Vancouver's first round draft pick (26th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, goaltender Cory Schneider is in his first professional season. The Massachusetts native shares Moose netminding duties with Drew MacIntyre and recently answered your questions in the first Ask-a-Moose interview of 2007-08.
Click here to listen to the Cory Schneider interview, or read the transcript below. Visit Moosehockey.com again soon for the next Ask-a-Moose feature!
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1. Hey Cory. How old were you when you started playing goal, and why do you like being a goalie? Brendan – Winnipeg, MB
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I started playing hockey when I was probably seven or eight years old, and I played forward and goal for a while, but I think I definitely started playing goal when I was about 11 years old. I think part of the reason why I like being goalie is that you’re kind of on your own out there. It’s up to you, and you’re the hero or the goat, so there’s a lot of pressure but I like being in control of the situation. That, and probably that I couldn’t skate that well, so just stick me in the net.
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2. How has it been sharing the net with Drew MacIntyre? Has it been a good learning process? Alison – Vancouver, BC
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Yeah, it’s been fantastic. Drew’s been a really great guy. You know, he could have been apprehensive or very unwelcoming to a young kid coming in, but he’s been great. Just watching him work in practice, he’s got a great work-ethic, so I’ve learned a lot from him. Not even technically, but just from how to go about the business and how to be a pro.
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3. What’s the best bit of goaltending advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you? Kyle – Winnipeg, MB
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I can’t remember who told me, but it’s just that you’ve got to keep an even keel as a goalie. You can’t get too high or too low. If you live and die with every goal, it’s going to affect your performance, so you have to appreciate the success while you have it and try to keep it going, but at the same time, you can’t get too high. And then if you’re not playing well and letting bad goals in, you can’t let it get to you. You’ve got to just keep battling hard and, just like I said, you can’t get too high or low.
Do you use that piece of advice every day?
I try to, yeah. Especially when bouncing back from a goal or keeping your team in it when they need you. Like I said, if you’re too emotional, it really gets to you and it can affect your game.
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4. Hi Cory, welcome to Winnipeg and to the Moose! My questions for you are, who is your road-game roommate, and what is your favourite hockey moment? Good luck for the year! Sarah – Winnipeg, MB
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My road game roommate is Greg Classen. He’s a great guy, we get along really well. Although he sleeps SO much, I have to find things to do sometimes when he’s napping before a game for three hours. But, I think my favourite hockey moment . . . I’ve had a few, but I think representing my country in the World Juniors was a great moment, and I think getting to the championship game back-to-back years at BC were my favourite moments. Even though we didn’t win it, it was still a great experience and I’ll remember that forever.
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5. Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals that you can tell us about? Ada – Winnipeg, MB
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I’m not a big superstition guy. I think it takes up too much energy just to think of all of them and it’ll drive me insane. But, in practice I hate having pucks in my net. I always clear it out and guys will try to mess with me by firing them in there when I’m not looking. And that kind of annoys me, so I always try to clear that out. Before games, I pretty much do the standard routine – just do a lot of visualization and stretching and the same warm-up every time, and I usually have my headphones on listening to music. So nothing out of the ordinary, just a routine.
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6. Growing up, who was your favourite NHL player and what was your favourite NHL team? Lawrence – Vancouver, BC
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I think my favourite player growing up was Mike Richter, a goalie from the New York Rangers, even though Canucks fans probably won’t want to hear that. I just remember that he was an American guy and won a Stanley Cup against the Canucks, the way he played, and then in ’96 for the U.S. in that World Cup there. There weren’t many American goalies in the league at the time I was growing up, so he was definitely my idol. And my favourite team was probably just the Bruins because I’m from Boston. And even though they didn’t have a whole lot of success, I still rooted for them.
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7. What is a typical off-day like for Cory Schneider? Allissa – Winnipeg, MB
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Definitely includes a big sleep in. I love sleeping in and waking up around eleven with nothing to do. But after that, I think it’s just a whole lot of, like you said, relaxing: hanging out with my roommates, taking time to maybe read or get some shopping done, get some errands done. Get a lot of loose ends done that you can’t really get done during the week or if you’re on the road.
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8. If someone could play you in a movie, who would it be? Adam –Selkirk, MB
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Although I’ve had some disagreement on this, I’d say Conan O’Brien maybe, just because he’s a redhead, and although he’s taller than me, I like his sense of humour and I like watching his show. So I’d be happy if he played me.
Does he classify as an actor?
He’s an entertainer, so I guess that counts.
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9. What is in your iPod right now? Avery – Winnipeg, MB
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I have a lot of everything actually. I like some country, I like some rap and rock. I specifically listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park. It kind of depends on the mood I’m in and what time of year it is. I just have a whole variety of stuff.
Do you have the same playlists that you listen to before a game?
Yeah, I usually make a warm-up list and then sometimes I’ll get through more of it or flip around a bit and find certain songs that I’d rather listen to. But I have a list of about 30 or 40 songs that I try to get to pump me up.
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10. Now that we’ve got snow on the ground, what’s your first impression of a Winnipeg winter? Christine – Winnipeg, MB
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Brutal. I was expecting it to get cold but not at the end of November, and I definitely don’t think the snow’s going to go away until about April. It’s so dry that it’s not as cold as I thought it would be, but at the same time, it’s a lot colder than I’d like it to be. So it’s going to be a long winter that’s for sure.
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