Post by Treici on Jul 30, 2009 13:23:37 GMT -5
www.nhlpa.com/Content/Feature.asp?contentId=4011
WALKER’S ROAD TO THE PROS
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
“I've told my kids that there are plenty of better players that haven't even played a game in the NHL and I've been fortunate to get to this number of games. I'm sure once my playing days are over I'll appreciate it even more.” ----- Carolina Hurricanes forward Scott Walker
RELATED BIOGRAPHIES
Scott Walker
At every point of his hockey career, Scott Walker has always been one to have modest expectations.
Walker, who recently celebrated his 36th birthday, still recalls the days before he hit double digits in age, times when he literally spent hours playing the game he loved, dreaming of what it would be like to skate in the National Hockey League.
"When you are 8, 9 or 10, your mindset is, 'I'm going to play in the NHL one day,'" said Walker, who hails from Cambridge, Ontario.
"But that isn't always the way you think. It changes."
Walker first played junior hockey for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey Association Junior 'B' league in 1989-90, moving to his hometown Cambridge team later that season. In 1991, he moved up to play with the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League for two campaigns.
"When you make it to Junior B, you think to yourself that it would be great if you could make it to the Junior A ranks," offered Walker, who recorded 38 points in 53 games in his initial season with Owen Sound.
"After that, you start to think it would be great if you get drafted to the NHL and sign a contract."
Thought of primarily as a hard-nosed forward who could also add some offensive punch, Walker proved he was a capable scorer, netting 91 points in his second year with the Platers.
His efforts were enough to catch the attention of the Vancouver Canucks, who selected Walker in the fifth round, 124th overall in the 1993 Entry Draft.
He first joined the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Hamilton in 1993-94, moving to Syracuse with the team for the 1994-95 season.
Walker made his NHL debut with the Canucks in 1994, splitting the 1994-95 season with Syracuse before becoming a full-time NHL player in 1995-96. He played three full campaigns with the Canucks appearing in a total of 197 regular season contests.
"For me, it was just taking one game at a time and hoping that I could last," recalled Walker, of the early stages in his NHL career.
"I came into a very good situation in Vancouver where so many people gave me great advice."
That list would include former enforcer Tim Hunter, now an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pat Quinn, head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and George McPhee, general manager of the Washington Capitals as well as the team's alternate governor and vice president.
"There was lots of good advice along the way," said Walker, who was left unprotected in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft where he was selected by the Nashville Predators. "I can't quite remember what the circumstances were, but George McPhee, who played in Guelph during my OHL days and was assistant GM when I was in Vancouver, told me, 'Scott, one day you're going to score 20 goals in this league.' For a guy who hadn't scored anywhere close to that in the NHL, it really stuck with me."
McPhee's prediction proved to be bang-on as Walker netted 25 goals in his third season with Nashville, one in which the 5'10", 195-pounder had 54 points in 74 games.
Walker played seven seasons with Predators before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2006. He became the highest-scoring player in Nashville Predators history during the 2003-04 season. At that time, he was just one of three remaining original Predators on the roster (Greg Johnson and Tomas Vokoun were the others). When Johnson was injured, Walker served as the Predators' interim captain from January 12 - January 25, 2003.
He made an immediate impression with the Hurricanes in his first year with the Eastern Conference club, scoring 21 goals and posting 51 points in 2006-07.
And now, just 13 games shy of 800 for his career, Walker admits he hasn't taken any of it for granted.
"I suppose I'm able to enjoy it a bit more now than I did earlier on," said Walker. "It was far more stressful for me when I first started out. Back then, you figure if you have one bad game you could be sent down or traded. That's always there, but you learn to deal with it a lot better as you go on."
Did he ever think he'd be closing in on 800 games-played in the NHL?
"No way," he said with a laugh. "Honestly, I would never have believed it. But it's worked out well. I've told my kids that there are plenty of better players that haven't even played a game in the NHL and I've been fortunate to get to this number of games. I'm sure once my playing days are over I'll appreciate it even more."
So where does Walker go from here?
"Playing in 1,000 games is what I'd like to achieve," he admitted, of the NHLPA-recognized milestone. "That would be the goal. I don't know if it will happen, but I'm going to try my best."
It's what Walker has done with great success ever since he began his journey to the NHL, a player that has contributed a little bit of everything over the years.
When the Hurricanes and Bruins went to overtime in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal set in 2009, it was Walker who sent Carolina to the conference final, when he scored with 1:14 left in the extra frame.
The member of the Owen Sound Platers' Mastercard All-Time Team was also the first to score an NHL goal at Jobing.com Arena in Arizona, the milestone marker coming on December 27, 2003.
As for what Scott Walker's next big moment will be, it's not a matter of if, but simply a question of when.
WALKER’S ROAD TO THE PROS
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
“I've told my kids that there are plenty of better players that haven't even played a game in the NHL and I've been fortunate to get to this number of games. I'm sure once my playing days are over I'll appreciate it even more.” ----- Carolina Hurricanes forward Scott Walker
RELATED BIOGRAPHIES
Scott Walker
At every point of his hockey career, Scott Walker has always been one to have modest expectations.
Walker, who recently celebrated his 36th birthday, still recalls the days before he hit double digits in age, times when he literally spent hours playing the game he loved, dreaming of what it would be like to skate in the National Hockey League.
"When you are 8, 9 or 10, your mindset is, 'I'm going to play in the NHL one day,'" said Walker, who hails from Cambridge, Ontario.
"But that isn't always the way you think. It changes."
Walker first played junior hockey for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey Association Junior 'B' league in 1989-90, moving to his hometown Cambridge team later that season. In 1991, he moved up to play with the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League for two campaigns.
"When you make it to Junior B, you think to yourself that it would be great if you could make it to the Junior A ranks," offered Walker, who recorded 38 points in 53 games in his initial season with Owen Sound.
"After that, you start to think it would be great if you get drafted to the NHL and sign a contract."
Thought of primarily as a hard-nosed forward who could also add some offensive punch, Walker proved he was a capable scorer, netting 91 points in his second year with the Platers.
His efforts were enough to catch the attention of the Vancouver Canucks, who selected Walker in the fifth round, 124th overall in the 1993 Entry Draft.
He first joined the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Hamilton in 1993-94, moving to Syracuse with the team for the 1994-95 season.
Walker made his NHL debut with the Canucks in 1994, splitting the 1994-95 season with Syracuse before becoming a full-time NHL player in 1995-96. He played three full campaigns with the Canucks appearing in a total of 197 regular season contests.
"For me, it was just taking one game at a time and hoping that I could last," recalled Walker, of the early stages in his NHL career.
"I came into a very good situation in Vancouver where so many people gave me great advice."
That list would include former enforcer Tim Hunter, now an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pat Quinn, head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and George McPhee, general manager of the Washington Capitals as well as the team's alternate governor and vice president.
"There was lots of good advice along the way," said Walker, who was left unprotected in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft where he was selected by the Nashville Predators. "I can't quite remember what the circumstances were, but George McPhee, who played in Guelph during my OHL days and was assistant GM when I was in Vancouver, told me, 'Scott, one day you're going to score 20 goals in this league.' For a guy who hadn't scored anywhere close to that in the NHL, it really stuck with me."
McPhee's prediction proved to be bang-on as Walker netted 25 goals in his third season with Nashville, one in which the 5'10", 195-pounder had 54 points in 74 games.
Walker played seven seasons with Predators before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2006. He became the highest-scoring player in Nashville Predators history during the 2003-04 season. At that time, he was just one of three remaining original Predators on the roster (Greg Johnson and Tomas Vokoun were the others). When Johnson was injured, Walker served as the Predators' interim captain from January 12 - January 25, 2003.
He made an immediate impression with the Hurricanes in his first year with the Eastern Conference club, scoring 21 goals and posting 51 points in 2006-07.
And now, just 13 games shy of 800 for his career, Walker admits he hasn't taken any of it for granted.
"I suppose I'm able to enjoy it a bit more now than I did earlier on," said Walker. "It was far more stressful for me when I first started out. Back then, you figure if you have one bad game you could be sent down or traded. That's always there, but you learn to deal with it a lot better as you go on."
Did he ever think he'd be closing in on 800 games-played in the NHL?
"No way," he said with a laugh. "Honestly, I would never have believed it. But it's worked out well. I've told my kids that there are plenty of better players that haven't even played a game in the NHL and I've been fortunate to get to this number of games. I'm sure once my playing days are over I'll appreciate it even more."
So where does Walker go from here?
"Playing in 1,000 games is what I'd like to achieve," he admitted, of the NHLPA-recognized milestone. "That would be the goal. I don't know if it will happen, but I'm going to try my best."
It's what Walker has done with great success ever since he began his journey to the NHL, a player that has contributed a little bit of everything over the years.
When the Hurricanes and Bruins went to overtime in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal set in 2009, it was Walker who sent Carolina to the conference final, when he scored with 1:14 left in the extra frame.
The member of the Owen Sound Platers' Mastercard All-Time Team was also the first to score an NHL goal at Jobing.com Arena in Arizona, the milestone marker coming on December 27, 2003.
As for what Scott Walker's next big moment will be, it's not a matter of if, but simply a question of when.
