Bill Rosseau
Number: 5
Position: Defense
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 195
Birthday: 2-23-79
Hometown: L'Anse, Michigan
Last team: Soo Indians AAA Midgets

Player Biography

Newcomer Billy Rosseau joins the Buccaneers after playing for the Soo AAA Midgets Indians. Billy's hometown is L'Anse, Michigan, and he enjoys hunting, fishing, football, and baseball. He says he ties his right skate before his left for every game

Player Interview

2/4/98

Steve: Bill, where were you born and where do you call home?

Bill: L’Anse, Michigan. It is in the U.P., upper peninsula. It’s in a very remote area, I guess.

Steve: What do you mean by remote?

Bill: My town’s population is about 2,000 people. It is a very small town, but I like it though. You know everyone around you and everything like that.

Steve: What was it like growing up in L'Anse?

Bill: It was hockey all the time. My dad was always my coach so I liked it. You always got along with everyone on your team. You always knew all the parents. I liked it there.

Steve: Tell me about your family.

Bill: I have two brothers; one is 17 and one is 12. They both play hockey. My middle brother is a goalie on the high school team. My younger brother is a defenseman on a pee wee team. They are very involved in hockey too. My dad is a grocery store owner, and my mom is a medical records supervisor at the local hospital.

Steve: Have any of your family been able to see you play as a Buc yet?

Bill: Yeah, they came for New Year’s Eve. A lot of my family came down, so that was nice. I have got a lot of family in Minnesota so they like to come down too.

Steve: How did you start playing hockey?

Bill: I do not even know. I know it was at a very young age, but I don’t really remember when I started. I was probably 2 or 3 when I started skating, then it took off from there.

Steve: When did you know or decide you wanted to pursue hockey full time?

Bill: I think it was maybe when my pee wee A team went down state for the state championship and we won. I think that is when I really started to want to move on. Then I moved away from home in 11th grade to play in Sault Ste. Marie, so that is when I really started to pursue it.

Steve: About what age is pee wee A?

Bill: Probably 12 or 13, somewhere around there.

Steve: Have you always played your current position?

Bill: Yeah. Well, actually when I was probably mites and at a really young age, I always played center. I started getting bigger and the other kids stayed the same, so I moved to defense.

Steve: What other teams have you played for?

Bill: Just Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan; the Sioux Hawks. They are a protected team of the Buccaneers. I played high school back home and played back home all the way through until 11th grade, when I moved away.

Steve: How did you come to play for the Bucs?

Bill: The team I played for was affiliated with this team, so everything worked out. They saw me play a few times and they drafted me.

Steve: What are some of the things that you like about playing for the Bucs?

Bill: Everything! The exposure, the family that I live with. Barb is great! I really like everything about it. I have a good job that gives me a little extra spending money.

Steve: So you are working then?

Bill: Yeah, I work at Hy-Vee.

Steve: What are the differences between playing a road game and a home game?

Bill: Well, it definitely has to do with the crowd. You really get pumped up to play at home. We just have the greatest fans around. You just have to deal with it when we go away and play against another team that has a big crowd. I think the crowd is the biggest thing.

Steve: Are there certain teams you would rather play or not play?

Bill: Not really. We all have to get ready to play against every team. You really get ready for the big games like Lincoln and Omaha. But you have got to be prepared all the time.

Steve: Do you have a favorite college or pro team?

Bill: Wisconsin-Madison.

Steve: Hopefully you’ll play there some day?

Bill: Yeah, hopefully. My uncle went there and he said it was a good school, so I have always wanted to go there.

Steve: What are your future hockey plans? Probably Wisconsin-Madison.

Bill: Yeah, I would love to go there. I just want to probably come here next year and play here again and maybe get a scholarship or whatever.

Steve: What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in hockey?

Bill: I do not know. I don’t think I’ve really had too many embarrassing moments. Oh, in my first high school game I stepped on the ice with my skate guards on. That was my first high school game, so it was kind of embarrassing.

Steve: Did you fall?

Bill: Oh, yes! It was pretty bad.

Steve: At your high school games, did you get much of a crowd?

Bill: Yeah, we had probably about 1,000 people. Yeah, it’s kind of a big thing in my town, I guess. It is a very small town.

Steve: A thousand is pretty good for a town of 2,000 people.

Bill: Yeah. People came from around the area and stuff. It was a decent crowd for the size of the rink anyway.

Steve: We are going to move on to some personal things. What is your favorite food, dessert, music, movie, car?

Bill: I am Italian, so I guess anything Italian. My grandma makes a great oil and vinegar salad, so I would have to say that is my favorite food.

Steve: How about dessert?

Bill: Probably cheesecake. I guess anything like that. Any music is fine with me. I like country and everything else so it doesn’t really matter.

Steve: Any favorite movie or car?

Bill: Probably my favorite movie is “Billy Madison.” I like to watch that about every day. I guess I don’t really have a favorite car. I drive a Geo; her name is Veronica.

Steve: Your car is named?

Bill: Yes, and it's a great car!

Steve: Do people consider you shy or out-going?

Bill: Out-going, definitely out-going.

Steve: What type of girl do you like?

Bill: Tall but not taller than me though, but tall. Blonde hair, kind of long, skinny. That is about it. Nice. Athletic, I guess.

Steve: Color of eyes?

Bill: Blue.

Steve: What do you do in the summer?

Bill: Skate. I work out a lot in the summer. I lift a lot of weights in the summer, go to the beach.

Steve: So you go back home?

Bill: Yeah, spend time with the family.

Steve: Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

Bill: Not really.

Steve: Hockey takes up your time.

Bill: Yeah. I would like to pursue business though maybe, I guess.

Steve: Maybe go in with your dad?

Bill: Yeah, you never know.