 Overage goaltender Ryan Nie 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.
Selected in the 9th round (179th overall) in the 2001 OHL Entry Draft, Nie is playing in his fourth season with the Whalers. He represented the Whalers in the 2005 OHL All-Star Classic. Nie, along with John Vigilante and Mike Letizia, comprise the three overagers allowed on the team. Nie took a few minutes before practice to help us break the ice. » On the greatest lesson he has learned from hockey… “Probably just work hard, keep trying, and never give up. My first year I was kind of disappointed I didn’t play and I kind of didn’t try as hard and I ended up getting sent back and learned from that.” » On the best advice he has ever been given… “Probably from my dad to just stay focus and keep working hard no matter what the outcome. If you’re not having a good game, you have to regroup from that and work twice as hard the next one.” » On how he started playing hockey… “I’m pretty sure my mother put me into like a learn to skate program when I was 3 and then I started playing hockey when I was 5. Pretty sure I switched to goalie when I was about 7 or 8 for our novice team, we didn’t have a goalie that year. My dad was a goalie when he played hockey, so I kind of just fell into that spot.” » On who has influenced him the most in hockey… “Definitely my father, like I said, he was a goalie, so he was definitely there coaching me, but at the same time he doesn’t push me too hard. He kind of lets me do what I want to do; he never pushed me when I was growing up in hockey.” » On his youth hockey highlight… “Probably the Quebec Tournament in pee wee. We had a pretty good pee wee team. We didn’t do very well in the tournament; just the whole atmosphere was pretty exciting though.”  » On his most embarrassing hockey moment…
“Most embarrassing would probably be when we were up in Sault Ste. Marie and one of the fans decided to run down, it’s all open behind the benches, and one of the fans ran down wearing nothing but a diaper with ‘Nie’s a Sieve’ painted on his chest.” » On his best moment in a Whalers' uniform… “I can’t really say any have really stood out. I have had a pretty good career here. It all has been pretty good.” » On his most memorable game… “Probably would be my rookie year when Paul Drew got hurt in the playoffs against Kitchener. It was my first playoff experience and we came in and we won and we ended up winning the series.” » On playing 2 games his first season… “Definitely was a learning experience for me. I came in my rookie year and I guess I could say I wasn’t really giving it my all or doing what I needed to do in order to be playing in this league. So, I got sent back, played I think 40 straight games in Junior B and it was a learning experience, then I came back the next season ready.” » On learning from Paul Drew… “I think Paul played a big role in the goalie that I am today. Sitting out a lot of games and watching him, the way he played, I guess the way he mentally prepared for games and that kind of stuff definitely helped. Greg Stefan was also a big help with that. He played in the NHL for as many years as he did, he helped me out with that kind of stuff.” » On goalies being a little different… “Actually, I’ve been told that I am the most normal goalie that the guys have ever had. We definitely have our little strange times, maybe it’s just the forwards that don’t understand where we are coming from.”  » On his mask… “Actually, there’s just a website that I saw and there was one of the goalies from the San Jose Sharks. I saw his mask and kind of liked it. I sent that to the painter and asked him what he could do with it. It’s basically the exact same mask only he made it (the shark) into a whale and then it has my nickname (Niezy) on the chin and the Canadian and American flags on the back to kind of show where I come from and that kind of stuff.” » On the player he tries to model his game after… ”I don’t really try to model anyone; I kind of have my own style. I don’t try to play like anyone else. It’s kind of hard for a goaltender to do that, but there are a lot of young guys in the NHL like Roberto Luongo that I kind of look up to because of what they have accomplished so far.” » On working at Ginopolis On the Ice… “It’s kind of just something to fill up my time here. I’m taking classes now, but other than hockey there’s not a lot of stuff for us here to do. Just a chance for me to waste a little time and earn some extra money.” » On the toughest player he has played against… “Probably (Jeff) Carter from Sault Ste. Marie. The guy seemed to be able to score from anywhere. He had a pretty heavy shot and definitely had a few goals on me.” » On what his typical day is like… “A typical day, I try not to think about hockey too much, so usually, if we’re at home that game, I spend a lot of the day doing my homework and just relaxing and trying not to focus on the game too much. When 4 o’clock rolls around, I get changed and start thinking and focusing for the game. I do a little visualization before the game to try and get ready and I do a little bit of work with the lacrosse ball just to get the hand-and-eye coordination ready. That’s about it.” » On if there is anything behind his jersey number… “No, actually I think I started wearing #35 when I was probably about 12 or 13. Olaf Kolzig actually was the kind of guy I was looking up to at the time and I stuck with it ever since.” » On his superstitions… “Not really. When something is going right, I try not to change anything. I think I’ve won the last four games I’ve played at home or something like that, so definitely been wearing the same dress shirt for those four games, but that’s kind of gross.” » On the responsibilities of an overager… “Definitely has been a big step from last year to this year in my responsibilities. As an overager, they want us to be a leader more and you know like Justin (Garay) can be taking over the starting role this year, so he kind of looks to me for advice sometimes. He has been put in the net a lot more earlier in the year, so he kind of looks to me and also Jeremy Smith who is practicing with us pretty much every day, so both of them are always asking me for advice and stuff like that.”  » On being an All-Star… “It was definitely a great experience playing on a team with that much talent. You don’t think about it when all the players are separated, but when they are all put together on one team there’s all those guys from London and Owen Sound. It was definitely an offensive team there. It was a really exciting time.” » On his plans after the OHL… “Right now, I’m definitely hoping to go pro, but if that doesn’t work out, I plan on graduating anyway with a business associate degree at the end of the year. I could always go back to school and take something else after that if pro hockey doesn’t work out.” » On what he would do if he didn't play hockey… “Well, right now, I’m trying to get my general business degree. Hopefully it will fall into something. I haven’t really decided what I want to do, but I’ll get my associate degree in business and go from there.” » On his best class… “I’m taking four classes right now: business management, psychology, business supervision, and American politics, so I really can’t say any of them are the most fun, but they all aren’t too bad.” » On what he should bring to the team… “Definitely kind of step up when I’m needed to and make the big save and try to get the guys going.”  » On the shootout process… “Definitely a little nerve-wracking, everyone staring at you and that player, but you kind of just have to get it out of your head. As the guy is coming in, kind of not bite on his first move and just kind of stay solid and make the save.” » On his funniest teammate… “Definitely Ryan Stephenson, he always has an answer for everything. He kind of makes his living on being a comedian with the other guys’ lives.” » On the rule changes in hockey… “Definitely goalies aren’t a big fan of the rule changes, especially the shootout. It’s opened up the game and made it a lot more exciting for the fans. Goalies are seeing a lot more shots and a lot more goals, but there’s nothing we can really do about it.” » On what reality show he would be on… “A reality TV show about me, if it was just all about me it would be a pretty boring show. Basically all I really do is school and hockey.” » On what other five players he would want on the ice in front of him… “Probably my forwards would be Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and maybe Sidney Crosby, just to see how great he really is. Defensive-wise maybe Rob Blake and Bobby Orr.” -Natalie Shaver, November 15, 2005- -- Other Players' "Breaking the Ice" Features -- | 
