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Manitoba Moose Captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Keane recently answered 20 questions posed by Moose fans from around the world. Read his answers below, and stay tuned for the next Ask-a-Moose announcement, coming soon!
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I've been watching hockey since I was five and I'm now 18. It's good to see a great Winnipeg-born player play in Manitoba and as well in the NHL for Vancouver. I was wondering who was your hockey hero when you just started to play hockey? Thanks for your time. Steven - Winnipeg, MB
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I was a Boston Bruins fan growing up and Terry O'Reilly and Wayne Cashman were my two favourite players growing up.
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What's your favourite hockey memory from when you were a kid? Andre - Winnipeg, MB
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When I was 15 I got a chance to play with the Winnipeg Warrior of the WHL and that was a very special moment.
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Were you involved in any other sports growing up, or was it strictly hockey? Jennifer - Winnipeg, MB
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All the way growing up I played soccer and baseball. I think it's good that you take time off of hockey and that you play other sports. I think you risk getting bored of it and sick of it, so it's good to do different things.
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You've played with a lot of great players over the seasons. Who would you say is your best friend in hockey? Anita - Winnipeg, MB
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Kirk Muller was the Captain of the Canadiens when we won in '93. Great guy, great family. He and his wife and my wife are very close. We try to get together at least once a summer.
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What was your favourite NHL team to play for and play against? Ryan - Surrey, BC
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My favourite teams to play for were Montreal, Colorado, and Dallas in no particular order. All were with really good guys and we had success with those teams. Playing against, it would be playing Boston against Montreal because of the history they have, Colorado against Detroit because of the Claude Lemieux/Chris Draper incident, and Dallas against Edmonton because of the playoff rivalry (we played them 5 years in a row . . . and beat them, by the way.)
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At 33, you were the youngest of the famous Grumpy Old Men Line in Dallas (you, John McLean and Kirk Muller). Do you ever get to talk to the other two guys? Joyce - Mesquite, TX
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Last summer we got to spend some time at Kirk Muller's cabin in Kingston, where John McLean has a cabin right next door. We got to spend some time and it was great to see both of them, who are doing very well.
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You were part of the trade that saw Patrick Roy go to Colorado. What was it like leaving Montreal and going to Colorado for the first time with Patrick Roy? Ken - Winnipeg, MB
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It was tougher for Patrick because of who he was and how it happened, but it was something I think helped both of our careers in the long run. Difficult at the time, but we went to a great team who were good guys, took us in, and treated us like part of a team. It worked out well for both of us.
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Mike, do you still have your 'Shut Up, Hull' hat? Joyce - Mesquite, TX
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No I don't. I lost it in one of the many moves.
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What Stanely Cup win sticks out the most in your mind, and why? Rob - Winnipeg, MB
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All are special. The first one because it's the first one. The second one was very special because of the trade that happened that year with Montreal. And the third one again, very special, because of being the 8th player to win 3 cups with 3 different teams.
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Hey Mike! How was the transition from the NHL to the AHL? Good luck the rest of the way! Nick - Winnipeg, MB
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The transition has been very easy. The AHL is a very good league with a lot of very good young players. The only difference is the age factor, where you're not playing against 30 year olds you're playing against 20 year olds. The experience level comes into play. A lot of players don't know about the AHL game, but that will take time to learn.
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Mike, I know Kevin Bieksa gets a lot of respect in the League since he fights a lot. Do you notice this, and when is the last time you have dropped the mitts? Jibsy - Toronto, ON
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Yes, Kevin does get respect around the league because he sticks up for his teammates and he plays the game the right way. As for me, the last time I fought was in Vancouver against Nashville.
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Playing on a line with Rypien and Roy (most of the time), what would you say are the similarities and differences that the three of you bring? By the way, congrats on being named Captain and welcome back to Winnipeg! Ada - Winnipeg, MB
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I think playing with Ryp and Jimmy, we're all the same players. We all know what to do, we all play physical, and we are all mockers and energy players. So far it's worked out pretty well, and hopefully it keeps going. And thank you very much for the warm welcome back to Winnipeg!
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What is the worst travel experience you have encountered while playing on the road? Bad hotels? Missed flight? Matt - Auckland, New Zealand
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Actually, our last trip coming home from Cleveland. We got into Minneapolis at 10:30am, expecting our flight to leave at 11:30. Our flight was cancelled, so the next flight back to Winnipeg was at 7pm that night. So we had a thrilling 12 hour layover in Minneapolis. There were lots of crosswords being done, lots of phone calls, the old dollar-bill-on-a-string trick . . . It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't have played 3 games in 3 nights and didn't have to play the next day.
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How do you personally work through slumps? Any advice you can give a struggling college player, who has always been rated one of the best and is now finding himself at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole? Joyce - Mesquite, TX
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Hard work. I know it's a cliché but when things go bad and you're struggling, nothing seems to get you back on track like working hard and doing the right thing to help the team.
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Hi Mike! Hope your enjoying your new club! What was the reason for not signing with the Belfast Giants? Rob - Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Jim Yaworski, who is a really nice man, talked to me a little bit about signing with Belfast. After talking to him-the offer he did give me was great-it was just a matter of me being away from my family again after being away from them for the year in Vancouver. That was the main reason: I couldn't leave them again for two years in a row.
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Mike, as a leader on and off the ice, what is the biggest lesson that you have learned that you can pass on to anyone in a similar leadership role? I have been a fan of yours since your first Colorado Avalanche days and have followed you since. Thanks for all the great hockey! Chris - Anaheim, CA (by way of Golden, CO)
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Treat people the same. For some reason I think people change once they make it either to the NHL or to different leagues, they might get a big head and treat people differently. But it's important to treat people the same and have respect for everyone.
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How does it feel to score a goal in front of thousands of people? Alex - Winnipeg, MB
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It feels great to score a goal in front of thousands of people. It doesn't happen to me too often, but when it does, it's the best feeling in the world.
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As a fan, I wonder if the crowd makes a difference in your play. Do we positively affect your play or are we distracting? Would it make any difference (positive or negative) if the seats were empty during games? Josh - Winnipeg, MB
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Yes, the fans do make a huge difference when you play. When you're in the game you sometimes don't hear them, but you definitely hear them when they're cheering you on. The atmosphere isn't as good when the building isn't full. You want to try and get your home fans into the game as many times as you can.
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Hey Mike. Compared to all the other NHL rinks you've visited, how does the MTS Centre compare? In your opinion, is it an NHL quality arena? Steve - Winnipeg, MB
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The MTS Centre is as nice as or nicer than any building I've played in throughout the NHL. They did a fantastic job on every aspect of the building. The people of Winnipeg should be very proud to have a building like this.
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Hi! Just wondering what the best part about playing in Winnipeg is for you? Courtney - Winnipeg, MB
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Being around my family is very important. This is the first time that I'm playing for my home town and my friends and family get to watch me every night. That's very special.
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