 Alternate captain Mike Letizia 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.
Letizia, an overager, is in his fourth season with the Whalers and was drafted in the 4th round (80th overall) in the 2002 OHL Draft. Letizia's assist on the game-winning goal September 21st at Saginaw marked his 50th career point. Letizia took a few minutes before practice to help us break the ice. » On the best advice he has ever been given… "Probably from my dad, he just told me never to be satisfied with anything you do. You can always improve and you can always work harder. That’s pretty much the most I’ve learned from him. Try to be the best every single shift and never be satisfied with anything you did. Just try to be better every time." » On how he started playing hockey… "I actually started skating when I was two and I started playing hockey when I was three. My dad just kind of put me on the ice and at first I hated it, but then he just kept skating with me. (Laughs) Well, he would just hold my hand and make me skate because he doesn’t know how to skate. I just started loving it from there." » On who has influenced him the most in hockey… "Definitely my dad. He has been at every single game he can physically be at because he has had some ups-and-downs. He has definitely proven to me that I can’t ever really complain about anything because of all the stuff he has gone through. The fact that he has been here since day one is unbelievable. So, he has definitely influenced me a lot." » On being an American and choosing major junior over college hockey… "I feel it was a better fit for my style of play. There are a lot of opportunities in the OHL and it’s pretty much the best of the best. If you’re going to make it, this is definitely the league to play in and everything else has worked out pretty well by playing here."  » On his youth hockey highlight…
"Youth hockey highlight is probably winning the national championship in 2000 with my Chicago Young American Team. We were probably the best team I have ever played on and a lot of the guys say the best team they have ever seen. We were just unbelievable." » On his most memorable goal… "That’s a hard one. Probably my second year in the playoffs against Kitchener. The last game, I scored a pretty nice goal. I guess that would probably be the one." » On his most embarrassing hockey moment… "Right now, knock on wood, I haven’t really had that big of an embarrassing moment so far. I’ve had some weird injuries, but nothing too embarrassing." » On his best moment in a Whalers' uniform… "Right up to now, we haven’t fulfilled the championship yet. I’d say maybe my first game, just kind of knowing I made it to the next level and hopefully there will be another level after that." » On the Chicago connection between him, Gino Pisellini, and Jared Boll… "I never played with or against either of those two guys. I didn’t really meet them until I came here to the Whalers. I guess it’s just a matter of a few of us just finding out this is the right place for us to play. We really enjoy coming here and playing in the OHL and it’s a good fit for the three of us, so it kind of worked out well." » On the White Sox being in the World Series… "I definitely hate it. I’m a huge, die-hard Cubs fan, so this is not going well for me right now.” » On the player he admires and tries to model his game after… "I’d say in a way, being from Chicago, Chris Chelios just because it’s pretty admirable how long he has played and how fierce of a competitor he is. He’ll battle every single player every night. It’s pretty inspiring the way he has kept going this long and just the way he plays. He plays like a warrior, so it’s pretty good." » On the toughest player he has played against… "I’d say the hardest guy I’ve ever played against is Danny Fritsche. He’s obviously extremely skilled, but he just never stops working and since I’m a defenseman, he’s on you constantly. He’s just a really good player." » On what his typical day is like… "During the week, I have school a couple days and that’s at 8 o’clock, so I get up pretty early for that. After school, I come here to the rink at 10 and either do a workout or any kind of public relations stuff that we have to do. Then I just go home and have some lunch then come back to the rink for a 3 o’clock practice. We do some kind of team workout afterwards, then I just go home and have dinner, and after that pretty much I’ll just hang out with the guys or hang out inside at home and watch TV and relax a little bit." » On his pre-game routine… "On game days, usually my parents come into town, so I’ll visit with them for a little bit and then have a pre-game meal at 2:30. Then just kind of relax, there’s not much time to take a little nap, just get to the rink and start thinking about the game." » On his jersey number… "The only thing is I used #4 my whole life growing up and when I got here I couldn’t have #4, so I basically thought 2 plus 2 equals 4, so that worked out and I’ve kept it."  » On his nicknames…
"My nickname is Tizzy, just kind of from my last name Letizia. That’s what the guys are calling me since I have a kind of hard last name to pronounce, so Tizzy’s pretty good." » On his superstitions… "My equipment is always the same way and then other superstitions are more-or-less just go with the flow. If we are doing well then I won’t change things. I’ll tape my stick the same way or I’ll wear the same clothes to the rink, just things like that. If the team is doing well, I’ll never change stuff." » On living with a billet family… "It’s been great. I’ve actually had two billet families and they both have been great. It’s hard not to like these people because of all that they do for you and the relationship that you build with them. It’s just really nice and plus, being with the team helps out a life because you don’t really get homesick or anything like that. They take good care of us." » On if being named an alternate captain affects how he prepares… "It’s a great honor, but I haven’t really changed anything. I’ve tried to be a leader since I've been here and I think the guys respect me since I’ve been a rookie and everything. I always try to lead by example. I guess the change you have to hold the guys a little more accountable as an assistant captain. You can’t let anybody influence you. You kind of have to take control of the team. The four guys we've got have a pretty good grasp on what we need to do to be good leaders on the team." » On his plans after the OHL… "After this, hopefully I can move on and try to get my foot in the door somewhere professionally. If not, I’ve taken some college classes so I can just start going to college, but hopefully I’ll be able to get in somewhere." » On what he would do if he didn't play hockey… "I’d probably do something in the sport area like sport marketing or a sports agent. Anything like that, I just love sports, so something to do with sports, even sports medicine." » On what he brings to the team… "I guess leadership and good defensive play. Pretty much my job on the team is to shut down the other team’s best players and just lead the team and chip in a few points here and there when I can. My job is to stop the other team from scoring, so that’s pretty much what I want to do this year." » On the craziest thing that has happened on the road… "One of the things that I have seen that was pretty funny was in Kitchener last year. A guy came running down to the bench in a diaper with a sign that had something to do with Ryan Nie. I can’t remember exactly what it said, but the guy was in a full out diaper so that was pretty funny." » On his funniest teammate… "Funniest teammate I would say in my four years would be Jimmy Gagnon from my rookie year. Right now, guys like Zack Shepley and Ryan Stephenson are pretty funny guys to me, but I laugh at everything. And definitely the strangest guy I’ve met or played with is Mike Knight."  » On his brother being on TV…
"(Laughs) Oh, man. It was a couple year ago, he was on the MTV show called 'One Bad Trip.' He was kind of tricked into thinking he was on a different show. His girlfriend and her friend went in disguise and visited him at Arizona State and he kind of came out on the bad end of that one. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a good experience for him." » On the rule changes in hockey… "That’s a tough question. I like the rules they have now that they have changed. It’s just the little stuff though; I wish we could go back because as a defenseman, we kind of don’t have a chance out there sometimes. We have been taught to play one way our whole lives and now they call all these little penalties on the things we have been taught to do. Actually, I don’t like that rule about flipping the puck out of the rink and getting a penalty for that." » On a movie about him… "The movie would just be about a regular city guy that likes to have fun. I’m a pretty simple guy, just a go-with-the-flow guy. If anyone would play me, one of my favorite actors is Vince Vaughn, he’s actually from Chicago, so I’d pick him to play me right now because he’s been in some pretty good movies and he’s got the Chicago thing down, so that’s pretty good. Plus, he’s now with Jennifer Aniston who I am a very big fan of, so that works." » On if he could play golf with anyone in the world, who his foursome would include… "I just golfed for the first time ever at the golf outing. I guess you got to say the president because everyone wants to golf with the president. Bobby Orr because in my opinion he’s the best defenseman for sure to ever play hockey. I guess Tiger Woods because I mean, we would probably beat anybody if he was on our team, so that would be pretty fun. Actually, no, not Tiger Woods, I’d say Michael Jordan because he’s a pretty competitive golfer." -Natalie Shaver, October 25th, 2005- -- Other Players' "Breaking the Ice" Features -- | 
