AHL Peoria Rivermen

Q and A Session With RW Colin Hemingway

Published on October 22, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


The St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) recalled right wing Colin Hemingway from his loan to the Peoria Rivermen on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. The next evening at Savvis Center in St. Louis, Hemingway made his NHL debut against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He wore sweater number 53 and took 15 shifts for a total of nine minutes and 41 seconds of ice-time, all at even strength. He also registered one shot on goal and one missed shot.

Recently, Hemingway took some time to visit with rivermen.net to answer a few questions regarding this exciting time in his career.

rivermen.net: What were your initial thoughts upon being called up by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, October 18?

CH: Well, I first thought of all of the hard work that I have done to get to this point. You know, I have been preparing for this for the first 25 years of my life! Ever since I was a kid growing up in Surrey, British Columbia, all I ever wanted to do is play in the NHL. And to get that call was just overwhelming! Of course, I was with the Blues during this year's training camp, but that was just the preseason. That wasn't the real thing. To get the call for my first regular-season game in the NHL was a dream come true. Yeah, I was just overwhelmed to get the call.

rivermen.net: Can you describe your emotions leading up to your NHL debut on Wednesday, October 19, at Savvis Center in St. Louis against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim?

CH: I was definitely anxious to get going. I think it helped me that I was with the Blues for a while during the preseason. Otherwise, I might've been more nervous. But, yeah, for the most part, I was excited.

I was especially excited to play for my dad. He flew in from Vancouver to see me play on Wednesday night. He caught a red-eye flight that morning and even paid for it with his own money. I offered to pay for the flight, but he wouldn't allow it. He told me I could reimburse him later!

None of my other family and friends were able to fly in for the game on such short notice, but there were a lot of people back home in the Vancouver area who watched the game on television. My mom, older brother, and little sister all watched the game at our house. My younger brother watched the game up in New Hampshire, where he is attending the University of New Hampshire. I was excited to play, and they all were excited to see me out there.

rivermen.net: Now that you have played in both the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, have you noticed any similarities or differences in how the game is officiated in the two leagues?

CH: No, I think it's pretty much the same. I'd say that both leagues have done a very good job carrying through with the enforcement of "lazy" penalties like hooking and holding and obstruction. These new rules in both leagues should help skill players like myself. Speed and skill will be rewarded, and fighting and the physical game won't be as important as they have been in the past. There'll be lots of power-play opportunities. It's going to be up to skill players to take advantage of all of the calls.

rivermen.net: Is there a noticeable difference in the play on the ice in the NHL and the AHL?

CH: Judging from my time in the preseason with the Blues and my first NHL game the other night, I'd say the NHL is about a half to one step faster than the AHL. Speed and skill are just so important in the NHL. And you can see that in how NHL teams are now building on speed and skill in how they shape their roster.

Another difference is that guys in the NHL are bigger and stronger than most guys in the AHL. The AHL isn't really all that different from the NHL, there's just a couple of things here and there. You just have to adapt to them and play your game.

rivermen.net: As a member of the Rivermen in the AHL, you are relied upon to score goals and to contribute mainly on the offensive end of play. Is your role any different with the Blues in the NHL?

CH: No, not really. The Blues didn't really tell me to do anything specifically. I know Coach Pleau told me "Well, they need you to score goals, you gotta go up there and score goals." But I'm not going to try to do anything in particular. I'm just going to go out there and play my game, do what got me to this point in the first place. I'm also going to try to keep things simple. I don't think I'd play very well if I took any other approach.

rivermen.net: What aspect of your game must improve the most in order for you to stay in the NHL?

CH: Just playing with confidence and always getting faster and stronger. I think they just want me to play my game, score goals like I have in the AHL. I need to focus on and get better at what I've trained to do in past seasons and what I trained to do in the past offseason. I came into training camp this year in good shape and ready to go, and I think the Blues liked what they saw of me. Now I just need to keep progressing and developing in a positive direction, and I think I'll get a legitimate chance at the NHL level.

rivermen.net: Now with the Blues, you are not always in the lineup, and when you do get to play, you get only limited ice-time. When you are with the Rivermen, however, you get to play in every game, and you log substantial ice-time. Given that situation, would you rather remain with the Blues or return to Peoria and play with the Rivermen?

CH: You know what, for a lot of guys including myself, the ultimate goal is to play in the NHL. If I have the opportunity to play 30 or so games in the NHL or 80 games in the AHL, I'd take the 30 games in the NHL, no question. Yeah, it's frustrating to be in and out of the lineup, but you've got to keep in mind that this is the NHL and this is my dream. Don't get me wrong, I love Peoria and the fans there, but that's not the NHL. The NHL is where I want to be. To be a part of that League is something special.

rivermen.net: What is the best thing about being in the NHL?

CH: Man, that's tough. I don't know. Maybe that your highlights are on TV. That people around the world can watch you play. Yeah, that you're a part of the best hockey league in the world. This is just tremendous! Playing at this level is the culmination of a lot of hard work!

rivermen.net: What is the worst thing about being in the NHL?

CH: You know what, there probably isn't one. If there was a bad aspect about playing in the NHL, it probably wouldn't have been my dream to play here. It really is all good, I think. I think everything about playing in the NHL is good. You know, you work so hard, and you battle so much just to get the opportunity to play here, that there just can't be anything bad about being here.

rivermen.net: How do you feel about wearing number 53 for the Blues?

CH: Well, that was my training camp number. I'm not going to be picky. I'll take whatever number they give me until I'm comfortable enough to ask for a new one. Growing up playing hockey as a kid and all through college, I've always worn number 12, but it's never been available for me as a pro. I'll probably scoop that one up as soon as I can.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2005


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