Meeting in a Dark Alley

Back in Early 2013, Tyler Seguin, who was still apart of the Bruins, was interviewed for being apart of a familiar and popular Boston magazine, called “Improper Bostonian.” In the interview, he was asked questions that showed his off-ice personality and also gave way to some secrets and some interesting facts.

This is a copy of that article:


Tyler Seguin

The Bruins star shoots off about endorsement deals, locker room pranks and female B.U. students.

Bruins center/right wing Tyler Seguin, 21, was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario, where he began playing hockey for the Whitby Wildcats. He played in the Ontario Hockey League and in 2010 was the No. 2 prospect in the NHL draft. He made his debut with the Bruins in 2010 and earned his first goal during his second game. He has won one Stanley Cup championship in 2011 and played in the 2012 NHL All-Star game. That season, he led the team in scoring, becoming the youngest player in the team’s history to earn that distinction. During the NHL lockout that shortened the current season, he played for EHC Biel in the Swiss National Hockey League. He lives in Boston.

JONATHAN SOROFF: HOW DID YOU ENTERTAIN YOURSELF IN SWITZERLAND DURING THE LOCKOUT?
TYLER SEGUIN: I actually did a lot of cooking, which I’ve never done before. That, and go to movies in German, or English if I was lucky. We had a lot of poker nights, too.

IN EUROPE, DID YOU REALLY TRY TO USE A DRYER AS A WASHING MACHINE?
That stuff was all a bunch of B.S. Apparently, one of the maids got approached by a big newspaper and she completely exaggerated. I left some change on the table and they said it was like 280 euros, which is ridiculous. It was all pretty much a bunch of lies.

HOW WORRIED WERE YOU THAT THERE WASN’T GOING TO BE AN NHL SEASON?
There were plenty of days when I’d get a text or voice mail while I was asleep saying, “Pack your bags. You’re going home in the morning.” And then five hours later, I’d wake up to another message saying, “Never mind. False alarm.” That started getting annoying. But we tried to stay in the loop over there, and in the end, I’m just glad that everything worked out the way it did because it will help us in the long run. There were problems in the system that are resolved now.

FAVORITE SNACK AT THE GARDEN?
A bagel with peanut butter and jelly.

ANY SUPERSTITIONS BEFORE GOING ON THE ICE?
It’s weird. I try to be anti-superstitious, I guess you could say. If I go out and have a good game, I’ll change things the next time, like wear a different pair of gloves.

BEST LOCKER ROOM PRANK YOU EVER PULLED?
Last year, I taped Brad Marchand’s shoes together.

HOW MANY PICTURES DO YOU HAVE OF YOU WITH THE STANLEY CUP?
Way too many. On my phone, probably eight or nine, and my mom back in Canada has at least 20 framed ones.

MOST UNCONVENTIONAL THING YOU’VE DONE WITH IT?
We came back to the hotel after a day with the Cup and I needed a shower, so I took a shower with it. Those photos were deleted within five minutes.

GREATEST HOCKEY PLAYER OF ALL TIME?
Steve Yzerman. He’s just my favorite player, and it’s cool that I’ve gotten to know him a little bit.

WHO’S THE TOUGHEST PLAYER ON THE BRUINS?
The best fighter? Zdeno Chara, obviously. But in terms of agility, Shawn Thornton.

ONE NHL PLAYER YOU DON’T WANT TO MEET IN A DARK ALLEY?
There’s one guy, Zenon Konopka, I just don’t like playing with him.

WORST INJURY?
Last year, I had a really bad knuckle injury that I played with for the rest of the season, and it was one of the most painful periods of hockey I’ve had, because I couldn’t do anything without it hurting like crazy.

ARE ALL YOUR TEETH YOUR OWN?
Yes, they’re all mine.

THE WHITBY WILDCATS. WORST TEAM NAME EVER?
[Laughs.] Yes. And the thing is that I also played on the lacrosse team, which was called the Whitby Warriors. So it was Wildcats in the winter and Warriors in the summer. I was quite the predator.

THINK YOU COULD BE ON SKATING WITH THE STARS?
Probably not. But I’m a good dancer off the ice.

DREAM ENDORSEMENT DEAL?
Before this year it probably would’ve been Breitling watches, because they’re my favorite, but while I was in Switzerland, I had a deal with them, which was pretty nice.

SO MAYBE A COMPANY LIKE FERRARI?
No. I have a nice car. I drive a Maserati.

OK, THEN, ENDORSEMENT DEAL YOU’D NEVER WANT?
Viagra. That would be embarrassing.

WHICH IS NASTIER: THE BRUINS LOCKER ROOM AFTER PRACTICE OR A LADIES’ ROOM AT 2 AM IN A CLUB?
Definitely the ladies’ room. Hands down.

SO WHAT GOES ON IN BRAMPTON, ONTARIO?
Absolutely nothing, aside from a couple of shootings now and then. It’s a pretty tough place.

STRONGEST CHARACTERISTIC AS A PLAYER?
I’d like to think it’s a tie between quick release and skating.

SO YOU’RE A 21-YEAR-OLD AND YOU MAKE $900K A YEAR. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
I guess clothes. I like to shop at Barneys and Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue.

WHAT FOOD IS YOUR VERSION OF POPEYE’S SPINACH?
Salmon with honey. Night before game, day of game. Always.

HOW ABOUT A GUILTY PLEASURE?
Buffalo wings.

BEAUTY SECRETS?
[Laughs.] I’m pretty low-maintenance. My go-to cologne is Zara. I’ve been using it for four years. Other than that, I’ve never had a problem with acne or anything, so I pretty much just shower and go.

HOW ABOUT ALL THE RUMORS ABOUT YOU AND THE PLAYBOY MODEL OR EVERY FEMALE B.U. STUDENT?
The Playboy model, we went out a couple of times. As for every female B.U. student, it’s a big school. But seriously? Every two days someone comes up to me and asks about a girl I’m supposedly seeing. I’m very single.

Notes

Next up: The Story Actually Begins, We Go To Tyler's POV and Go Behind the Scenes