Sarah: Why don’t you talk about how you got to Green Bay, how you got here. Just kind of give us an idea of what has transpired.

Paul: Well, I am originally from the Boston area. Out there prep school hockey is very popular. I played the last four years for an Academy. It is a pretty small school in Northern Massachusetts. It’s not very good as far as exposure goes. You know, not many people get out to see you. Not many people got out to see us play. So after my senior year, after I graduated, I figured a year or two in the USHL would be the best thing for me as far as developing, as far as getting into college and playing college hockey. After great debate, I decided to go to Green Bay instead of Des Moines. These were my last two choices. I went up to Green Bay and I spent about two months up there. It turned out that the situation wasn’t right. One day I was pulled into the office and the coach told me I had been traded down here to Des Moines, and it has been great ever since. I’ve had a great time. I am talking way too much!

Sarah: No, that’s good! You talked a little bit about where you came from. What as it like growing up there?

Paul: It was great, it was amazing. Hockey is such a big sport in Boston. You know, it’s really amazing to play growing up there. I was born actually in Maine, spent a little time up there and then moved down to Massachusetts. I, actually at one point in my life, lived in Ohio for a year. That was a big change as far as the hockey and even, you know, as far as everything is concerned – the hockey, the lifestyle. It was a big change. I went back to the East Coast. It’s such a great place to live.

Sarah: You probably want to go back.

Paul: At some point. I don’t know. I kind of want to see what the country has to offer. I want to see everything. So far I’ve seen the East and the Midwest. I haven’t been out West ever, and I haven’t been down South ever.

Sarah: What’s the farthest west you have been?

Paul: Well, I’ve been to Colorado but that was for about a week, and I was holed up in a training center so I didn’t get to see any of the real state. Other than that, the farthest west I have been is just on trips here, you know, for this team. I don’t even know who would be the farthest west.

Sarah: So how did you start playing hockey?

Paul: I don’t know. I guess it’s just something that happens to you when you’re a kid in Boston. You know, really ever since Bobby Orr came around, hockey has been it in the Boston area. It has been THE sport. You know, if you’re a young boy growing up, you want to be Bobby Orr, or one of the other hockey greats. So hockey is just a natural choice for a lot of young boys. I went that way and it has been great.

Sarah: Did you always want to be a goalie?

Paul: I did because I wanted to be just like my dad. My dad had played goalie when he was younger. He actually quit by the time he got to high school to play basketball instead, which I won’t talk about. I’m just kidding! So I wanted to be just like my dad and, you know, that was one way to try to do that.

I spent a year messing around, learning how to skate and everything. I mean, I think that stuff is very important. Just learning how to skate and learning the game a little while before you really decide your position, especially if you decide you’re going to be a goaltender because skating and a good knowledge are two key ingredients to being a good goaltender. I spent a year learning the game, and then I put on the pads.

Sarah: What is one of the great things about being a Buc?

Paul: One of the great things about being a Buc? There are a lot, I mean, playing down here in Des Moines is a real pleasure. I mean, the most obvious benefit is the fan support. The fans are great. You know, there is no place like our rink. I can’t think of any place that I would rather play than here. With the fans and the kind of support we get, it is really, really wonderful.

Sarah: Do you enjoy playing against Green Bay?

Paul: I do! The last time I got to play against Green Bay, we won in a shoot out. That was fun. I was a little nervous during the game, I don’t know why. I didn’t play my best and we ended up going into overtime and I played a little better there. We got to the shoot out and I just thought, man, this is my chance to win this game by myself here against the old team. I went out and I ended up stopping all five of the guys. The best part about it was their last shooter was my best friend when I was with the team. He was another guy from Massachusetts. You know, when I saw him step off the bench to be the last shooter, I had a huge smile on my face. I loved it! It really was great!

Sarah: Well, cool. So what are some of your future plans and goals?

Paul: I don’t know. It’s like what my college counselor used to ask me all the time. I would just tell her I had no idea.

Sarah: Hey, that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Paul: Obviously, I want to play hockey for as long as I can. I love playing hockey. I also want to get the best education that I can. I hope to somehow get enough money to go to grad school after college and maybe study at a grad school overseas. I think at some point I want to end up teaching.

Sarah: Really?

Paul: Because I like kids and I like, I don’t know, I like the whole idea of teachers being able to affect the life of a child. I don’t think there’s any more noble profession than a teacher.

Sarah: Do you have a nickname?

Paul: Not really.

Sarah: Nothing you want to say, huh?

Paul: I guess you could say MoJo for the obvious reason, just my last name. Usually it’s just Paul or Morrissey. I kind of have a plain name, nothing to really use as a nickname.

Sarah: What about your hobbies?

Paul: My hobbies? Well, I play all sorts of sports. I mean, through high school I played football, hockey and baseball. I golf quite a bit. My grandfather and grandmother try to get me to play tennis but that doesn’t work out so much. I like fishing and stuff like that just for relaxing. Actually, my favorite relaxing activity is reading. I read quite a bit and I enjoy that a lot. I am kind of a movie buff, too. I watch a lot of movies, I keep myself busy.

Sarah: What’s your favorite movie then?

Paul: What’s my favorite movie? You had to ask. I think my favorite movie is Good Will Hunting, no doubt about it. It’s a great movie. It’s about Boston. It’s an awesome movie and I would suggest it to about anyone. It’s really a great movie.

Sarah: Do you have an embarrassing moment you want to tell us about?

Paul: That’s the question I was kind of worried about. I don’t have anything that I would like to let everyone know about. Some of them are a little too embarrassing.

Sarah: Okay. Do you have a good story or a good moment that you can remember, like the shoot out against Green Bay?

Paul: Yeah, that was the great one so far. As far is hockey is concerned?

Sarah: Anything. It doesn’t have to be hockey.

Paul: The shoot out was one of the highlights of my career so far, just being able to do that. I think just a great moment in my life was the day I graduated high school because I spent four years living at a boarding school. I lived at school and, you know, four years with 350 of my closest friends. You know, the day we got to graduation it was kind of like a culmination of such hard work. It really was amazing. For weeks I couldn’t believe that it was over. That would probably be a great moment in my life.

Sarah: Well, do you have anything else you would like to say?

Paul: I would just like to say thanks to all the fans for their support, kind of like everyone says. You know, you guys really are a big part of the team and, you know, a big part of every game. It is great to see you out there enjoying yourselves and supporting us. I would also like to say hi to my parents and any other family members and friends that might read this. Tell my mom not to worry; they’ll get my picture on there soon! That’s about it.