Mark Parrish MARK PARRISH: ONE GAME AT A TIME, PART 1 Friday, November 06, 1998,  ES ------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A shock to me” is the response Florida rookie Mark Parrish gave nhlpa.com when asked about the quick start to his career. The 21-year-old native of Edina, Minnesota, is treating his sudden success with cautious optimism, thanks in part to some Panther mates who are helping him stay focused. For now, Parrish is content to take things one game at a time.
Mark Parrish played his junior hockey with St. Cloud State (Minnesota) and Seattle (Western Hockey League). In his two seasons with the Huskies of St. Cloud State, the right-winger potted 42 goals, including a WCHA league-leading 27 goals in 1996-97. In 1997, the forward was selected to the NCAA West All-American Team. His brother, Geno, is a defensman with the Huskies. In 54 games with the WHL Thunderbirds, Parrish scored 54 times and totaled 92 points in 1997-98. In 1998, Parrish was picked as a WHL West First Team All-Star.
Colorado selected Mark with their fourth choice (20th overall) in the 1996 Entry Draft. He was traded to Florida with a third-round draft choice, in exchange for Tom Fitzgerald, on March 24, 1998. Mark was recently selected as the Rookie of the Month for October.
Has it been difficult to strike a balance between being confident in your game and not letting your success get the best of you?
MP: “I don’t think so. Every game I go into, I don’t try to expect too much of myself. I just go out there with the thought of helping my team win. That’s the most I try to expect from myself. Confidence is a factor in the game, but I try to not bring it in where it’s going to make or break my game.”
Is it a question of not looking at what you have done, but more what you can do?
MP: “Yes. Hopefully. I guess I never expected to have this sort of year at all. I was just hoping to make the club. To come in and be successful was more or less a shock to me I guess. I think it was to the whole organization and to the whole hockey world as well. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
Who are some of the veteran players who have guided you along and kept you grounded?
MP: “Dino Ciccarelli, Dave Gagner and Kirk Muller have really helped me out. Dino especially. He’s taken me under his wing and guided me along.”
What has Dino been telling you?
MP: “Where to stand in front of the net and how to get out of the way of those cross checks, pretty much. He just tells me to keep at it, little tidbits here and there. He tells me where to stand on the power play, little things. When to do things, when not to.”
Dave Gagner mentioned to nhlpa.com that you had a great training camp. How were you able to bring that success to the regular season?
MP: “I just tried to keep the level of intensity up. It wasn’t very difficult. Going into training camp, I knew I’d have a chance with a new coach. He didn’t have any expectations of anyone. He came in with an open mind and I knew that would give me a chance to get a roster spot. I just wanted to go out there and work hard. Luckily enough, the goals came for me and I tried to carry that over into the regular season. I want to go out there and be sound defensively and make the least amount of mistakes as possible. It’s worked well so far.”
What’s been the most difficult aspect of playing in the NHL?
MP: “The hardest part would be the defensive game. You can’t make any mistakes out there. It’s make or break for you. Growing up in minor hockey, college and junior, you can kind of cheat a little. You can leave the zone early and catch the defense off guard. But here, you cheat a little bit and you’re going to fried. You do that and the guy you’re supposed to be watching is going to stick one in the net. Eventually, if you do that enough, you’re not even going to get the chance to go prove yourself out there. You’ve got to play the defensive game just to get the opportunity to play offense. That’s the biggest adjustment I’ve had to make. The size of the players is an adjustment as well.”
Has anything been easier than you expected?
MP: “No. (Laughs) Not really. It’s been as hard as I thought it would be. The goals are a surprise. But, they haven’t come easy.”
Is it a good idea to put your success to the side?
MP: "That's the way I look at it. Yes, I've started out well, but there's plenty of the season left. I can't ride on my first 10 games of the year. I've got to go out and prove myself every game. I look at it as every game is a tryout for me until the next game. If I don't play well one game, then I'm not going to be playing the next."
What did playing for St. Cloud State and Seattle do for you hockey-wise and as a person?
MP: "With St. Cloud, I grew up more as a person. Just being out on my own, dealing with the college lifestyle, I grew up more, hopefully as a person. In Seattle, I grew up more hockey-wise. I think both are equally as important. In Seattle, I got to learn more about the pro style of the game. College is more of a skill game. Playing in both leagues helped me to become a more complete player. It's better that I played in both and not just one."
You ran into a numbers game in Colorado. Why is Florida a good place for you start your NHL career?
MP: "I've just had the opportunity to play. Obviously, because of the numbers and the depth, I wouldn't have had the opportunity (in Colorado) I've had this year. I probably would have been in the minors. With Florida, they needed the goal scorers, they needed the forwards up front. They just really needed young players. I knew that I would have a better look, in general, from the coaches and by the guys who make the decisions, as compared to Colorado."
Is it difficult to go from living in Minnesota, where the winters are quite harsh, to living in sunny Florida?
MP: "No way! I would say it's easy. It's a bit of a culture shock, but I wouldn't say difficult. How can you go from 50-below to 80 degrees in November and say it's hard? The folks back home wouldn't forgive me if I wouldn't have mentioned it."
How do you relax away from the rink?
MP: "I don't do a whole lot. I go to movies and go to the mall. I just really like to relax when I'm not playing."
Come the end of the year, what will determine success for you?
MP: "If I stay on the team the whole year and if I can help them become a playoff team, I would say that would be the biggest thing. To just be here and do whatever I can to help the team succeed."
After winning Rookie of the Month honors, is it difficult not to have dreams of your name engraved on the Calder Memorial Trophy (the award given to the league's top rookie)?
MP: "No, I don't think so. I look at some of the players that have won it the past and I definitely don't rank myself up there with them. I don't think it's difficult at all."