Stellar Gull's Defender

Brett Larson is one of the best acquistions the Gulls made on defense last year. He can play both zones of the ice - rarely if ever getting beat on defense. During the March 19th through 20th series with the Bakersfield Condors, Larson received a vicious check from behind by Nick Hriczov that sent Larson's head flying into the board. Larson crumpled onto the ice. He has since recovered from this injury and will be back in the Gulls' uniform when the opening play-off series begins in Bakersfield (which by chance will be Hriczov's return from the suspension he received for his check.) Larson's outstanding performance on defense was noted by In The Crease recently where he was named to the all WCHL second team.

William Overin: What do you like to do when you aren't playing hockey?
Brett Larson: Golf - I love Golf.

WO: What's your handicap?
BL: About a twelve. This morning I shot an 84, which is about average for me. I also love movies. I'm a big time movie buff. I saw a great one the other day called "Analyze This" with Robert Dinero and Billy Crystal. I though it was hilarious. It was a lot funnier than I thought it would be.
In the summer, I love water-skiing - jet skiing. That type of stuff in the water. You gotta love lakes when you're home. That and pretty much relaxing. I don't go out a heck of a lot. I go out every once and a while.

WO: What are your favorite movies?
BL: I like "Dumb and Dumber" - it's my favorite comedy. "Shawshank Redemption" is one of my favorites for serious movies.

WO: Did you always want to play hockey when you were growing up? Was it something you knew you wanted to do when you were a kid?
BL: Yeah, right away when I was five years old I was on skates. My dad and my uncle both played for the college team in our town, which is division one in the NCAA. It's the University of Minnesota at Duluth, which is where I ended up playing. That was my dream to play for them. To tell you the truth, the NHL wasn't a huge dream at the time. Being a kid, it was mostly to play for my college team.

WO: To play in front of your hometown?
BL: Our hockey team in Duluth would be equivalent the Yankees in New York.

WO: Really?
BL: The town lives and dies by it. We had a small school, but we played against the University of Minnesota, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin - we played against big schools. We actually won the league my second year, so it was a huge thing in my hometown. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to play for them. Then when I got a little older, especially when I got drafted, the dream of playing in the NHL really started.

WO: Who drafted you?
BL: I got drafted by Detroit in the eleventh round of 1990. Then I started thinking about the NHL and hoping that I would develop enough to play there.

WO: I guess you didn't need to worry about any family support with both your dad and uncle having played for the hometown team. They must have been pretty supportive.
BL: Very - Hockey was a big part of my life growing up. Any free time we had in the winter as kids we were always at the rink playing. If we weren't at the rink, we were in alley playing ball hockey in the snow.

WO: Did you play any other sports?
BL: I played football and tennis both in high school.

WO: Do you still try to play either of those?
BL: I play a little tennis and a little touch football when I can. My heart was really never in either of those games. I played them for fun. Basically I did it because all of my buddies did it.

WO: Back to the discussion of your college time - did you have any difficulty transitioning to this level? Did you feel a lot of pressure since it was the hometown team and your uncle and father had both played there?
BL: I felt a lot of pressure because very few kids from my hometown end up playing there. Very few kids end up with a division one scholarship. If they do, it's usually a little bit lesser of a school - there are a few guys that have gone on to some bigger schools, but I was the only kid from Duluth on my team. So I did feel a lot of pressure. I got there my first year and five of the defensemen ahead of me did ended up playing at least a few games in the NHL.

WO: Like who?
BL: John Rohloff played in Boston, Brett Hauer who is now one of the leading scoring defenseman in the IHL - he played in Edmonton, Greg Andrusak played in Pittsburgh, Jeff Parrot played a bit in Quebec, and Rod Miller is now a steady IHL defenseman.

WO: Wow these were all guys you played with?
BL: These guys were already at UMD when I got there, so it was a tough line-up to crack. Plus we had Derek Plante who's now with the Buffalo Sabres; we had Chris Marinucci who's now with the Chicago Wolves. We had a lot of talent. So I did feel a lot of pressure.

WO: Definitely a good place to learn from at least.
BL: It was a great experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Those guys were all great players. It's fun to watch them play now. When I was in the IHL a few times - it was fun to play against them.
We've got a great hockey legacy at our school. We had Brett Hull who came from there too. Obviously he's a pretty big name.

WO: Did the team ever play in NCAA championship series?
BL: We made it to the lead eight, and we lost out to Lake Superior State who ended up winning it.

WO: What year was that?
BL: That was in '92.

WO: What was the game like?
BL: We lost by one goal. I can still remember it. We had a guy on our team take a five minute spearing major with five minutes left. Derek Plante still hit the post twice in those last five minutes. So my first two years there I played behind all those guys - you can tell by looking at my stats.
My first two years there weren't many points. I didn't play any on the powerplay or the penalty kill. My junior year, I led the league in goals for defensemen. My senior year, I led the league in assists for defensemen. The first two years I knew my role - there was never any dissension. I wasn't unhappy about it. I looked at the guys ahead of me, and I knew I'd have my turn. I was just happy to be a part of those teams.

WO: Did you receive scholarship offers from any other schools?
BL: Yes. You know looking back on it now, I was drafted coming out of my junior year of high school. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I was a pretty big prospect. I'm the same exact size now as I was then. I never grew any. I was six feet and one hundred ninety pounds then. I think a lot of the scouts were thinking that I was going to grow. That never happened - I just stopped growing. I had offers from Boston University, Boston College, Notre Dame, Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota, Wisconsin - all of the schools. I had those offers, and I thought about them, but it was always my dream to play for my hometown.

WO: What did you end up studying there?
BL: Criminology.

WO: Do you plan on doing anything with that?
BL: I don't think that I'm going to. I'm two classes short of getting a degree. I've been going back in the summers to finish. I ended up leaving college to sign a try-out contract with Detroit's minor league team, the Adirondack Red Wings in the American League and lost a quarter there.
I'm not positive, but I'm thinking about going back and getting my teaching degree - (I'll) probably coach in high school or coach in college. I think I have more of a high school or college mentality for coaching, than I do professional. I'd just rather help the kids develop and try to get themselves somewhere. In the pros you've got to deal with a lot of things. You have to deal with a lot of egos here and there. They've all been the best player somewhere else, so when they get here they may not find themselves in the same role. Marty (Coach Martinson) I really respect sometimes because he's got to deal with a lot of that stuff.

WO: Kind of along the lines of the Minnesota thing, are you still a resident?
BL: I'm still a resident.

WO: Did you vote in the last election?
BL: No, I didn't.

WO: What did you think of the election of Jessie - I guess what he's now Jessie the Mind - Ventura.
BL: I like it, and I think that most people back there do as well. People are getting sick of politics. I'm not really into politics, but I see enough to know that nobody trusts half those guys anyhow. Why not elect someone who's honest and going to do their best job? He might be a little off the wall, but I'd rather have somebody who's going to be off the wall and is going to be honest than a liar. I like him; he's brash - you know what, I bet more people know who the Governor of Minnesota is than the governor of most states.

WO: I bet more people in California know who the Governor of Minnesota is than their own governor.
BL: Exactly. I think it's pretty exciting.

WO: From talking with the other players and playing with so many guys from Canada, do you think that there is a big difference growing up at least between the Canadian game and the American Game?
BL: Definitely. The American game prepares you for college hockey. The Canadian game prepares you for pro hockey - up there, the guys fight, they wear a half-shield. In the states, you wear a full mask all the way through college, and some of the rules are different. There's no two-line pass, it's automatic icing - there's no touch-up icing.
In Canada, they're bred - their dream, their desire is to get in the NHL. They play by NHL rules and Canadian Junior Hockey prepares them for that.

WO: What was it like playing high school hockey?
BL: It was huge. I played in the high school hockey tournament in front of eighteen thousand fans three games in a row. It was on statewide TV.

WO: That itself must have been a lot of pressure.
BL: Oh yeah. Neil Broten who won the Gold Medal in 1980 and been to the Stanley Cup finals said that the most exciting thing that he's ever done is play in the Minnesota high school tournament.
When I was growing up and the state tournament was on TV, you didn't have to go to school. You could stay home and watch it on TV.

WO: What about professional hockey in Minnesota, I know that the North Stars ended up leaving. The NHL is planning on putting another team up there. What do you think of that? What do you think the chances are of a team surviving?
BL: Minnesota is a tough place for that because you have so much good hockey. On a Wednesday night, you can go to a high school game there and find twelve thousand people. I would bet that at my high school games during the regular season, there were more than five thousand people at them.

WO: I guess the crowds here in San Diego may be a little more boisterous, but the size isn't that much different.
BL: Yeah, you've got three division one college teams that are sold out every night. You have a lot of good hockey there where you can go and pay five or ten dollars a ticket. Why would anyone want to pay forty dollars to watch an NHL game?

WO: I've heard fans say similar things. They'd rather have affordable ticket prices and keep the Gulls here. They don't want the city to build a new arena and bring the NHL in here.
BL: I guarantee you that our games are just as exciting as an NHL game during the regular season anyhow. The NHL really steps it up in the play-offs. That's a level that we're really not at. I think our games are just as exciting, and you pay about one-fifth of what you pay to go see an NHL game.

WO: What brought you here to San Diego to play for the Gulls?
BL: I played roller hockey in Orlando for Marty. We had a real good team that year. I was talking to four or five different teams, and Marty talked me into coming here.

WO: You came back for another year too.
BL: Yeah.

WO: Do you think that you'll be back next year?
BL: We're working on a deal right now, and I think it's close to being finished.

WO: You've played for three IHL teams this year (Long Beach, Utah, and Las Vegas), and you played for Utah last year. What are your aspirations as far as playing at that level?
BL: This coming summer I'll be twenty-seven, not that that will be real old. My goal is not to become a regular in the IHL anymore. My first two years I was pro, that was definitely what I wanted. Now, I love to go up there and play some games for them. I like to do the best that I can and fill in here and there.
My main priority now is San Diego. I want to help the team here. I want to play here. I enjoy it here and am comfortable here. Getting late in my career, I think I have only two or three years left. I don't want to be moving around. When I go up to the IHL you live out of a hotel, you don't have a car, and you don't know anyone there. It's great to make the money when you go up and play some games, but your life isn't fun - not that fun is everything. I'd rather be somewhere where I'm enjoying myself and enjoying hockey.

WO: How does free agency work for you guys in the WCHL?
BL: At the end of this season, San Diego will be able to protect so many players. There will be two or three guys that won't be on that list. We could go to another league at the same level. The East Coast League - The Western Professional - we could go to one of those leagues and sign a contract, but we can't sign with any other team in the West Coast Hockey League. We can still move up at any time.

WO: How does the free agency work as far as moving up?
BL: We can sign with any team in the IHL or NHL. If any team wants us we can go up. The purpose of our league is to give guys the opportunity to move up. This league will never hold you back.

WO: Do you have an agent?
BL: I have an agent that I work with occasionally. Now that I'm set here, I don't work with him anymore.

WO: Did you keep him on retainer or anything?
BL: He was a guy that got me my deal in Europe and got me a try-out with Cleveland in the IHL one year.

WO: What was that like playing in the IHL?
BL: I loved it, it was great. I played the second half of the year in Slovenia. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I had a great time, but it may have been because I played only half of the season. Some of the guys said that it gets kind of long if you are over there for the whole year.

WO: It's a lot different style of play.
BL: It's a fast puck moving, skill game. There's no fighting really. There is contact - you do get hit. Some people think that you're going to go to Europe, and you're not going to get hit. Those guys are strong on their skates, and they do hit a lot. I loved the experience of being over there and living in a different country. We played in the Alpine League where we played eight teams in Austria, two were in Italy, and the rest were in Slovenia. We traveled between three countries.

WO: Did you have a problem with the language difference?
BL: No, pretty much all of the young people over there speak enough English to get by. I remember I was driving a friend over to Italy and stopping in a small town. We thought, "Wow, we're in Italy. Let's stop and get a Pizza." We stopped at a restaurant in the mountains. No one spoke any English, so we left (laughs.) That was the only time I had any problem. You have to work at communicating a little bit.

WO: What if the opportunity ever came back up for you to return to Europe?
BL: That would be something that I'd really have to consider. I could make some good money over there, and at this point in my life I'm not going to pass that up. I'd like to put some money away. It would be hard to pass up, and I know that Marty would understand. Everyone over here understands that if you can go over there and make triple the money in the same amount of time no one's going to hold you back. The rules of the league say that you can go over to Europe any time.

WO: As far as team defense, the lineup has gone through a lot of changes this year. It's one of the biggest transitions with all of the trades. Has that affected your game any? I know that this is your best year statistically so far.
BL: I think that my statistics are a little off because last year I was new here, and Marty didn't use me a whole lot. He wanted to get a feel for where I was at. I didn't get a lot of ice time and hardly saw the power play. Let's face it; in this league, points come mostly off of the power play - it has a lot to do with how many points you get. This year Marty has used me on the first or second power play, and I think that's why my stats are where they're at.
I think the last half of last year and this year have been some of my best hockey - especially the playoffs last year. I led the league in points for defensemen in the playoffs and that was big for me. I'd like to do that again this year.
I like our defense this year. Perkins is always there. I like the new guys. (Hakan) Jansson's physical play helps us back there. (Frederick) Jobin's a great player, and Sergejs (Visegorodcevs)is learning the American game. It's going to take him some time to adjust because it's a diffent game than the European game. But he's really starting to catch on.

WO: A little different sidetrack. You've not considered to be a fighter, but you got into a fight with (Greg) Spenrath earlier this year in Fresno - what happened?
BL: The funny thing is I played with Spenrath up in Utah last year, and I couldn't believe it. I really think - and Marty thinks this too - we had four defenders that night. Perkins wasn't in the game, and I think their coach wanted me out of the game. I think they really wanted to get the defensemen broken down here. Spenrath took a cheap shot on me, and I just didn't want to take it. I hit him in the back of the legs with my stick, and he just went ballistic on me. Before that, I'd been in two fights in my career, and I'd known when to pick them because they'd been with guys my size that don't fight that much either. There's no way I wanted to fight Spenrath. He grabbed a hold of me, and I grabbed a hold of him. I remember feeling how strong he was, and I remember thinking that I can't let that arm go. I did my best to tie him up, and we both fell down after a while - it was nothing. I really think there was a motive behind that because he told Jocko (Kevin St. Jacques) later, "Hey tell Lar sorry about that."

WO: How would you characterize your style of play?
BL: I'd say a solid two-way defenseman. I can play a little in the offensive zone, but I think I'm real strong in the defensive zone. I don't get beat. I make the first pass and get the puck out of the zone real well - I hit the forwards with the pass and they're gone. I don't try to make fancy plays - I'd say solid two-way defenseman that plays strong at both ends.

WO: Do you have any rituals or superstitions before a game?
BL: People ask me this and not really. Other than the pre-game meal, Jocko and I at home make the two chicken breasts and spaghetti. That's about the biggest pre-game ritual. Oh yeah and the nap. I've got to make sure that I get at least an hour and a half nap. It's not superstition; it's just the routine throughout the day that I stick with. It kind of prepares me throughout the day for the game.

WO: I know that everyone is interested in the Hriczov boarding incident. What do you remember?
BL: I remember fighting with somebody along the boards for the puck. I kind of spun around and their player was on my right. It was on the penalty kill, and you hate to get right in there because if you get out of position they can pop it right by you and someone can go to the net. The next thing I know my head hit the board or glass hardest it's ever hit. I never had time to get my hands out in front of me to cushion the blow. After that, I just remember Billy Taylor, our trainer, talking to me.

WO: It was interesting the way the whole thing played out, because Courtemanche then got into it with Hriczov - but I'm sure you've seen the tape of it.
BL: Yeah I've seen the tape.

WO: The best part of the whole aftermath was the way that Clark Polglase came over and stayed with you the entire time you were down. I don't know if you remember this.
BL: I don't remember, but I saw it on the tape. I thought that was great. Clark's a good guy, and I really like Clark.

WO: I remember when I first spoke with you about a week after the whole thing had occurred, you were telling me that you were having some memory problems. Has that cleared up?
BL: Yeah it has. It's amazing. The doctor said that you would know when you're out of it. It's funny, yesterday morning (March 24th) I woke up, and I felt real good. I got up yesterday. I went for a light skate and went to the gym and biked. No headache or no dizziness - nothing like that.

WO: Was this your first concussion?
BL: Yes - so I didn't know what to expect. I'd love to play in Phoenix tomorrow night, but they don't want to risk it seeing that it's only one game. I guess the point is you can get hit again and do a lot of damage. They'd rather me wait until the first playoff game.

WO: What do you think the Gulls need to do to keep the Taylor Cup here?
BL: Discipline. We can't take stupid penalties. We've got to play strong in our own end. We know we're going to score with all of the guys we have - with the offensive talent we have, guys are going to score. When we're playing our game, and we're on the top of our game, no one can beat us. I really believe that when we lose, we beat ourselves. We take too many stupid penalties. We break down in our own end. Rarely do I think that a team goes out there and outplays us when we're at our best.

WO: What are you doing to prepare yourself for the playoffs?
BL: The last week and a half I've just been trying to get healthy. I've been starting to think about the playoffs a lot and think about how I want to play. A lot of it's mental. We've played 70 - 71 games as a team this season, and no one's out of shape. We all know how to play the game - it's all about being mentally prepared. I'm thinking about being in Bakersfield on that first night - if we can do that and prepare mentally, we'll be ready to go.

WO: What are you planning on doing this summer - are you planning on playing RHI?
BL: Actually no. I'm going to stay in San Diego. I worked out a deal with Marty. It's not official yet, but I think I'm going to be selling season tickets for the team. Anybody that wants season tickets, make sure they buy them from me - I can get the deal for them.

DOB: 8/20/72
BIRTHPLACE: Duluth, MN
HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 190
POSITION: Defense
SHOOTS: Right