Rats Off-Season Q&A With Defenseman Mark Flood

Published on May 22, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Each week during the off-season, Albany River Rats broadcaster Owen Newkirk will catch up with a member of the 2007-08 River Rats to find out how their summer is going and what training preparations they are doing heading towards the Carolina Hurricanes and Albany River Rats 2008 training camps and the 2008-09 hockey season.

May 21, 2008

So Mark, what have you be doing since the playoffs ended?

I already had a physical therapist lined up, so when I got home the first thing I did was to continue what I had been doing in Albany. Basically I'm going there three days a week. Also our summer training program with the Hurricanes has started, so I have been doing as much of that as I can, although because of my shoulder obviously I can't do everything yet. Basically I've been focusing on taking care of my shoulder first and foremost, and once that gets to 100%, then I'll be able to start doing everything in the program.

What are some of things you can work on at the gym right now?

As far as the training goes, I've been able work hard on my lower body and cardio and then do some minor upper body things. Mainly with the upper body it's just getting the shoulder strong and hopefully do everything before the end of the summer.

Is this the first time in your career that you've had to spent time in the off-season rehabbing an injury?

Yeah it is. For anyone who's had to rehab an injury, there's really no rest for it, no off days. Every day you have to do something as you try to get better and better every day. I was pretty much off for the last month and a half of the season anyway, so it's not like I had to give my body a break or anything. I just kept going on my rehab and didn't take any time off on it.

You're back home in Prince Edward Island now, is there a difference rehabbing at home versus being in Albany with the team?

It's always nice to be home. I've spent some time with my family and have been able to see some buddies. It's definitely nice to be home, but it would have been nice for our team to still be playing in the playoffs right now.

A lot of guys on the roster said the River Rats first round playoff loss to Philadelphia was mentally unfulfilling. Was being injured and not able to participate in the series exceptionally hard for you?

That's exactly what it was, unfulfilling. I had a chance to help the coaches out towards the end of the year and that made me feel a lot more involved and a little bit closer to the team. Going into game seven, we all had it in our mind that we were going to win. So when we lost it was a huge shock. I still feel live we deserved better and I wasn't even playing, so I can imagine how the guys that played felt after the loss.

Will you use that frustrated feeling to help motivate you in training this summer?

I think so, yeah. It is never fun to have to watch your team play from the stands, especially because of an injury. That's something that I'll use for motivation because I want to get back and I want to be healthy. Next year I want to help the team win.

You just starting skating lightly during practice right at the end of the playoffs, will you still hang up the skates for a few months like most of the other guys?

I'll probably stay of the ice for little bit. Around here there's not a lot of ice time available right now, so I'll stick to dry land training. But I definitely will start skating earlier this summer than I have in the past because, like you said, I was off the last month of the season. I'm going to be removed from the ice a lot more than the other guys, so I think I'm going to need a head start. (Laughs) But that's ok; it's like riding a bike. Once you start skating things come back to you very quickly. With the shoulder injury, it's going to be important for me to focus on that and make sure it feels good first.

Do you have any concerns about your game, especially your timing and game-speed reactions as you prepare for next season?

Well, not really. I'm sure it's going to take me a little bit to get back my timing and stuff like that. There are some good players around the area where I live and I think we'll get some really good skates in before training camp. I'm hoping that when I get to camp that I'll be in top shape, I'll be feeling good and my timing will be there.

This past season you transitioned from being a healthy scratch early in the year, to leading all defensemen on the team in points at the time of your injury. Were you pleased with your progress?

A lot of that progression I credit to the coaches because Tom and Geordie pushed me... some days they pushed me harder than maybe I thought I should be (Laughs), but sometimes you need that. In the end, it paid off for me and this year I felt like I made strides. That being said, I'd like to make even more strides next year.

Did working with the coaches on the game-video editing during the playoffs make you want to explore coaching after your playing days are over?

Possibly, yeah. It gave me a totally different perspective on the game. When you're a player, at lot of times you just concentrate on what you have to do on the ice and you do that. Whereas from a coaching standpoint the video taught me that you have to watch the game very closely. What I was doing for our coaches was focusing on the opposing team, looking at their tendencies and trying to pick them apart a little bit. When you're on the ice you're just concentrating on your job, focusing on what you have to do, not so much worried about the other team. So it was a different perspective for me and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot and I'm never going to rule out the possibility that I may coach later on in my career.

Do you think that experience helping the coaches will make you a better player on the ice?

I think so, yeah. When they come in for our team meeting and tell us what we have to do before a game or talking about their strategies, I think I'll understand a little more what they're saying and why they're saying it. Hopefully I'll be able to have a better understanding of the overall game.

After an award-winning season from goaltender Michael Leighton, a lot of people are saying that he'll be in the NHL next season. Since you can't replace a guy like Leighton, how does the team cope with losing him to the next level?

Well, that's a good question. Petey (Justin Peters) is coming up through the organization and I know he'll step in a do a great job. As far as Leights (Leighton) goes, we're all going to have to wait and see what happens. He was phenomenal this year; every night he gave us a chance to win. Whether we were playing well or a little poorly in front of him, he was just unbelievable on a daily basis. If he doesn't come back to Albany Petey, or whoever is in net, is going to have to step up and everyone in front of him is going to have to play better too. Every year guys either move on or move up and I think teams just have to adapt to that. We'll have to find our own style and play to our strengths.

As a defenseman, was it that much easier to do your job having Leighton behind you in goal?

It was. He gave us supreme confidence, knowing that if, god forbid you did make a mistake, he's going to be there to bail you out. That's a great feeling as a defenseman or as any player.

You said you're spending a lot of time in rehab right now, but what are some of the things you're doing outside of that?

Since I've been home really I've been kind of relaxing. My girlfriend is from PEI, so I've been able to see her a little bit. I also get to spend some time with my family and I am trying to help my parents out around the house here. The weather hasn't been that good here since I've been home, it's been raining here all this week, so I've been a bit limited in that area in what I've been able to do. I'm just trying to stay as busy as I can and not sit around a whole lot, but I've been enjoying my time.

I am going out on a limb here, I'm assuming that your shoulder injury hasn't allowed you to swing the golf clubs yet. Are there a bunch of off-season activities you can't do right now because of that?

Golfing is the main thing. I like to throw the softball around too and I'm not cleared to do that yet, to play softball with my buddies. I know that as I keep working at it it's going to get better and I'll be able to do that stuff.

Let's talk about softball. I see you being a big trash talker out on the softball field.

(Laughs) Yeah I like to get the boys fired up out there, but it's all in good fun.

In which sport do you trash talk more, hockey or softball?

(Laughs harder) I'd probably have to say softball. I target mainly the people that I know well, who won't get mad at me for doing it. I go after the guys who can probably take it and give it right back, so mainly just my buddies and whoever I feel comfortable chirping. We have a great time.

Are you still keeping track of the AHL playoffs?

Yeah I am. Being here in Canada, there are hockey highlights on TV all the time, so it's hard not to know what's happening. I'm not watching it religiously, but I'm keeping an eye on the scores.

So with four teams left, who do you think will win the Calder Cup?

I don't know. Chicago looks really strong right now. Like I said, I've just seen the highlights, but they look pretty good right now. But you never know. Toronto is a very good team and there have been teams that have come back from being down 3-0 in the playoffs. There are four good teams left...I'll leave it at that, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. (Laughs) I don't want to give anyone bulletin board material for next year!

Let's move to the Stanley Cup Finals that begin on Saturday. Who do you like in the series, Pittsburgh or Detroit?

It's going to be a great series, it really is. There are some high-scoring, young stars in Pittsburgh, but at the same time Detroit has guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, a lot of good talent too. I don't know which team I would pick. It's going to be a great series, a little bit of the young guns versus the old guys; it's going to be really exciting.

We all knew that Bryan Rodney is a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan, but do you cheer for them in PEI?

Yeah, I love the Jays. I don't know if I'm at Rods' level, he's pretty religious about it. (Laughs) The Jays are my favorite team, but I'm not as hardcore as he is. They are kind of going through a rough patch here, but I think if they can get the twigs going they'll be ok.

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American Hockey League Stories from May 22, 2008


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