Canucks winger Alexandre Burrows traded his hockey stick for a Wii controller earlier this week to demonstrate Wii’s NHL: Slapshot. Metro sat down with Burrows to chat about hockey and other topics.
You’re described as an agitator, and you’re pretty well-known for being abrasive. How did you get into this style of play?
You’ve got to find a way to get into the NHL. When I got to Manitoba I had to find a role and find a way to show the team and coaching staff that you want to be successful and help the team win games. Same with when I came to Vancouver. We had lost guys like Jarkko Ruutu and Matt Cooke and … that’s the role they wanted me to play to start. It’s just a matter of working hard, trying to find a role that helps the team win games.
You seem to have taken it easy on the other guys since your return, how has your injury affected that?
None. It’s more about where we want to be as a team. Last year it was a tough way to lose out to Chicago. We weren’t mature as a group and weren’t really ready to face that kind of pressure. Being a top-line player and playing with the twins, the managers and team wanted me not to get involved with scrums as much or get under people’s skin as much. They have me focusing on making plays and scoring goals. It’s about being a plus player out there while being a good player defensively.
What did losing good friend and teammate Luc Bourdon do to you?
It put everything back in perspective — that anything can happen any day. Obviously, it was a really tough loss losing Luc. His girlfriend was really good friends with my girlfriend … It’s tough not having him around in the rink, but I try to show the fans that he’s still around with the bow and arrows celebration.
What needs to happen for the Canucks to finally win the Stanley Cup?
Lots of things. Obviously, you need a little bit of luck, too. We need to stay injury free. I think that’s a big part. In the last few years, we’ve had injuries in the back end. We’re more mature as a group now so I don’t think that’s an issue. We need to come together as a group now and play good hockey at the end of the day.
