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Can you tell us a little bit about your hometown?

I grew up south of Rochester, NY, in a small little community. No one was a big hockey fan, no one cared about the sport, but I was lucky to find it. I played for a club league about a half hour away, and it all took off from there. I found people that I could play with and count on, and they’re some of my best memories from my hockey career. That whole experience helped me build trust in people and learn to play the game on a smaller level. I had a lot of individual support given to me by my coaches, and it really helped me develop my game faster than as part of a big club.


Can you share with us a bit of information about your family?

My family has always been my biggest support system. Initially, I wanted to play football and my mom told me that I was too small to play. So after a lot of complaining, my step-father looked for other sports for me to get into, and found hockey. I didn’t know much about it, but decided that it would be fun to do. I still don’t get why I could play hockey, but not football. It’s never made any sense to me.
But as I said, they’ve always been my support system. My dad took me to almost every game, and the ones he didn’t take me to, he still showed up to. I remember driving across the state and to Canada to get to tournaments on weekends, and having him always running me around so that I made every game. My family always showed up and made sure I had the best equipment and was ready and pumped up for games.


Do you have a favorite number? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite number is 86. I was born on 8/6/86, so like Crosby, I’ve been an 86 wearer. It just fits with my identity.


Do you know what number you will be wearing with the Whalers?

I’m still wearing 86 because no one before me had it. I guess I got lucky with it.


Do you have any nicknames? If so how did you get it?

My teammates have called me Captain Jack for the longest time. I was captain of my teams and had the goatee and long hair and I guess it reminded them of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. I didn’t ever mind it because it reminded me that I was their captain, and they felt comfortable enough with me in that role to embrace the title.


Who is your all time hockey idol?

All-time, I’ve looked up to Alexander Mogilny. He was a fantastic player that always had the drive to succeed in the big league and play his heart out. He was flashy, scored a lot and looked good while doing it. He’s a player that I always wanted to emulate and I wish I could have a career as great as his.


Could you share with us one of your best hockey memories?

One of my best memories while playing hockey was during a playoff game. I was playing center and had won a face-off in the defensive zone, and skated the puck to our blue line. I passed it to my winger and crossed behind him to the left side boards while he streaked to the right side boards. He took a huge slapshot and the goalie kicked it out wide towards my side. It was really far in front of me but I knew I needed to do something, so I dove towards the puck and took a diving shot from a sharp angle. Somehow I managed to hit it just right to go under the goalie while he dove back towards the net to make the save, and couldn’t believe that I had scored. I thought I was just trying to center the puck but managed to score somehow. It was a great feeling to help out the team and do something I thought I couldn’t do.


When did you start skating? (Or were you born laces tied?)

Unfortunately I wasn’t born in Canada so I wasn’t laced up at 3. I started playing when I was 5. I joined a beginner club league and had to learn to skate by pushing a chair around the ice. I was embarrassed because there were a ton of other kids that could skate, but I really wanted to do well and I pushed myself to learn and be the best.


Do you have a favorite actor or actress?

I really like Kevin Spacey as an actor. He’s always got some real deep or twisted role, and I love watching him commit to the role like a champ. He was great in Se7en, and Margin Call, and American Beauty. He’s a joy to watch on the screen. As for an actress, I like a lot of them, mostly for their looks and not their acting. Scarlet Johansen is good at both I guess.


What kind of music do you like?

I like a lot of different types of music. I really like heavy metal and stuff like that, but I enjoy top 40 and country music too. I get into just about everything depending on the mood I’m in.


Do you have a favorite singer or group at the moment?

Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Poison the Well and Foxy Shazam. Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam is so odd and interesting, I love all the work he does.


If you could eat a meal with anyone alive or dead who would it be?

I’d probably eat with Nikola Tesla. I’m a nerd and I love all the stuff he thought of, and I wish I could get a Tesla car. I love his competition with Edison that he lost only because Edison screwed him over when he first came to America.


What is something people don’t know about you and would be surprised to find out?

Most people would probably be shocked to realize that I’m a huge nerd. I play Pathfinder once a week and I really like geeking out on it. I play a half-elf rogue that steals everyone's stuff and makes everything chaos. I'm currently siphoning a ton of money away from the jail and inn every week and it's hilarious to see it all play out. I'm a 3 foot tall person that can intimidate stone giants. It's amazing. I’m also a huge video game nerd too, and really like finding games and completing them to the fullest. I play a lot of NHL and NFL games, as well as stuff like Rocket League and a lot of RPGs.


What is the person you admire most throughout your hockey career?

I really admired Ryan Miller. I met him while I was doing work as a radio broadcaster in college, and got the chance to do reporting and interviewing. He was amazing and super polite. He could tell I was new and nervous, and still took the time to talk to me and give me a great interview. I was all alone with him for a while, and then he slowly got swarmed as he was answering my questions. Felt good.


Is there something you have with no monetary value, but has the most value to you?

I have my jerseys and nameplates from my club hockey days. They remind me of where I came from and the memories that I made. Keeps me humble because I know I could’ve never gotten out of that club, but I did, and I know that we all start somewhere.


Is there any chore that if you could you would never do again?

Dusting. I HATE dusting. I have really bad allergies, so I always end up sick for a while after I do it, and I really hate picking everything up, dusting under it, and putting it back down again. It’s tedious and I don’t have the patience for it.


If you could do any other job aside from professional hockey what would you do and why?

I’d love to just be a writer. It’d be amazing to sit home, and just let stuff fall onto the paper. It’s not the most glorious career (unless you make it huge like George R. R. Martin) but it’s always been a dream of mine. I want people to come into my worlds and just lose themselves and let all their troubles go away.


What is your favorite place you have ever visited?

Disneyworld is an amazing place, but I loved going to Mexico with my wife for our honeymoon. We did an all-inclusive trip, and it was awesome to walk into a restaurant and not have to pay for anything, but get amazing food. All the drinks I could want… and it was hot and dry, and we did a lot of fun activities like snorkeling and zip-lining, and ATV driving. I’ve never felt so relaxed and care-free in my entire life.


What is a place that you want to visit, but have not been to yet?

I’d LOVE to go to Egypt, but I know that it’s super dangerous and I’d worry about that more than I would have fun with it. I’d love to see the pyramids and the Sphinx, but at the moment, it’s not worth risking my life to see.


Do you have any hockey superstitions or pre-game rituals?

I usually make sure I get a good night’s sleep, and I always have a big bowl of chicken alfredo before the game. Not too soon before because I don’t want to be throwing up alfredo sauce, but an early meal that will keep me fueled for the entire game.


What was your favorite toy as a child?

As a young child I had a tiger that I carried around with me everywhere. It was huge and overstuffed and falling apart, but I loved it. I still have it. When I got older I didn’t really play with toys, but I played a lot of video games. I have so many fond memories of my Nintendo 64 and my original playstation. I spent hours on those systems playing games and being a kid. I still have them and boot them up here and there to re-live those games.


Who is your biggest cheerleader?

My little sister. She was at every one of my games when we were both growing up, and she still comes out when she can to cheer me on. She was always worried I was going to get hurt, even though she was the baby of the family and is 10 years younger than me. It’s funny that she worries about me even though I’m a lot older.


Do you do anything to stay busy when travelling between games?

I bring my Vita with me on the trips, and make sure that I hang around with the guys so we can keep our chemistry going. There’s nothing more helpful as a player than to be able to count on your entire team to back you up on and off the ice. We’re like a family and we need to always work on that bond.


Do you have any favorite quotes or mottos?

Esse quam videri. It’s latin for To be, rather than to seem (to be). It stuck with me because I always work at BEING great and BEING a good player and person rather than SEEMING to be good and honorable. It’s one thing to have people think you’re good at something or think you’re a good person than to actually be a good person and show people that you’re awesome.


Have you always played the same position you currently play throughout your life

Not really. I was a good offensive and defensive player, so I rotated from wing to defense for the first 6 years that I played. Then I realized that I was better at being offensive and really couldn’t stay in my own zone, so I committed completely to offense. I figured the best way to help was to play center because I could play both roles, and it helped me be able to do both things that I wanted to do. As a kid I would go to the local college games and watch their centers, and try to mimic them. It really helped me with my face-off skills and offensive and defensive game.


If you could choose anyone to be your hockey spirit coach, who would it be?

Scotty Bowman. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be coached by the legend? It might help me win even more championships.


Do you have a favorite TV show?

I love Rick and Morty. It’s so weird but hilarious at the same time. I don’t watch it religiously, but I do love it. The shows I make sure I’m caught up on are SHIELD and Gotham. I love the comic books and love the show adaptations.


Who do you click with on the Whalers?

Hoover and Allen have been my boys since day 1. We click on a weird level and I’m so sad that we only got to play one season together. Next year I hear rumors of me being called up, and I might get to play with Hoover again.


Do you know anyone else in the SMJHL?

I know some of the other guys like Jasper Clayton. He’s a great guy and it sucks to have to play against him. Him and Flacko are great players that you just don’t want to see on the ice the same time you are.


Do you have a rival?

I had a friendly rivalry with Hoover when we first started playing. I knew he was going to be amazing, and I wanted to be as good as he was going to be. He’s gotten the jump on me and has been more dominant, but I’m still trying to play catch-up to get to his level.


What could the Whalers do better at in this upcoming season?

I don’t know too much about the behind the scenes stuff, but I really think we just need to make sure we’re well-rounded. We did a great job of picking up defense this year, but when we lost Hoover and Allen, we really took a huge hit up front. We lost some great point-scorers and it was hard to replace them. I think we need to make sure that we have all of our bases covered and have a plan in-case that happens again. It was hard to get points on the board with our three vets pulling most of the load (McZ, Bure, Durden).


Do you enjoy being the first-line center?

It’s got its ups and downs. I really enjoy playing top line minutes and getting the challenge of playing against other teams’ top line, but I do miss playing on the second line and having an easier time and seeing my points sky-rocket. I think in the end I’d rather take the challenge, especially because I’m racking up points anyways and I get to be out there longer and that means more fun for me.
What do you like most about being a center?
I love being in the… center… of it all. I love being there to help out the defense clear the front of the net, I love being able to set up breakaway passes, I love taking face-offs and dominating the player across from me and I love scoring and assisting. I get the best of both offensive and defensive worlds. I can hit, I can score, I can skate everywhere. I love the game and I love that I get to take it all in, rather than just a small part of it.


What would you describe your play style as?

I’m a true team-player. I really don’t care if I score a million goals a season, I just want to win. I think that’s the mentality that made me decide to be a playmaker player. I just want to spread the love around and make sure we win every night. I don’t need to be the hero, but it’s awesome when I am. I’m just aiming for another championship with this team.


Do you play any other sports other than hockey?

I played soccer when I was in high school. I needed something to keep me in shape for hockey season, and it really helped me build up my endurance and foot-eye coordination. I know where the puck is and have great spatial awareness because of it.


Outside of this time, have you ever been to Vancouver before?

Nope. I’ve been to other parts of Canada (mainly Niagara Falls because I lived so close) and Toronto, but never out west to Vancouver. It’s a great city, so I’m sad I haven’t been before. But now, everything is still new and I get to experience it as an adult with some money to spend on fun stuff.


Do you speak any other languages? If so what?

Not fluently. I learned sign language in high school and forgot 95% of it. I speak a little Spanish and Italian, but I’ve never fully devoted myself to learning another language. It’d be cool to be multi-lingual, but I have other things that I’d rather do with my life.


What was the biggest contributing factor to your decision to choose Vancouver?
Well, the heritage of the team was just amazing. I can’t speak highly enough to those that got me here, and helped me make this decision. When I was approached by JHS to come onto the team, I was floored. I knew it was going to be an amazing starting place for my career, and they provided much more than I thought I could want. I wish everyone would have the chance to play for this organization.


What is your pump up song?

It used to be “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor”, but now I listen to Foxy Shazam to get me going. Any song works, because they’re mostly all high energy songs. They get me in the mood to be hyped up and get a little rough.


What do you think about the current competition around the league?

It’s not as great as I thought it was last season. Montreal is the team to beat, and I’m fine saying that even being on the Whalers. They’re a nasty team with a lot of potential, and their superstars are hungry for a championship before they go off to the big leagues. Out west we really only have Kelowna to compete with, and it’s going to be a hard-fought match just like every other time we face them. It’s going to be a long series when we get there.


Do you have a special someone out there currently?

I do. My awesome wife supports me from near and far and it’s always nice to get some time off to see her and take her out for nights on the town.


What are your goals for this season?

I wanna get back into the championship and take home another one. The first one was a surprise and wet our appetite for them. I want to just keep rolling and winning championship after championship. We have the team to repeat, but competition is always tough. As for personal goals, I’d like to crack the top 5 in points, and I know I have the potential. Competition is there and that’s what makes it fun, but I’m gonna work hard to get to the top of the standings.


What are your goals for the future?

Win more and more championships. I want to be cemented as one of the best players that ever played the game, and I want to make Vancouver and New England proud. They picked me up late and it stung my pride to not go sooner, but I want to show them that they picked correctly, and I want to show everyone else that they passed over a future legend. I want to be remembered as the assist and face-off King that led his team to glory. I’m super excited to play for New England and join the Wolfpack in their “rebuild”. I want to help them make the playoffs and fight for a championship. It’s going to be a fun few years ahead of me and I can’t wait to get started.

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Jack Durden:

Season 24 - *4 Star Cup Champions - Vancouver Whalers*
Season 36 - *Challenge Cup Champions - Texas Renegades*
Season 36 - *Anton Razov Trophy Winner - Playoff MVP - Texas Renegades*
Season 41 - *IIHF Gold Medalist - Team United Kingdom*
Season 41 - *Triple Gold Member*
**Vancouver Whalers Hall of Fame**
**Texas Renegades Hall of Fame**
**Hall of Fame Member**

WNY represent

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Originally posted by Allen@Sep 25 2015, 12:57 PM
WNY represent

Yeah booooiiiii.

Update Page |  | | Player Page



Jack Durden:

Season 24 - *4 Star Cup Champions - Vancouver Whalers*
Season 36 - *Challenge Cup Champions - Texas Renegades*
Season 36 - *Anton Razov Trophy Winner - Playoff MVP - Texas Renegades*
Season 41 - *IIHF Gold Medalist - Team United Kingdom*
Season 41 - *Triple Gold Member*
**Vancouver Whalers Hall of Fame**
**Texas Renegades Hall of Fame**
**Hall of Fame Member**

Originally posted by Allen@Sep 25 2015, 11:57 AM
WNY represent

LW - Rainbow Dash - Updates
[img=0x0]https://i.imgur.com/eM6YKiW.gif[/img]
Rainbow Dash Fan S24-Present
SHL Commissioner S34-S52
New England Wolfpack GM S30-S40
Montreal Milita Co-GM S26-S29

[QUOTE=Eggy's Multi,Sep 25 2015, 11:58 AM][/QUOTE}

[QUOTE=Eggy's Multi,Sep 25 2015, 11:58 AM][/QUOTE}