JF Houle returned this year to the team and once again he put on the "C" and was comfortable in his role as Captain of the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks. JF has been on the injured reserve since having surgery on his shoulder during the holidays. Although Brent Cullaton is doing a fine job filling in while JF is out,like me I'm sure you will be happy to see him back on the ice. While unable to play the game,he has continued to do his part to promote the team with personal appearances and public relations in the community. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with JF and ask him a few questions during one of his free afternoons,while the team was out of town to practice.
Is it hard having a father that is so well known?
No,not that hard because down here no one really knows him. Back home it is a little bit hard but I've coped with that all my life so it's no big deal.
What is the best and worst thing about being in Florida?
The best thing is the weather,and the worst thing...I really dont see anything bad about it,I like Florida. I'm actually thinking about making a living here.
Other than another ice rink for practice time,what is the biggest obstacle you feel the team must face to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs this year?
Yeah,it is hard not to practice,but those are all just little details that you could think of,that if something goes wrong you can always find something to blame it on. I dont think we have anything to blame it on and we're expecting to make the playoffs and we're going to try to do our best to go as far as possible.
What differences do you see between the team we have now and last year's team?
We have different players,we jelled differently last year. We jelled,but maybe not as much as we did this year. The guys are a little bit more together. And we have more fans that are coming to see us this year which is good and we want to keep it going like that.
And how does the coaching and preparation differ from last year?
They are just two different coaches. Both of them are good coaches,they just approach the game differently. but I had no problem with Terry (Christensen) and I have no problem with Gerry (Fleming),it's just that they have two different ways of coaching.
The fans notice that the players really get into it when a lot of people show up on game night to support them. What do you think we can do to increase the fan base?
I think to increase the fan base the first thing we need to do as a team is to WIN. We're providing that right now and we want to keep it like that. Besides that,it's up to the fans. We've heard stories that there were a lot of people here in the beginning,and we'd like to get back to that,like it was before. Hopefully it's going to pick up now that FSU football is over,and if we make the playoffs hopefully we'll get a good turnout.
With the team being so hot right now,can you attribute their success to anything specific,or is it more of a combination of things?
It is probably a combination of a lot of things. We have different guys. Last year we had a bunch of skilled guys,and sometimes too much skill is not good. This year we have a few skilled guys,and a few grinders. We have guys who know what their job is and they go on the ice and do their job and not try to do more than they should. That really helps. We have a team that likes to win and winning is all mental. We're on a winning streak right now and we want to keep it and that's what's going on. After every win,the guys are all saying how awesome it is and are so excited when the fans are there to support them.
As the Captain of the team,what do you feel is your primary role and has that changed since you are on injured reserve?
I think my primary role is to get the guys going in the locker room between periods and on and off the ice. They all know that if they have a problem they can come to see me. The same thing for Brent Cullaton now that I'm injured,he knows he's got to go out there on the ice and do his job,but he's also getting the guys going between periods. I was injured and Brent's doing a very good job and I'm proud of him. I still go down to the locker room between periods to give my insight to the guys. A few guys I tell you know,to shoot the puck or do this or that. But while I'm injured,it's Brent who's out on the ice,and I've told him it's his team now and he has to take charge.
It must be very frustrating not being able to play now while the team is doing so well. What has been the most difficult challenge of being injured?
Not being with the guys. They've been gone for the last two days (at practice) and I'm so bored. It's fun being around them all,and you feel excluded a little bit because you dont know what happened today or what jokes they told. And it's really hard to watch too when you're injured,you want to jump on the ice. But it's still fun to see and when I come back I'll do my best to help this team.
What is the worst injury you have ever sustained playing hockey?
This was it. It's not like it just happened though. I've been playing injured for two years,but the pain was too much and I couldnt take it anymore,so I had the surgery.
What is the one thing you would most like to be remembered for in Tallahassee?
My work ethic on the ice and a gentleman off the ice. Everywhere I've played I've worked as hard as I could for the team and off the ice I was always polite to the fans and did anything I could to halp the community,and I think that is what I would like to be recognized for.