NHL 2K8: Jason Spezza Interview

Jason Spezza knows a few things about putting the puck in the net. Last season, the Ottawa Senators center scored 34 goals, as well as racked up 53 assists and 87 points, making him the second most prolific offenseman on the team behind Dany Heatley. This year, Spezz matches an honor that Heatley managed in 2003: landing on the cover of a hockey video game, in this case, NHL 2K8. We recently had a chance to chat with Spezz over the phone to talk about his thoughts on the game, the hardest hit he ever took in his career, and...his baby modeling career?

Spezza will be the first player to wear a Senators jersey on the cover of a video game.

GameSpot: Let's start with your thoughts on being on the game. You're the first Ottawa Senators player on the cover of a hockey video game. That must feel pretty special.

Jason Spezza: Yeah, definitely. I was pretty excited. It's obviously pretty cool just, you know, growing up, playing the game. You know, to be in it is always cool. And now, to be on the cover is even cooler.

GS: As a player, have you always been partial to hockey video games? Where do you fall in terms of what you play in your free time?

JS: Yeah. Well, you know, I played a lot of the hockey games... a little more when I was younger. Now we play every once in a while too. I've always liked soccer [and] golf. I've always liked the sports games. And then, you know, like, every once in a while, a first-person shooter game will come out, and I'll like that too.

GS: Do you have a lot of free time to play? Or what do you do in your off time?

JS: Yeah. You know, during the season, sometimes it's good because you want to sit down and relax and just kind of hang out on the couch. And playing video games is a good way to do that. So our schedules are busy, but when we're at home, we have a little bit of time just to kind of relax.

GS: If you had a 2K8 tournament, who on the team would take part? Who would win? And who would probably come in last place?

JS: Oh, I would win.

GS: I like that. That's a good start.

JS: Brian McGrattan is probably my biggest video game buddy, I guess. Me, him, and Ray Emery lived together, so we played quite a bit when we lived together. Now we've all got our own places, so it's a little tougher to play. But I haven't exactly mastered the online aspect of it yet. So I don't know, yeah, perhaps Razor would play. I don't know who else. Christoph Schubert and Andrej Meszaros are two younger guys that play a lot of video games too. So I don't know. We have a pretty young team.

GS: Yeah, that always helps. Do you play a lot online? Do you play with strangers?

JS: No. You know what? Not really. I did a few years ago. My brother set it up for me, but then I moved houses, so I haven't gotten it set up since then. And I think we're going to try to get it hooked up because that's a real fun thing to do. So I think I'd look forward to getting a chance to play online.

GS: When you play a video game, do you always play as Ottawa? Or what teams do you like to control?

JS: Yeah, no, I always play as Ottawa. When I was younger, I would play with different teams. But now if I play, I usually like playing with Ottawa because if you're playing with someone else, you don't really want to win.

GS: Was Ottawa your team growing up?

JS: No, I was a Leaf fan growing up... growing up in Toronto. So it's been a pretty quick switch for me.

GS: We asked for questions for you from our readers. And someone asked if you were going to control Toronto. That reader must have known something about you.

JS: No, I'm strictly Ottawa when I play the game. Or the All-Star teams if I'm playing someone that's better than me.

GS: I want to talk a little bit about your NHL career as well. Was there a watershed moment when you said, "You know, the NHL looks like a possibility for me." And what was that moment?

JS: You know, I think, when I was, like, 14 or 15 and started playing junior. I think that's when I really realized that "Hey, you know, I could probably do this for a long time and make a living doing it." And then you always dream about playing in the NHL, and to actually get that opportunity is pretty cool. And I remember, you know, the first couple times that I played against Mario Lemieux or some of these other...you know, the guys that I'd kind of grown up watching... Steve Yzerman. It was pretty special for me to play those guys.

GS: I've read other interviews with you where you had said that Mario was one of your heroes. What was that like playing against one of the guys you looked up to?

His first NHL goal came in 2002 against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center.

JS: Yeah, it was, you know... it was pretty exciting. He's definitely probably the biggest awe factor I've had playing against anyone. So, you know, it was pretty cool. And just growing up, you know, idolizing the guy and then facing off against him is obviously, you know, something that's pretty special.

GS: It must have been a thrill. When you first came up with Ottawa, I think you played 30 or so games in your first season. What was it like playing with the team, trying to attain a permanent spot on the roster?

JS: It's a bit of a grind when you're starting out and, you know, you want to try and impress [the team]. But, you know, for me, my big thing is I really didn't want to change too much. I didn't want to become a guy that, you know, was an offensive guy in junior and turned into a checker in the NHL because maybe it's a little easier to play that role. So I had to kind of stick with my offensive instincts and go through some hardships and play in the minors for a little bit. But I think in the long run it served me better.