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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 22, 2009Brian CampbellTHE MODERATOR: Okay, we're joined by Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell. Brian is heading into his tenth National Hockey League season. Second with the Blackhawks. Has ties to Finland, having played the 2004?had 05 season with Jokerit. Recorded 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 44 games. Thanks to Brian for joining us to answer your questions. Operator, we'll open it up now. Q. Just to play off what Dave was talking about, having played over in Finland earlier. First of all, how many of your young teammates knew that? And how many guys on your team have come to you for advice already? BRIAN CAMPBELL: A few of the guys, I guess, know about it. It's more just, you know, what the rink's like, and obviously it's a beautiful, beautiful rink over there that Jokerit plays at the Hartwall Arena. So it's going to be a lot of fun for all the guys to experience the downtown there and see what a great arena they have. I'm interested to see how the hockey's going to be in Switzerland when we go play our exhibition games there, because I was really impressed with the hockey in Finland that we played during that season. A lot of good players over there, and it's a great league. Q. Going back to Jokerit again, it seems just looking at your statistics that when you came back from Finland that year. Your career kind of took off in the NHL. It's happened with some other guys, Tim Thomas who also played there was one, and Brian Rafalski played with them. Is that indeed true that you came back with more confidence and were able to play at the NHL better and perhaps why that would be? BRIAN CAMPBELL: I think what probably I've heard from people ?? I obviously haven't played in the other leagues, that Finland is probably the closest thing to what the NHL and how they play. It's physical over there. I think the hockey was great that year. Like I think a lot of guys ?? some players even struggled that came over from the NHL. Because if you don't look at it as something that you have to work on each and every day to be a good player in that league, so that's kind of what I tried to do. I think when you're over there, the ice is available. Might as well go out there and work on things and stay out there. So for me there's no outside distractions. I just enjoyed being around the game and around the guys there. So, you know, I think it's a year of development for a lot of players that came over and had some success. I played with Tim Thomas that year, and he was the best player in that league. You know, it's just opportunities for guys when they came back. Especially for myself, and I know him. Getting an opportunity to play and succeed. So you know it was a lot of fun. Q. Did you pick Finland because it was the closest to the NHL or was that your only option? BRIAN CAMPBELL: It was my only option at the time. My agent said would you like to play somewhere? And I said, sure. I didn't want to be sitting around all year. Q. What was the most exciting or unique non? hockey activity you took part in when you were in Helsinki? BRIAN CAMPBELL: Drinking (laughing). Unique? I think it's just seeing the culture and how the city is made up. For me, getting on trains and going downtown, you know, getting on the street cars and everything like that, I just enjoyed being around that. You know, it seems like everybody heads downtown, and that's the place to be and walk around. So I just felt that it was really full of, you know life that way, going, exercising and walking around. It's enjoyable to see how their lifestyle that they live is different than how we live in North America. Q. What is the greatest difference then? BRIAN CAMPBELL: I think I find it's just if you want something to do on a Saturday or something you head downtown. It was easy to get downtown. Hardly anybody drove downtown. You jump on any kind of public transportation, and you head down there and enjoy the day, whether it's cafes or shopping. I think everything, obviously, is more spread out here in North America. You kind of enjoy that factor that you have to walk and jump on public transportation to get somewhere. It makes it very easy. Q. You mentioned Tim Thomas. He said that you had loved to play in Finland if you didn't have to deal with the time change. How do you anticipate handling that? Is that something that you worry about at all back and forth? BRIAN CAMPBELL: Yeah, I know when I went over there, it was tough the first time. You've just got to watch your naps when you get really tired in the afternoon. You've got to make sure you set an alarm to get up. Because I remember falling asleep at 4:00 o'clock, and the next thing you know, you wake up and it's 9:00, 10:00 o'clock at night. And that's not a good thing. Because then you're not sleeping obviously at night. So I think you really have to suffer through it for a day. Whether you've got to get up and get outside and walk around. Not laying around the hotel room. I think that is the biggest thing. Coming back home to North America I didn't find a big difference. And it won't be ?? the daylight over there won't be too bad. So you'll be up a little bit during the day when you're in the dead of winter there. It can be pretty tough with it being fairly dark outside. Q. Playing with Patrick Kane last year, was there anything about his game that surprised you? What does he bring to the table as a player at this point? BRIAN CAMPBELL: I think Patrick surprises anybody that comes into see him play for the first time. I know he surprised me. He's obviously a little undersized. He can't be that hard to contain. But he's so deceptive and shifty that it's incredible how sneaky he is out there and hard to control and hard to handle. He's the type of person you don't want to lunge too hard at him or go too hard at him, because he either beats you with a pass or he's going to beat you one?on?one. So Patrick is a great kid. So it's exciting to see him do well, and obviously, him and I have some ties back to Buffalo. He's somebody that's going to just keep getting better in the league, and you can see it here in training camp so far. Q. With all the off the ice injuries you had to deal with this summer, how excited are you to get the regular games going here? BRIAN CAMPBELL: We're only two games into the preseason. I think we've done a good job of pushing each other so far in training camp which is something you really need to do when you have a fairly long season the season before. You've really got to push guys to keep them wanting more. I think we've done a good job of that so far in training camp, and guys are wanting to push each other to get to that next level. So I think for our hockey club there are expectations and they're a lot higher than they were last year coming into camp. Q. Anything in particular you made a point to emphasizing your training, whether it was physical or mental preparation for this upcoming season? Is you mentioned all the expectations, obviously, anybody that is around Chicago and saw the team knows there is a lot expected this year for this team. Not just for the team, but you personally as well. So anything different that you did? BRIAN CAMPBELL: No, I can't say I did a whole lot differently. I was on the ice quite a bit the month before training camp, which I always like to do. I feel I'm in better shape though than I was last year. I think I got to work a lot harder this summer. Didn't have as many distractions as I had the previous summer. So, you know, right now I feel good, ready to go. I feel healthy. I feel just way more comfortable for myself coming into it. There are no distractions. Whether it's finding a place, getting to know people, trying to be somebody you're not. I think I've kind of settled into a role here that I'm completely happy with, and I've learned a lot from Joel as well as a coach. I think for me it was a huge change that way having a coach like Lindy Ruff in Buffalo for so many years, and somebody that I really look up to and think he's a great coach. Then all of a sudden you have a new coach. I know I spent a little time with San Jose, but it was during the season and stuff. So it took me a little while to adjust to that. But from what I've learned from him, I'm a better player now than I was when he first came to Chicago last year. Q. I'm wondering if you can give me a sense of what goes into games at Helsinki hart well arena. Obviously they're very passionate fans. They support Jokerit a lot. Can you get your head around that team, and all the superstars you're going to have in that building for all the finish hockey fans? BRIAN CAMPBELL: Have you ever been to a game there? Q. Yes, actually, I have? BRIAN CAMPBELL: Yeah. I think if you look at Finnish people, and being that they're very kind. They're great people, great people to be around. I've played with a number of Finnish guys, over there. So I really enjoyed being around their company. They're great people. So I think they'll be definitely looking forward to it. Because for them, obviously, Finland's not the biggest country in the world, and for them to have the best hockey in the world come over there, that's something that they truly can kind of wrap around and are excited about. I'm looking forward to getting back there and seeing the fans in the opposing nets, and the Jokerit fans there that we have. The flags waving, the chants of nicknames. Hopefully they still have that kind of going on and they've done some research on our hockey team to be able to continue that because it's pretty exciting. I think as soon as the guys walk in, I can't wait to see some of the faces when they see that arena. Because it's state?of?the?art, and it's going to be exciting. I think they have a lot to give to their sports, and it's going to be exciting for not only myself to see that, but the other guys as well. Q. Did the supporters have any songs for you? BRIAN CAMPBELL: I remember if you win a game they'd be chanting, I played with Glen Metropolit there as well. And they'd be chanting Metro for his nickname, and Timmy Thomas as well. So, you know, it's trying to make them on out as much as you can. So, yeah, a lot of times they go through the team there. Kind of like the New York Yankees do a little bit, at the start of their games as well. End of FastScripts |
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