Nick Fotiu Message-Board Chat Transcript
Nick Fotiu, one of the all-time Rangers fan favorites and one of the greatest on-ice enforcers in NHL history, joined fans on the iamaranger.com message board on June 10 to answer questions about his own career and the current Rangers team. Fans of Fotiu's can tune into MSG for MSG Vault's "Raucous Rangers" episode, which premieres on June 10 at 10 p.m.
Here is an edited transcript of Nick's responses:
Question from 4thehorde:
Do you agree with many Rangers fans that the team needs to focus on building a winner from within via the draft?
Nick Fotiu:
You have to build through the draft and then add in players with trades. When I was in the San Jose organization working with their team in Kentucky, we had about nine players that went up to the NHL and all became good players. Samuelsson and Stuart of Detroit were two of them. So you really do have to build with good draft picks.
Question from bigbill:
If you were a linemate of Blair Betts and on the ice when Donald Brashear knocked him out of the playoffs a few months back how would you have handled that situation?
Nick Fotiu:
It would have been a fast reaction. I would have been right over there. I couldn't see my teammate getting hit like that. If I was on the ice, Brashear wouldn't have done that. If Colton Orr was dressed that night, it wouldn't have happened.
Question from BlueBloodMike89:
Based on your experience do you believe there are players out there that you may have played with that had enough talent to play in the NHL but did not get the chance, were overlooked or had other issues that prevented them from making it?
Nick Fotiu:
There were. When I was in the minors, there were a lot of good players that had a tough time breaking in. I coached a guy in the minors, Steve Bancroft, who got a chance late, but never really got the chance he needed.
Question from ny28:
I play in a men's hockey league and sometimes I get so geeked up that I try to be like you and fight everybody. Needless to say I got banned from the league.
Nick Fotiu:
A lot of people try to play like me, but I only averaged 100 penalty minutes per year. I fought when I had to fight to protect my teammates. I went out to hit and play hard, but I never went out there to just fight somebody. All the fights I got into were for protecting my players.
Question from Forklift:
I thought your throwing pucks to the fans was one of the greatest things I've ever seen, as far as a player connecting with fans. Are there any players you see now that you feel are superior at connecting with fans? Thanks for the great memories.
Nick Fotiu:
I don't know if anyone throws pucks anymore, but the fans are it. I was a kid, and I was one of those fans. I always wanted to be there, and sometimes I didn't have the money to pay for a ticket close to the ice. I told myself that when I made it to the Rangers I would throw pucks high into the stands. Even today, people come up to me with the pucks that I threw and they ask me to sign them. Sonny Werblin once said anybody at MSG who tried to stop me from throwing pucks wouldn't have a job after doing that.
Question from NYRLOU:
Nick, growing up in Long Beach, I was a die-hard Ranger fan in Islander territory. You brought us so many memorable times, I can't begin to tell you. One week of my life is still the best, thanks to you. I was a student at the Walter Tkaczuk hockey camp in the early 1980's, and you were a guest one of the weeks. I was a goalie, and you took the time to not only help me , but you took me to the rink early each day to shoot on me . It was the best time ever. Even today at 41, you are still me favorite of all time!I currently live in Atlanta, but I was wondering what you are up to these days?
Nick Fotiu:
I remember that and I remember riding the bus with you as a kid. I played a lot of games with the kids at Walter's school. We had a lot of fun. People still come up to me and thank me for the fun they had back then. I was playing games with the kids. I dressed up as a ghost one night and scared the kids. We had a lot of fun, and that's what it was all about. I never forgot where I came from.
As far as these days, now I'm trying to get back into player development.
Question from GardenGirl:
You were always the player of the people, and your showing up here to answer questions shows your continued dedication to Rangers fans. Thank you for all your years on the ice, and especially for showing up early all those times to throw pucks into the crowd. Do you feel that today's players have as much dedication and team spirit as you did? What keeps you so dedicated to the NYR after all these years? And what would you tell our current Rangers to inspire them about what a great privilege it is to skate on MSG ice and continue the NYR legacy?
Nick Fotiu:
Growing up in New York, I was the first New Yorker to play for the Rangers. Nobody can break that record. A lot of players from New York like myself and the Mullen brothers never really leave New York. You have to grow up here to know what it means to be a New York Ranger. It's about tradition, loyalty and respect. Not just playing on the ice. The fans never forgot me and I never forgot them. You have to go out on the ice and not only play for the team. You have to play for the fans in the building. In New York, the fans made me feel like I was Mike Bossy or Bobby Orr every time I went on the ice.
Question from Hit Somebody:
I've met you several times at various events and its always been a pleasure. Your autograph is displayed proudly in my den. Mmy question is what do feel is the future of the NHL enforcer? It seems some teams are going with more of a middleweight type with the idea he'll be faster and provide more "skill", and are getting away from the heaveyhanded intimidators (I perfer the latter). Do you think that approach is effective? Finally, do you think there is a need for rule changes as it pertains to fighting (ie pre-arranged fights and no bucket off scraps)?
Nick Fotiu:
I wish I played the game today. I could skate, I could hit and I could shoot the puck. The reason why I used to intimidate people was because of my speed and the way I hit people. Imagine not being able to hold me up the way they are today. I was one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, so imagine me flying around the ice now. The rule changes favored people who can skate and hit and play aggressive. Of course, there is also a need for kids on the fourth line that can hit and intimidate. There's a need for that in every sport. If you can intimidate another team, you have a plus. The reason Calgary traded for me in the 1980s was because I was able to play against McSorley, McClelland and Semenko. My job was to neutralize them and take the intimidation factor away from Edmonton.
Question from HockeyRef:
What young players on the Rangers team are the best leaders and who specifically could be captain of the team in the near future. Is there a consensus around the organization as to who might eventually get the C on their jersey?
Nick Fotiu:
In my opinion, the players I really like are Callahan, an unbelievable player, Dubinsky, a real leader, Henrik Lundqvist, of course. I think you have a nucleus that's pretty good. On the back end you've got key players like Girardi and Staal. I would even say Colton Orr is a leader because he really takes charge out there. Avery could be a big plus for the team, too.
Question from SUrangerfanNY89:
First let me start off in saying how big a fan I am of you and how you play the game with such grit and passion. And most of all, you being a native New Yorker makes you one of my favorite past Rangers. My question is regarding the current or "New" NHL engineered by Gary Bettman. What are your thoughts on how the game has transformed since you played, especially regarding the increase in penalties and "refereeing" done when the game used to be, for the most part, policed by the players? Since you were a fighter, does it bother you that the NHL is considering regulating fighting or even removing it from the game altogether? Thanks for your time, your inspiration to New York hockey players and most of all for being a great Ranger.
Nick Fotiu:
I fought because I had to protect my players. But the way I skated and hit, I would have loved to play under these rules. I used to get five hits in a shift. Today, I might get seven. I don't think you can ban fighting, because then it's open season for players that use their sticks. Like Brashear's cheap shot at Blair Betts. There's no way he should have been able to get out of the building that night without a beating. You wouldn't let someone come into your home and do that. To me, MSG is a cathedral and nobody can come in here and do something to my teammates, because that was like doing something to me in my house.
Question from mmc01:
You seem to have a natural teaching ability. It appears that in some ways you were even self taught in many of the skills required to make it to the NHL. You have played for and worked with some of the greatest coaches of the game. Do you see yourself working again with The NYR organization or any other organization for that matter, in a coaching position the near future?
Nick Fotiu:
I hope so. I helped develop a lot of good NHL players when I was with San Jose. Boyle, Kuba, Sutton, Hannan, Samuelsson, Nabokov, Kiprusoff. I could see myself as an assistant coach in the league and would like that opportunity.
Question from paranger38:
A big fan of yours when I was a kid. I loved that you were a fellow New Yorker, your enthusiasm on and off the ice and that you stuck up for your teammates! My question for you is, I always thought you should have been given more ice time. When you were on the ice and it looked like you were about to get involved, many times things seemed to fizzle out. Was it because your opponent thought better of it or, as I have always thought, were you kept under a tight reign by the coaches and you were ordered not to get over-involved? You were definitely not the stereotypical N.Y Ranger in those days and to me, it seemed like the coaches kept you on a short leash. I would have loved for them to let you go and crush some of those Flyers and Islanders and score a few goals! Take care, good luck and hope you stay part of the NY Ranger organization. Thanks for being a Ranger!!!
Nick Fotiu:
I thought that when I played for the Rangers, I had a lot of opportunities. I had about five game-winning goals against the Islanders. I went out and gave my heart out, and I knew I should have gotten more ice time. It's almost like the crowd worked against me a little bit. The fans were all cheering for me, and you never know what the coaches were thinking. There's a lot of jealousy out there. I hadn't played in five games, for example, and they would tell me to go in there and check Mike Bossy on the night he's going after his 50th goal. I went home that night and prayed I wouldn't look foolish. At the beginning of the game, I told Bossy he wouldn't get his 50th goal in that game (or he would pay). So I ended up getting a goal and two assists, and Bossy didn't get anything.
Question from kqqq19:
What was the jump like from WHA to NHL? Was there a big difference in talent? And seeing as I grew up in New Haven I gotta ask you about your Nighthawk experience. Again, is there a big difference in talent between AHL and NHL? I used to be a bartender and once had customer who was a former pro referee. He had worked both AHL and NHL. He said that in his opinion the AHL was actually faster than the NHL cause the guys are smaller and move quicker. Could this be true?
Nick Fotiu:
I think the WHA had a lot of really good players. Like Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe, Gretzky, Messier. It wasn't a joke. There were good teams. When I came to the Rangers, I didn't find it any different. In my first exhibition game against the NHL, our WHA Whalers beat the Rangers. I'm one of the reasons why the WHA got to play against the NHL in exhibition games. The Rangers bought my contract from Hartford in exchange for two exhibition games and $50,000. That was the first time a WHA team ever played an NHL team.
The AHL is used as a breeding ground for the NHL. If you look at the players that played in the AHL that are in the NHL today -- players like Cheechoo and Samuelsson and Kiprusoff -- you really see that. The quality of play is high, because these are NHL players appearing in the AHL. This is how you make trades, too, when you have to determine whether an AHL player can play in the NHL. Brad Boyes, for example, was a guy who looked great in the AHL and he's proven it as a 76-point guy in the NHL.
Question from rickyb:
My dream is to play professionally, so I am always wondering what your training days are like... How often to you work out, how many calories a day, etc.?
Nick Fotiu:
When I played, I was playing catch-up. I didn't start until I was 17. I took two weeks off per year and trained all the rest of the time with boxing, skating, summer leagues. I worked out five days a week and took off Saturday and Sunday. If you want to be an athlete, you have to keep your body in shape.
Question from rickyb:
Who nailed you the hardest on the ice?
Nick Fotiu:
The hardest hit was probably from Dave Langevin of the Islanders. He caught me with a hip check with my head down.
Question from wolfpack1551:
Would you ever want to coach the Wolf Pack again if you got the chance? I think you and Ryan McGill did a good job, so if you were offered a coaching job with Hartford, would you take it?
Nick Fotiu:
Any time you get players into the NHL, that's a very satisfying thing. When I see these players get to the NHL, I love it. I would coach at that level again.
Question from zherdevrocks1997:
Who was your greatest on ice competitor throughout your career? I just was curios because even though the Rangers as a team were great rivals with the Isles, I wanted to know who your biggest head-to-head rival was.
Nick Fotiu
Probably Bobby Nystrom. He played hard all the time. I had a little more rivalry with him than Clark Gillies or Terry O'Reilly. Those guys knew they were going to get hit when they played me, but there was no cheap stuff. If you play hard all the time, you get respect. You have to play the same way in every building.
Question from bradyj4:
What player or players do would you like to see the Rangers pick up in the offseason so they can take the 2009-2010 season to the next level and hopefully bring a cup back to New York?
Nick Fotiu:
I'd like to see them get a player like Jonathan Cheechoo. I think he needs a change. He already scored 54 goals in the NHL. He could do it again and you figure a team like San Jose will make a change somewhere.
Closing comment from Nick Fotiu:
Thanks for showing your interest today and thanks for being Rangers fan and hockey fans. I look forward to doing this again sometime and seeing you at the Garden next season.
 |
| Nick Fotiu |
Here is an edited transcript of Nick's responses:
Question from 4thehorde:
Do you agree with many Rangers fans that the team needs to focus on building a winner from within via the draft?
Nick Fotiu:
You have to build through the draft and then add in players with trades. When I was in the San Jose organization working with their team in Kentucky, we had about nine players that went up to the NHL and all became good players. Samuelsson and Stuart of Detroit were two of them. So you really do have to build with good draft picks.
Question from bigbill:
If you were a linemate of Blair Betts and on the ice when Donald Brashear knocked him out of the playoffs a few months back how would you have handled that situation?
Nick Fotiu:
It would have been a fast reaction. I would have been right over there. I couldn't see my teammate getting hit like that. If I was on the ice, Brashear wouldn't have done that. If Colton Orr was dressed that night, it wouldn't have happened.
Question from BlueBloodMike89:
Based on your experience do you believe there are players out there that you may have played with that had enough talent to play in the NHL but did not get the chance, were overlooked or had other issues that prevented them from making it?
Nick Fotiu:
There were. When I was in the minors, there were a lot of good players that had a tough time breaking in. I coached a guy in the minors, Steve Bancroft, who got a chance late, but never really got the chance he needed.
Question from ny28:
I play in a men's hockey league and sometimes I get so geeked up that I try to be like you and fight everybody. Needless to say I got banned from the league.
Nick Fotiu:
A lot of people try to play like me, but I only averaged 100 penalty minutes per year. I fought when I had to fight to protect my teammates. I went out to hit and play hard, but I never went out there to just fight somebody. All the fights I got into were for protecting my players.
Question from Forklift:
I thought your throwing pucks to the fans was one of the greatest things I've ever seen, as far as a player connecting with fans. Are there any players you see now that you feel are superior at connecting with fans? Thanks for the great memories.
Nick Fotiu:
I don't know if anyone throws pucks anymore, but the fans are it. I was a kid, and I was one of those fans. I always wanted to be there, and sometimes I didn't have the money to pay for a ticket close to the ice. I told myself that when I made it to the Rangers I would throw pucks high into the stands. Even today, people come up to me with the pucks that I threw and they ask me to sign them. Sonny Werblin once said anybody at MSG who tried to stop me from throwing pucks wouldn't have a job after doing that.
Question from NYRLOU:
Nick, growing up in Long Beach, I was a die-hard Ranger fan in Islander territory. You brought us so many memorable times, I can't begin to tell you. One week of my life is still the best, thanks to you. I was a student at the Walter Tkaczuk hockey camp in the early 1980's, and you were a guest one of the weeks. I was a goalie, and you took the time to not only help me , but you took me to the rink early each day to shoot on me . It was the best time ever. Even today at 41, you are still me favorite of all time!I currently live in Atlanta, but I was wondering what you are up to these days?
Nick Fotiu:
I remember that and I remember riding the bus with you as a kid. I played a lot of games with the kids at Walter's school. We had a lot of fun. People still come up to me and thank me for the fun they had back then. I was playing games with the kids. I dressed up as a ghost one night and scared the kids. We had a lot of fun, and that's what it was all about. I never forgot where I came from.
As far as these days, now I'm trying to get back into player development.
Question from GardenGirl:
You were always the player of the people, and your showing up here to answer questions shows your continued dedication to Rangers fans. Thank you for all your years on the ice, and especially for showing up early all those times to throw pucks into the crowd. Do you feel that today's players have as much dedication and team spirit as you did? What keeps you so dedicated to the NYR after all these years? And what would you tell our current Rangers to inspire them about what a great privilege it is to skate on MSG ice and continue the NYR legacy?
Nick Fotiu:
Growing up in New York, I was the first New Yorker to play for the Rangers. Nobody can break that record. A lot of players from New York like myself and the Mullen brothers never really leave New York. You have to grow up here to know what it means to be a New York Ranger. It's about tradition, loyalty and respect. Not just playing on the ice. The fans never forgot me and I never forgot them. You have to go out on the ice and not only play for the team. You have to play for the fans in the building. In New York, the fans made me feel like I was Mike Bossy or Bobby Orr every time I went on the ice.
Question from Hit Somebody:
I've met you several times at various events and its always been a pleasure. Your autograph is displayed proudly in my den. Mmy question is what do feel is the future of the NHL enforcer? It seems some teams are going with more of a middleweight type with the idea he'll be faster and provide more "skill", and are getting away from the heaveyhanded intimidators (I perfer the latter). Do you think that approach is effective? Finally, do you think there is a need for rule changes as it pertains to fighting (ie pre-arranged fights and no bucket off scraps)?
Nick Fotiu:
I wish I played the game today. I could skate, I could hit and I could shoot the puck. The reason why I used to intimidate people was because of my speed and the way I hit people. Imagine not being able to hold me up the way they are today. I was one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, so imagine me flying around the ice now. The rule changes favored people who can skate and hit and play aggressive. Of course, there is also a need for kids on the fourth line that can hit and intimidate. There's a need for that in every sport. If you can intimidate another team, you have a plus. The reason Calgary traded for me in the 1980s was because I was able to play against McSorley, McClelland and Semenko. My job was to neutralize them and take the intimidation factor away from Edmonton.
Question from HockeyRef:
What young players on the Rangers team are the best leaders and who specifically could be captain of the team in the near future. Is there a consensus around the organization as to who might eventually get the C on their jersey?
Nick Fotiu:
In my opinion, the players I really like are Callahan, an unbelievable player, Dubinsky, a real leader, Henrik Lundqvist, of course. I think you have a nucleus that's pretty good. On the back end you've got key players like Girardi and Staal. I would even say Colton Orr is a leader because he really takes charge out there. Avery could be a big plus for the team, too.
Question from SUrangerfanNY89:
First let me start off in saying how big a fan I am of you and how you play the game with such grit and passion. And most of all, you being a native New Yorker makes you one of my favorite past Rangers. My question is regarding the current or "New" NHL engineered by Gary Bettman. What are your thoughts on how the game has transformed since you played, especially regarding the increase in penalties and "refereeing" done when the game used to be, for the most part, policed by the players? Since you were a fighter, does it bother you that the NHL is considering regulating fighting or even removing it from the game altogether? Thanks for your time, your inspiration to New York hockey players and most of all for being a great Ranger.
Nick Fotiu:
I fought because I had to protect my players. But the way I skated and hit, I would have loved to play under these rules. I used to get five hits in a shift. Today, I might get seven. I don't think you can ban fighting, because then it's open season for players that use their sticks. Like Brashear's cheap shot at Blair Betts. There's no way he should have been able to get out of the building that night without a beating. You wouldn't let someone come into your home and do that. To me, MSG is a cathedral and nobody can come in here and do something to my teammates, because that was like doing something to me in my house.
Question from mmc01:
You seem to have a natural teaching ability. It appears that in some ways you were even self taught in many of the skills required to make it to the NHL. You have played for and worked with some of the greatest coaches of the game. Do you see yourself working again with The NYR organization or any other organization for that matter, in a coaching position the near future?
Nick Fotiu:
I hope so. I helped develop a lot of good NHL players when I was with San Jose. Boyle, Kuba, Sutton, Hannan, Samuelsson, Nabokov, Kiprusoff. I could see myself as an assistant coach in the league and would like that opportunity.
Question from paranger38:
A big fan of yours when I was a kid. I loved that you were a fellow New Yorker, your enthusiasm on and off the ice and that you stuck up for your teammates! My question for you is, I always thought you should have been given more ice time. When you were on the ice and it looked like you were about to get involved, many times things seemed to fizzle out. Was it because your opponent thought better of it or, as I have always thought, were you kept under a tight reign by the coaches and you were ordered not to get over-involved? You were definitely not the stereotypical N.Y Ranger in those days and to me, it seemed like the coaches kept you on a short leash. I would have loved for them to let you go and crush some of those Flyers and Islanders and score a few goals! Take care, good luck and hope you stay part of the NY Ranger organization. Thanks for being a Ranger!!!
Nick Fotiu:
I thought that when I played for the Rangers, I had a lot of opportunities. I had about five game-winning goals against the Islanders. I went out and gave my heart out, and I knew I should have gotten more ice time. It's almost like the crowd worked against me a little bit. The fans were all cheering for me, and you never know what the coaches were thinking. There's a lot of jealousy out there. I hadn't played in five games, for example, and they would tell me to go in there and check Mike Bossy on the night he's going after his 50th goal. I went home that night and prayed I wouldn't look foolish. At the beginning of the game, I told Bossy he wouldn't get his 50th goal in that game (or he would pay). So I ended up getting a goal and two assists, and Bossy didn't get anything.
Question from kqqq19:
What was the jump like from WHA to NHL? Was there a big difference in talent? And seeing as I grew up in New Haven I gotta ask you about your Nighthawk experience. Again, is there a big difference in talent between AHL and NHL? I used to be a bartender and once had customer who was a former pro referee. He had worked both AHL and NHL. He said that in his opinion the AHL was actually faster than the NHL cause the guys are smaller and move quicker. Could this be true?
Nick Fotiu:
I think the WHA had a lot of really good players. Like Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe, Gretzky, Messier. It wasn't a joke. There were good teams. When I came to the Rangers, I didn't find it any different. In my first exhibition game against the NHL, our WHA Whalers beat the Rangers. I'm one of the reasons why the WHA got to play against the NHL in exhibition games. The Rangers bought my contract from Hartford in exchange for two exhibition games and $50,000. That was the first time a WHA team ever played an NHL team.
The AHL is used as a breeding ground for the NHL. If you look at the players that played in the AHL that are in the NHL today -- players like Cheechoo and Samuelsson and Kiprusoff -- you really see that. The quality of play is high, because these are NHL players appearing in the AHL. This is how you make trades, too, when you have to determine whether an AHL player can play in the NHL. Brad Boyes, for example, was a guy who looked great in the AHL and he's proven it as a 76-point guy in the NHL.
Question from rickyb:
My dream is to play professionally, so I am always wondering what your training days are like... How often to you work out, how many calories a day, etc.?
Nick Fotiu:
When I played, I was playing catch-up. I didn't start until I was 17. I took two weeks off per year and trained all the rest of the time with boxing, skating, summer leagues. I worked out five days a week and took off Saturday and Sunday. If you want to be an athlete, you have to keep your body in shape.
Question from rickyb:
Who nailed you the hardest on the ice?
Nick Fotiu:
The hardest hit was probably from Dave Langevin of the Islanders. He caught me with a hip check with my head down.
Question from wolfpack1551:
Would you ever want to coach the Wolf Pack again if you got the chance? I think you and Ryan McGill did a good job, so if you were offered a coaching job with Hartford, would you take it?
Nick Fotiu:
Any time you get players into the NHL, that's a very satisfying thing. When I see these players get to the NHL, I love it. I would coach at that level again.
Question from zherdevrocks1997:
Who was your greatest on ice competitor throughout your career? I just was curios because even though the Rangers as a team were great rivals with the Isles, I wanted to know who your biggest head-to-head rival was.
Nick Fotiu
Probably Bobby Nystrom. He played hard all the time. I had a little more rivalry with him than Clark Gillies or Terry O'Reilly. Those guys knew they were going to get hit when they played me, but there was no cheap stuff. If you play hard all the time, you get respect. You have to play the same way in every building.
Question from bradyj4:
What player or players do would you like to see the Rangers pick up in the offseason so they can take the 2009-2010 season to the next level and hopefully bring a cup back to New York?
Nick Fotiu:
I'd like to see them get a player like Jonathan Cheechoo. I think he needs a change. He already scored 54 goals in the NHL. He could do it again and you figure a team like San Jose will make a change somewhere.
Closing comment from Nick Fotiu:
Thanks for showing your interest today and thanks for being Rangers fan and hockey fans. I look forward to doing this again sometime and seeing you at the Garden next season.
