Q: With the NHL in so many cities, I can imagine that living in communities offer different experiences for NHL’ers and their families. Do the players talk to teammates and players from other teams about what it’s like living in certain cities? For FA’s, how much of a role can the actual city play in making a choice of where to play? Playing for a few different teams, how does San Jose stack up against other teams?

A: Andy, Absolutely guys talk about what it is like living in different cities. You would be amazed at how many people really enjoy the places that they live in, it really comes down to what works for your family. I don’t think it plays a role in what team you sign with, it comes down to it being the right fit as a player and the team.. Sometimes you don’t really have a choice where you go, and you do the best you can and try to blend into a community. Moving around is really tough on your family, you never know how long you are going to live in a city(should you buy a house or rent?), you never get settled, the kids moving from schools and friendship changes is really difficult. San Jose is hard to compare, because I have been fortunate to play in awesome cities. Phoenix is the best for my family, since we have horses and are huge golfers, but hockey wise Phoenix and LA we tough! The best hockey towns were obviously Chicago and Philly, and to my surprise, San Jose is no slouch in that department! We are enjoying this part of the country, and playing for the Sharks would win the All-Around competition.