10/21/98

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

Nick: I was born in Illinois, and I grew up in Warroad, Minnesota. I call Warroad home.

Steve: I have noticed a lot of hockey players come out of Warroad. Is it hockey crazy up there?

Nick: Yeah, it has got a nickname "Hockey Town, U.S.A."

Steve: Does it really?

Nick: Up there you live for hockey; about half the town plays it.

Steve: Where is Warroad at exactly?

Nick: It is right on Lake of the Woods.

Steve: Which is where?

Nick: Six miles south of the Canadian border, right in the middle of the Minnesota.

Steve: Right in the middle of the state, six miles south of the border. So the hockey program is in the schools?

Nick: Yep. It is a high school program. They have got a great coach, Cary Eades. He has coached for Dubuque ever since. They have got a great youth program, a lot of good coaches there, too. So it is a great place to come up playing hockey.

Steve: So you were born in Illinois and then you moved to Warroad?

Nick: Yeah.

Steve: That is quite a move.

Nick: Yeah, my parents got divorced. So my mom followed her parents up there.

Steve: Well, tell me a little bit about your family, your brothers and sisters, your parents.

Nick: I have got one older brother who is at school at North Dakota State University. He is 23. I have got a sister who is going to school in Memphis, Tennessee. And I have got a younger brother who is playing bantam now. He is 14 or maybe 15.

Steve: He plays up in Warroad then?

Nick: Yeah.

Steve: So he plays up there in the bantams and then from there you would go on to play high school hockey?

Nick: Yeah.

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

Nick: Yeah, my parents have been down a couple of times. They came down for the Buc Bowl, and they came down for that weekend when we had two home games. One was against Rochester on the Saturday night. Friday night was against Waterloo.

Steve: Yeah, those were good games. Why and when did you start playing hockey?

Nick: I probably got started because it was just the thing to do up in Warroad. I think I started skating when I was three or four. Probably competitively when I was six.

Steve: Did you start skating in Warroad or was it in Illinois?

Nick: I moved to Warroad when I was a year or a year and a half old, so I have lived my whole life up in Warroad.

Steve: How did you start playing for the Bucs? How did that happen?

Nick: That is kind of a long story. The past two years I played for Rochester. They were going through a lot of coaches there. During last summers try-out camp I probably did not play all that well, and the coach said he was going to put me on the roster but he didn't know if he was going to keep me or not. So he was trying to trade me and looking for a place for me to go. I needed something to fall back on, so I tried out for a couple places. I tried out for North Iowa and they ended up cutting me. I think he said he was going for a younger team, and I am 20 years old now. I almost went out to Billings, and I turned them down. I told them I was going to go to school. The day before I left for school, Owens gave me a call and asked me if I was interested in coming down here. I said, "Yeah, sure!" He said, "All right, we will do that then." And I came down.

Steve: So you played for Rochester. How did you decide to go to Rochester? You played for Warroad in high school.

Nick: Warroad was one of the Bucs protected teams, and they just kind of picked me up through that.

Steve: What was it like playing at Rochester? Did you have a winning team?

Nick: We had a good team last year. We had good defense and we played great defensive hockey. We just really couldn't put the puck in the net. I think we ended up with a losing record. But most of the games that we lost were one goal games or games where we outplayed the other team. We just had troubles scoring.

Steve: What is the best thing about being a Buc? What are some of the things you like?

Nick: I would have to say the welcoming. When I first came here I felt like I was part of something, part of the team. It was really comfortable coming in. I didnít really feel out of place.

Steve: You said you started skating like when you were three or six. What got you hooked on hockey? Do you remember? I mean, what is it about hockey? Do you play other sports, too?

Nick: I played baseball in high school, and that is all I played for varsity sports. I played football a little bit, eighth through ninth grade. And then I just didn't really enjoy that through the school year. It was fun playing football outside of school, but for school it didn't really excite me all that much. With hockey, the thing that really got me playing is it is a fun game and I enjoy playing it.

Steve: What are maybe some of your greatest moments you remember most playing hockey? It could be through Rochester or past teams. What are some of the best times you've had playing hockey? Do you remember any special moments?

Nick: Yeah, there are two of them. My first year of varsity hockey for Warroad, we won the state Class A championship. We also won it my senior year. I have got to say my senior year was the most memorable moment.

Steve: Are there any embarrassing things that have ever happened to you while you were playing through the years?

Nick: To be honest, not that I can remember. I have been asked that question before, like on the stat sheets. I don't remember ever falling down or my pants falling down.

Steve: Do you have a nickname?

Nick: Just Stodge.

Steve: How about any hobbies or anything? What do you like to do?

Nick: I like to listen to music a lot, play golf. That is about it really. I don't have very many hobbies. I work a lot.

Steve: How about this. If you had a million dollars you would . . .

Nick: If I had a million dollars I would probably put most of it in the bank and try to live off the interest for awhile.

Steve: And what would you do?

Nick: I would like to go to New Zealand. I think that would be a great place to visit.

Steve: They probably don't have hockey games in New Zealand.

Nick: No, probably not. I could do a little downhill skiing maybe up in the mountains, I guess.

Steve: The fans probably don't know that . . .

Nick: That I eat a lot. I don't weigh very much. I'm not a very big guy but I actually eat quite a bit.

Steve: What are your favorite foods?

Nick: Chicken and spaghetti. Those are probably my favorite.

Steve: Is there anything else that you would like to tell the fans or want the fans to know about yourself?

Nick: I guess I would just tell the fans to keep supporting us. That is why were are here, for the fans and all that. We want to keep them happy, keeping them coming, and filling up the stands.

Steve: Okay. Thanks, Nick.

Nick: Yep.