While Chad Johnson, Clinton Portis, Ozzie Guillen and Ron Artest are enshrined in the Hall of Fame as entertaining interview subjects in the sports world, the NHL has its own cast of characters that can rival those big names.
There have been some colorful personalities in NHL history, but we may currently be in a golden age of hockey personalities.
Some NHL interviews are fun because of language barriers, others because of high-pressure situations. But most become entertaining because the interviewee is genuinely charismatic and because they seek to give fans something to talk about and laugh about.
It’s not just superstars who give interesting interviews. From the fourth line to the first, there is interview gold galore.
So without further ado, here are the 13 most entertaining interview subjects in the NHL.
So this slide doesn’t necessarily represent the player being interviewed, but the player in the background.
During his time in Phoenix, Ray Whitney made being an interview bomber commonplace.
As you can see in this video (around 22 seconds), Whitney sneaks up behind Adrian Aucoin and immediately grabs your attention.
Whitney is a 20-year veteran, so it’s nice to see him still having fun during the grueling 82-game NHL season.
Whitney also had one of the best years of his career with the Coyotes last season, recording 24 goals and 53 assists. This is a real reason to smile.
During the offseason, Whitney signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars. Will his patented explosive interview also make the trip?
PK Subban is only 23 years old and has immense potential as a defender. However, the young restricted free agent’s name has popped up among many trade rumors as of late.
Subban has been inconsistent on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, but one thing he is consistent with is giving entertaining interviews.
In this interview, Subban talks about his fight with Brad Marchand and makes fun of himself for not being a great fighter. If someone can laugh at themselves, it lifts the veil of awkwardness from the interview and becomes endearing.
PK Subban will continue to give great interviews no matter where he plays next year. Now the question is whether his brother Malcolm Subban (drafted 24th overall by the Boston Bruins) will give equally entertaining interviews.
Pavel Datsyuk is one of the NHL’s quiet superstars, but he’s more than willing to talk when a microphone is placed in front of him, despite the language barrier.
Datsyuk does a good job answering questions he doesn’t fully understand, but the best quote in the interview is at 1:10 of the video.
A reporter asks Datsyuk what the difference is between playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and 2008.
Datsyuk’s response is: “It’s 2009 now, last year 2008. A different year.” »
George Parros is not a typical NHL enforcer.
The Anaheim Ducks winger has a degree in economics from Princeton. That’s not a statement many NHL players can make.
Not only does he have an interesting background, but Parros sports a nifty mustache that has become his trademark.
In the interview, Parros talks about, among other things, the price he charges for walks with the mustache and how he likes his handle and button to be made. Interesting stuff.
Law enforcement seems to give the best interviews. Daniel Carcillo is no exception.
Carcillo can probably count his teeth on one hand and has knocked his share of players to smithereens. Carcillo is brash, as shown in this video, and says what he thinks.
Unfortunately for Carcillo, two of the players he targets in this video were no longer on the rival team in question, and he mispronounced the other.
Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler became a star after the 2010 Olympics, during which he made headlines for saying he hated Team Canada.
Kesler and Team USA beat Canada in the round robin, but then lost to them in overtime of the championship game. Kesler contributed greatly in these confrontations, scoring goals in each match.
Kesler was hampered by injury last season, but has been productive since the 2010 Olympics. He posted his first 40-goal season and reached the 70-point plateau twice.
In the same vein as Ray Whitney, Kesler made a name for himself as an interview bomber.
Who is the better bomber, Whitney or Kesler?
Evgeni Malkin is one of the top talents in the NHL. He is also one of the biggest pranksters in the league.
Being a superstar of one of the league’s most popular franchises, Malkin is often at the helm of post-game interviews.
In this 2009 interview, Malkin talks about teammate Max Talbot and his scoring ability – or lack thereof.
The humor is very playful, but he still manages to leave his English-speaking teammates speechless and the crowd of journalists laughing.
Scott Gomez has been on the decline in recent years. Even though he may not be the player he was when he was winning Cups with the New Jersey Devils, he still knows how to give a great interview.
Everything seems normal in this interview until the end, where Gomez calls the reporter a Grinch and reveals her hopes that Santa will bring her a better photo.
Gomez has accumulated hate for his bad contract and inconsistent play, but he’s truly one of the good guys in the NHL.
Chris Pronger is one of the best defensemen in the NHL and also one of the most astute interviewees.
Pronger demonstrates in this interview that he plays intelligently not only on the ice, but also off it. When the press bothers him in an interview, he fights back with a smile on his face.
Pronger is not offensive or derogatory to journalists, but simply puts them in their place. The interview took place during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, so it’s obvious that Pronger was pragmatic and focused on the game at hand.
Hopefully, Pronger will overcome his concussion issues and put on an NHL uniform soon.
New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella has been in the NHL for quite some time and has had several memorable interviews during that time.
The foul-mouthed coach has lost his mind several times in front of the microphones, and he goes to any lengths to defend his players and what he believes.
Journalists should prepare their questions to answer Tortorella, and they had better not offend him. If they do, they will receive Tortorella’s death stare which looks like it could kill if it makes direct eye contact.
Goaltenders are weird – ask any hockey player. I guess you have to be a little out of it if you’re getting shot at with rubber pucks traveling at speeds over 100 mph for a living.
Ilya Bryzgalov’s coach, Peter Laviolette, does not seem to have the words to describe his Russian goalkeeper.
Just listen to his thoughts on the universe and you can probably get a sense of his uniqueness.
Alexander Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s superstars, but he also has perhaps the best sense of humor in sports.
There is a language barrier for the Russian star, but that sometimes makes his interviews even funnier. I can only imagine what his interviews in Russia are like.
After three seasons with over 100 points, Ovi’s production declined. However, he is still a top-five talent in the NHL.
As an interviewee, there is only one person more entertaining than him.
Paul Bissonnette is a press box regular, an on-ice enforcer and a Twitter phenomenon. He has his own clothing line thanks to Hockey Sauceand it was even ranked 100th in the People of power and influence from Hockey News list.
According to Capgeek.comAlex Ovechkin (451,488) is the only NHL player with more Twitter followers than Bissonnette (317,955).
That’s quite a list of accomplishments for a player who averaged just 6:04 per game on the ice last season.
Bissonnette is a real personality and when he gives an interview he is honest, open and charismatic. These are not traits that are rarely found in an NHL player or any professional athlete.
There will surely be a place for Bissonnette in the entertainment world when he finally hangs up his skates.
