild and takes the next step towards becoming a cup contending team. One thing is certain and that is I am sure we will surprise a lot of people around the league in season twenty four and honestly I would count us out of making a deep playoff run this year.

2. You guys were so close to making the playoffs this season how disappointing was that and do you think this is a confidence builder for this young group of guys?

While it was definitely disappointing not making the playoffs as every team heads into a new season with the goal of making the post season, I don’t think our team got to down on ourselves as the Toronto North Stars have an extremely bright future. Our prospects dominated in the juniors this season with some of the winning the Four Star cup and others making it to the finals and pretty much all of them put up amazing numbers. In addition our young core that stayed up with the Stars will have another year of experience under their belt and will be just that much better next season. Overall I would have to say the teams confidence in the locker room is probably at an all time high when looking at the past couple of seasons with the rebuild being complete and our team gearing up to be a cup contending franchise.



3. Many speculations have come in that your head GM hasn't done the best job and is looking at himself as getting fired soon what do you have to say?

A lot of people around the league give JNH a hard time but he is honestly one of the most hard working general managers in the league. There is a ton of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that people do not see and it seems like pretty much daily we are talking about how we can make the North Stars the best franchise it can be. From day one when we teamed up to manage the North Stars back in season nineteen we knew it was going to be a long process to rebuild this team that was in shambles but we came up with a plan and stuck to it being patient with the rebuild. I feel like now we have established a sense of unity in Toronto and have an extremely talented and hard working core that most importantly will stay loyal to the team no matter what. As a franchise we have made the right moves in our rebuild and now starting next season we are ready to compete for a cup. So with all the hard work JNH has done turning this franchise around, I see no reason why he would be fired any time soon.


4. This upcoming draft is huge for you, they are plenty of talented prospects but one that may eye you is Beau Ballard who wants to play for you, do you want him?

We would absolutely be thrilled to bring in a home town boy with Beau Ballard. His elite talent is undeniable and his work ethic is just as good. Really he possesses all the qualities we look for in a prospect and his commitment and desire to wanting to play in front of his family and home town in Toronto would only help elevate his game in my opinion. Many analysts have him going in the top three and we possess the third overall pick so we will just have to wait and see how things play out.

60% to leafsftw1967, 40% to me.

2,100+ words

</div>

Where's the 60% for MY interview?

Originally posted by Bojo@Jun 18 2015, 04:20 PM
Where's the 60% for MY interview?

You never asked Bojo.

Originally posted by easymoneysniper@Jun 18 2015, 04:47 PM


You never asked Bojo.

Well i didn't think I'd need to.

    -             -