Jon Walker
Number: 29
Position: Goalie
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160
Birthday: 11-4-77
Hometown: Tomah, WI
Last team: Butte Fighting Irish (AFHL)

Player Biography

Jon is also a new Buccaneer. He comes to Des Moines from the Butte Fighting Irish of the AFHL. While playing for Butte, he was conference MVP, Top Goaltender, and Defensive Player of the Year. Jon's nickname is "Ballgame" and says he would like to attend a "big hockey school."

Player Interview

1/28/98

Steve: Where do you call home?

Jon: I am from Tomah, Wisconsin; a little town in central Wisconsin.

Steve: So you are a Green Bay Packers fan?

Jon: Oh, big time!

Steve: They have quite a team, that's for sure. How does your family keep up with you and the Bucs while you are away?

Jon: Well, they look on the Internet. They seem to know more than I do almost because of how much is put on there. They come down here probably once a month maybe. Both my sisters came down for Thanksgiving and stayed for a game. One sister came to a game in Dubuque.

Steve: Tell me about some of the past teams that you’ve played for.

Jon: Last year I played for the Butte Fighting Irish in Butte, Montana. I just had a blast there. Before that I played high school in Tomah.

Steve: The Butte Fighting Irish are in the AFHL, and Erik Strand played for the Vail Avalanche. Tell me about that league.

Jon: There are some good players in the league. The pace of the league isn’t as fast as the USHL. The players here are so much faster and just know the game a little better. There are a lot of guys that didn’t make this league, and they are bigger and not as fast usually.

Steve: Okay. How about the fan support in the AFHL? Is it pretty good in Butte?

Jon: At Butte we probably averaged about 1,100. Billings averages about 3,700. They do really good, but most of the teams don’t do that well.

Steve: Is there anything memorable about some of the past teams that you’ve played for?

Jon: I can’t think of any.

Steve: How did your Butte team do?

Jon: Last year we ended up second. I ended up getting MVP in the league and top goaltender.

Steve: That is memorable.

Jon: Yeah, I guess that is pretty memorable. And they got the facts here and that is what made Boxer and Nellie come over and watch me.

Steve: Well, you just answered my next question. Did you know about the Bucs before they came to watch you?

Jon: Yeah, I knew about the Bucs in the USHL. I did not know they were watching me or anything. The Coach had contacted my dad the next week after and then they decided they wanted to tender me.

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

Jon: Great fan support. I love playing here just cause the fans are great. The level of play is just fantastic compared to last year.

Steve: So you enjoy that?

Jon: Oh yeah.

Steve: In the AFHL, I would imagine that was quite a distance between cities to play. Is that right?

Jon: Yeah. There are some that aren’t quite as far, like Thunder Bay and Green Bay, every trip was at least two to three hours.

Steve: What do you like or dislike about road games in the USHL?

Jon: I guess the only thing I dislike is coming home. You are tired and you just want to go to bed.

Steve: How do you prepare for a road game? Do you leave the night before? How does it work?

Jon: If it is on a Friday, we will come in and have either a late skate in the morning or just a stretch. It depends on how far it is, but we usually leave around two o’clock and get there a couple hours before the game so we can loosen up, take a walk, stretch, and then get prepared for the game.

Steve: Do you eat before the game on the road?

Jon: If it is over three hours, we will stop for a pre-game. But if not, then you are supposed to have your own pre-game dinner before we leave. He will let us know about that usually.

Steve: Do you have a favorite college hockey team?

Jon: It has to be the University of Wisconsin-Madison cause I have watched them ever since I was little.

Steve: How about a pro team?

Jon: I don’t think I really have a favorite one. I have got a couple favorite players.

Steve: Who are they?

Jon: It is definitely Richter, the goalie for the Rangers. He played for the Badgers and he is just amazing.

Steve: In all the time that you have played hockey, I am sure there have been some interesting or even embarrassing moments. Have you ever had any embarrassing moments?

Jon: I remember when I was coming on the ice in high school, and I must of had tape or something on my skate. I fell down and started sliding across the ice, and everyone laughed at me. I can’t think of anything else.

Steve: That is pretty embarrassing.

Jon: Yeah, that is pretty bad.

Steve: Well, now we are going to switch to doing a little less about hockey and more about your personal life. What is your favorite movie?

Jon: My favorite movie would probably be “A Few Good Men.”

Steve: How about TV show?

Jon: I do not know. Maybe Friends. Friends is pretty good.

Steve: How about food and dessert?

Jon: My favorite food is definitely lasagne. My favorite dessert is definitely Jello cake.

Steve: Do you have any other hobbies besides working with hockey?

Jon: In the summer I like to golf a lot. I used to play baseball and football in high school.

Steve: I noticed that you have a personalized license plate.

Jon: Yep.

Steve: What is that all about?

Jon: In my freshman year in high school, they started calling me Johnny Ball Game. I think it is from the movie “Johnny Be Good.” His real name was Johnny Walker and they called him Johnny Ball Game. It just stuck.

Steve: Do you have any goals or dreams about the future?

Jon: My big goal is definitely to go on and play Division I college hockey next year and to get a good education from there and then get a good job.

Steve: Any ideas about jobs?

Jon: I am interested in business, marketing, and sales. I am not real sure where I want to go with that.

Steve: If someone gave you $10 million, and the taxes were already paid, so you had $10 million clear, what would you do with it?

Jon: I would put most of it in the bank because I am pretty stingy. I would probably go out and buy a new truck and just save the rest of it and go on living how I am right now pretty much.

Steve: The fans would be surprised to know that . . .

Jon: That I am a good cook.

Steve: Are you really? Tell me about that.

Jon: I am not too bad. I like to cook spaghetti. I don’t make a lot of things, but when I do, everything always turns out good for some reason. I don’t know why.