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NHL ALL-STAR GAMEJanuary 25, 2015Nick FolignoRyan JohansenCOLUMBUS, OHIO TEAM TOEWS – 17 Q. Now with all of this behind you, can you put into terms what this weekend meant to you, to the city, on a personal level, team level, all these things? MVP first. RYAN JOHANSEN: You know, it's meant a lot, us being a part of it. That's all we've been talking about over the last few days is seeing the fans and how much they've been enjoying all the festivities and stuff and we did a two‑hour signing today at the convention center up there, and everybody just seemed to be having a great time, and all the kids were laughing and smiling and having fun. So it's just been a great thing to see these last few days. NICK FOLIGNO: No, I completely agree with Joey. We're so proud of our city for showing that hockey is such a big deal here. For it to be the main focus and then for us to have been involved in it has been really gratifying for both of us. It's allowed us to get out in our community a little more than we've been able to and really thank the fans for all their support for us, and like he said, you see the kids, that was my favorite part, the red carpet yesterday, and then the two‑hour signing that we did today, the kids looked like they were having a ball, and that's what we remember as kids, so it was really fun to kind of have that as our moment today. Q. Ryan, can you contrast how much fun you've had being MVP in a roomful of stars, contrast these emotions now to obviously September when it looks like who knows what's going to happen at that point? RYAN JOHANSEN: Yeah, you know what, it's been really cool. It hasn't hit me yet for sure, and this is something I'll remember for a very long time. We've been‑‑ I don't know, we've just been really enjoying every moment of this weekend, and just being in Columbus and in front of our fans and our first game, it really has been a very special weekend and something we'll remember for a long time. Q. When you guys were first named to the team, I talked to both of you about childhood memories of the All‑Star Game and remembering what you used to go out and do in the street or on the rink as a kid. How close was it tonight to what it was like when you were a kid? NICK FOLIGNO: No, it was. I'm playing on a line with Alexander Ovechkin tonight and it was pretty wild. He's a great guy, not only a great player but a great guy. You're sitting up close and personal with a lot of stars in the game. It's something you dream about as a kid, and when it becomes a reality you kind of have to pinch yourself and enjoy every moment. I really did. We were laughing a lot just with what was going on. I couldn't believe it. It was really special to be a part of, really proud to be a part of it, and something I'll never forget, for sure. RYAN JOHANSEN: Yeah, to me it felt like I was playing a road hockey game with my buddies and I was pretending to be Ovechkin and Folig's trying to be Toews or Gretzky. It's so surreal. You never expect this to happen when you're growing up as a kid, and it hasn't been an easy road for both of us. A lot of hard work goes into this, and to share it with all our friends and family who made it into town, special is just the word that comes for me. It's something that we've had such a privilege to be a part of. Q. Nick, obviously this was a great weekend founded in fun, but was there anything you learned about yourself in your leadership role? NICK FOLIGNO: Yeah, how to handle 20 egos. I didn't have to do much in the sense of leadership. You know what, it was fun to take on the role of showing off our team and our city. That was what I was proud of. I signed here and when you make that kind of a commitment for that long of a time you're proud of what you've accomplished and the team that you play for, and I wanted the guys to see that. I wanted them to see the city, and all the comments that came from the guys, they love it here. They really were impressed with how nice Columbus is. A lot of times you come in and get a dinner and get to bed and get ready for the game. So they don't get to see all the people and the things to do here, and I think they really enjoyed themselves. That was probably the role I wanted to make sure I got across to everybody is how great of a city it is to play here and I think the fans took over and did the rest. It was a lot of fun for me, and mentoring this young man over here, too. Q. Ryan, I know you haven't had time to think about it, but do you have any plans for the car? RYAN JOHANSEN: You know what, I have no idea. I have no idea. It's nice, really nice. Actually it's a beautiful car. NICK FOLIGNO: My daughter could use one when she turns 16. RYAN JOHANSEN: Maybe I'll save it for her. Yeah, I have no idea. I'm sure I've got a lot of text messages right now asking if they can have it. No idea right now. Q. You guys are both first‑time All‑Stars. What was the pace like out there? What was the game like? How long did it take you to get acclimated to what was pretty far from what you're used to playing? NICK FOLIGNO: You could notice that, too? Okay. No, you know what, it was great, though. We were laughing a little bit at how used to we are to going fast and everything is full speed and guys are flying around and hitting each other, and there was none of that tonight, so it was a lot different for me because that's kind of the style of game I play. I'm not as cute as these guys, but it was really fun. I still enjoyed it. Some of the skills that guys have that maybe people don't pick up on because once you slow the game down guys can do so much more with the puck. I was really impressed with some of the plays tonight. You watch a guy like Patrick Kane. It amazes me how smooth he is. We were actually talking on the bench. He did a couple spin‑a‑ramas, even just the moves he made to score, it just looks effortless to him. You don't really pick that up when you're playing full speed. I kind of enjoyed it because when you slow things down you get to really see the guys' skill, and I thought it was great, and I felt like I could keep up, too, so that was good. Q. Ryan, how do you come off the high of this weekend and all the excitement and all the buzz and refocus yourself towards Tuesday where you're not going to be playing with Ovechkin, you're going to be playing against him? RYAN JOHANSEN: Yeah, I think we'll have the rest of our team to humble us tomorrow. I think they'll be all over us. That's a great point. We still have a big way to come to find our way to the playoff position right now, and we know that, and going into this break, all the guys that went on a little vacation, for us, I think we have a good focus for when we get back and knowing that we have a job to do. We've enjoyed this weekend a lot, but after tonight, we'll refocus on playing Washington on Tuesday there and try and just rack up the points here. Q. Nick, curious if you were‑‑ if it was daunting at all before this weekend knowing that you would be put in the spotlight in a public way, being the captain, doing the fantasy draft and things like that, what was going through your head being put in that position for the first time? NICK FOLIGNO: I was nervous for sure. My first time being an All‑Star, first time really around these guys, you just want to, to be honest with you, fly under the radar and just kind of feel it out as you go. I enjoyed it, I really do. I thought it was a lot of fun, and then I just decided, you know what, I'm going to embrace this. I'm in my home city. I had Joey to really help me out, too, to get me some normalcy because I'm around him all the time, so it felt good just to have him around. You know, it was good, though. I really enjoyed every minute. I can't tell you how humbled I am and so excited to be around everybody and really had a blast with it all, and it's something I'll never forget, and I'm glad people told me to really soak it in, because it is, it's a great experience, and I'm going to have stories forever from this weekend for sure. Q. Ryan, I was talking to Jeff Rimer, and he said that he would say to you sometimes do you know how good you are. I was wondering if this weekend, do you realize that, and do you think you are ready to take another step? RYAN JOHANSEN: Yeah, Rims reminds me of that all the time, but Foligno I think was the first guy that telling me ‑‑ he would pull me in corners and really push me to become a better player. It's nice to see that confidence from other players and belief in me and my abilities. This weekend is definitely a confidence booster, obviously very happy to be a part of the All‑Star Game and stuff, but it's important to not get too high, not get too low and just have that even keel where you're just a humble person. So that's important to me and important to Nick, and a lot of players in this league. That's what's so special about it. Q. Ryan, I know that Nick joked about mentoring you this weekend, but you on media day said you were learning from him. What did you learn from the way he performed as the unofficial mayor? RYAN JOHANSEN: Yeah, I've got a lot of people I've got to pump his tires in front of right now. There's a ton of guys, but we all know Nick, first‑class guy, the way he carries himself, and we all saw how professional he was this weekend. I couldn't have picked a better captain for one of these teams and the way he was being around the guys and around the rink. Just a true first‑class guy. That's all I have to say. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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