 Defenseman Ryan McGinnis is this week's player in
“Breaking the Ice with…” The feature will be a season long series on plymouthwhalers.com and showcase a different Whaler each week so we can get to know them better. Plymouth drafted McGinnis, who is now in his third season with the Whalers, in the 4th round (79th overall) in the 2003 OHL Draft. This past summer he was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 6th round (148th overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft. The Fenton, Michigan native took a few minutes before practice to help us break the ice. » On the best advice he has ever been given… “The best advice is, ‘You are going to have bad games and you are going to have good to great games and it is how you handle yourself when you’re down.’ It’s a game of mistakes and so, as I said, you can’t get too low and can’t get too high. You’re kind of in the middle and you can’t coach effort. That’s pretty much the number one thing that coaches and scouts are looking for really is just effort.” » On how he started playing hockey… “I was 3-years-old and I first went on the ice when there was an open skate and I pushed around a chair to keep my balance and a cone and stuff.” » On who has influenced him the most in hockey… “My whole family. They have been there through the thick and thin. They support me 110%.” » On being an American and choosing major junior over college hockey… “Major junior because it’s more my style of play, more the physical type of play. It mirrors the NHL the closest.” » On his youth hockey highlight… “The Quebec Pee Wee Tournament because of all the different teams there and I actually billeted with a family when I was there. I think there were only a few teams that did it, so that was kind of a cool experience.” » On his most memorable goal… “I have a lot of them. My first OHL goal against Saginaw (2/27/04). It was a game-winner. I had two goals that game.”  » On his most embarrassing hockey moment…
“I really don’t have one.” » On his best moment in a Whalers' uniform… “My best Whaler hockey moment would be that Saginaw game where I had two goals, I almost had the hat trick. I hit the post on the third one.” » On the draft process… “The whole process of being drafted, it was kind of up in the air. I had some interest from a couple teams. They didn’t really tell me, ‘We’re going to take you.’ They were just telling me that they were very interested in me. Obviously I was very grateful for getting drafted and I was so happy that it happened and it’s over now. It’s just one step towards my goal, so that was a great experience.” » On the NHL camps… “Rookie camp was a good experience. All those guys that were at rookie camp are playing in the American League now. So it kind of gives you a perspective of how hard you have to work, what they do not only on the ice, but off the ice. How they carry themselves. Same thing with main camp meeting all those guys was definitely a great experience. It just goes to show you how hard you have to work because they are serious all the time.” » On the player he admires and tries to model his game after… “Probably Scott Stevens. He’s kind of an in-your-face type of player. He plays a gritty style. He plays hard.” » On the toughest player he has played against… “That’s a tough question. Alexander Frolov from LA at the main camp.” » On what his typical day is like… “My typical day is that I have school from 9-11 four days a week, Monday through Thursday. After that I usually go home, have a snack, and then come to the rink for practice, after practice work out, and then go home. That’s kind of my free time to do homework or go on the computer.”  » On his pre-game routine…
“For pre-game I usually wake up around 11 o’clock, I sit around for about an hour, and then I go to Tim Horton’s and I bowl. I go bowling before every home game. I get all that in before 3 o’clock. Then I have my pre-game meal and I’ll just watch TV, just keep the blood flowing all day, so I’m ready for game time. Then I come to the rink and obviously play the game.” » On his jersey number… “No, I just came in and that number was available so I picked it. I didn’t want a high number. It was just what was available." » On his nicknames… “Macker or Juice (laughs). Juice came from my rookie year because all the guys on the team thought I was taking steroids so they’d call me ‘Juice Monkey’ to kind of resemble that.” » On if he has any superstitions… “No, not really, if I have a good game I will continue to do things. Go tape my stick at a certain time, put my shinpads on, my left one before my right one, something like that. That’s pretty much it.” » On if it's tough living with a billet family… “Having my billets, no, they can’t make it any better than it is. I am so proud of everything and so lucky, so fortunate. It is just like a second family to me. They have brought me and pretty much treated me as one of their kids from day. They have been with me through thick and thin. It helps, now that I am in my third year. It is just like a family to me. I go home and it’s nothing out of the ordinary. I act the same as if they were my original family.” » On if he grew up watching the Whalers… “Yeah, I actually did. I live about 45 minutes from here. I always seemed to make it to a couple games each season. Growing up as a kid, I thought this was the NHL so I did want to play here and pretty much only here.” » On being injured… “I broke both of my wrists my first year and that was tough. Stuff happens in this game and it’s how you come back after that. Yeah, it was hard, I was young. I guess I just got through it. It was very hard. Obviously I never want to deal with that again. That pain, that separation from the team for that long at that young age. It was hard, but that was in the past.” » On his siblings… “I am the second oldest. I have one older sister and two younger brothers and three younger sisters. It’s definitely fun when we are all together at the house, especially for holidays now that I don’t live at home. It’s a good time when everyone gets together.” » On what he would be if he didn't play hockey… “I would try to be a golfer and I would obviously be better than I am now because I’d have more time. I really enjoy golfing, it’s relaxing.” » On what he brings to the team… “I should bring effort every game, day in and day out. Play with an edge and compete and play hard.” » On the craziest thing that has happened on the road… “Craziest thing would have to be in London, when a guy climbed over the glass and fell on the ice. The refs had to carry him off. It was during the middle of a game, so it was a little different.” » On his funniest teammate… “Besides me, probably Ryan Stephenson. That guy, you can’t hurt him with any of your words. He always has a comeback for anything and everything.”  » On his girlfriend…
“I met my girlfriend 3 years ago. I was actually going to a lacrosse game to see another girl and she happened to be there. I talked to her and we hooked up about a month later and we have been dating now for a little over two-and-a-half years. Everything with that has been great.” » On his dream goal… “In the Memorial Cup, overtime, and I would score. It would just be an important game, near the end, and it would win it.” » On the rule changes in hockey… “As f or the rule changes I like them except for, I think, the refs are so worried about calling the game. They are calling everything. A lot of the calls, I should say most of them, are really weak calls or even bad calls that two years ago would never have even been a penalty. Everything is fine except for how the refs are calling the game.” » On what reality show he would be on… “Real World and I’d be like Wes.” » On what other five players he would want on the ice with him… “A defenseman, my partner, would be Scott Stevens. Forwards Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Luc Robitaille. The goalie would be Dominik Hasek.” -Natalie Shaver, December 13th, 2005- -- Other Players' "Breaking the Ice" Features -- | 
