Kevin Kaminski seems to leave an impression wherever he plays. Although he has
played with and against world class  players his entire career, often it was Killer,
and not those players, who determined the outcome of games. His teammates  knew
that if their team was sluggish or not inspired, one shift from Killer could change that.
His opponents? Well they had  to know where he was at all times. Many a night, he drove
the other team crazy. He seemed to be at his best though,  against the New York Rangers.
He was so effective, he drove Rangers color commentator John Davidson bonkers on a   regular
basis. The new regime in Washington (George McPhee/Ron Wilson) never seemed anxious to
keep Kevin in  Washington, so he played last season in Portland (to the EXTREME delight of
the Portland faithful). This off-season, he  signed a contract to play with the IHL's Las Vegas
Thunder. Between Kevin's work ethic and NHL expansion, NHL fans  may be treated to the
return of Killer Kaminski shortly. I thank Kevin and his wife Megan for taking the time to do
the interview.

FD-What was your role with Saskatoon?
KK-Being both a spark plug and an offensive threat.

FD-Talk about the Mark Janssens incident.
KK-It was a frustrating game, they scored a couple of goals late in the game, and
I took out my anger and punched Janssens in the face after he scored. After
the incident happened, the linesman grabbed me and escorted me off to the
dressing room. From there, the league took it into their hands, and I was
suspended for 12 games. I felt worried and scared and embarrassed for myself
and the Blades organization. Then it went a little too far...as a lawyer
tried to charge me with Assault Causing Bodily Harm. Mark took the stand and
he was very good, he said it was part of the game, and the judge dismissed it.

FD-With so many of todays NHL and IHL enforcers being from the WHL at about the
same time you were there , how tough was the league?
KK-The league was EXTREMELY tough. With guys like Tony Twist, Kelly Chase, Kerry
Clark, Dean Ewen, Jeff Odgers, and Link Gaatz ,every night was a challenge,
but it was very intense and exciting ,as you knew the enforcers would be out
for the title...everyone in the building was electrified, including the
players. You knew something was going to happen everynight. It was our
job...and we were all highly qualified!

FD-Talk about being drafted.
KK-Draft day, I was in Regina playing ball. We had finished the morning game and
were on our way back to the hotel, where I heard on the radio that I was
drafted by Minnesota in the 3rd round, 48th overall. It was one of the
happiest days of my life because I was told I was too small to play in the NHL
and the chances of getting drafted were slim. I was going about my day like
any other day pretty much, listening to see if I knew anyone who got
drafted...so to hear my name was like a total relief but I was very ecstatic.
To be part of the elite, one step closer to my dream...that night I went out
and celebrated with Brian Glynn, and friends.

FD-Talk about your 1st NHL game.
KK-October 1988, The Montreal Forum, where I watched Hockey Night in Canada every
Saturday growing up. To be playing at the Forum with all the history and great
players that played there was incredible. Before the game, I can remember
just being so excited, but yet very nervous. My head was in the clouds but I
was trying to focus because I didn't want to screw up or make any mistakes
because I knew family and friends were watching as was the organization. I
played wing, and I remember the first shift as I hit John Kordic into the
boards and was expecting a fight, but nothing. And then from there, the next
shift I got cross checked into the throat by Peter Svoboda, and I was hurt
pretty bad and didn't see much ice time after that. It was a great thrill,
and a great experience to have played in the Forum. It was such a different
environment from the WHL, everything was 1st class. I can remember after we
went back to Minnesota, after they decided to send me back to Saskatoon, they
called me into the office. Dean Lombardi said I 'had a great training camp,
wish you the best back in Saskatoon, we'll send you your check there'...and I
was just so happy to be playing in the NHL, I told them "Don't worry about
it." Back to Saskatoon I went, where the check was waiting....!

FD-What was your reaction to being sent back down to Saskatoon?
KK-I guess it was mixed emotions...I was excited to go back to see friends and
teammates and to say that I played in the Show and also I knew we were hosting
the Memorial Cup. But on the other hand, I definitely would have liked to
have stayed up.

FD-Talk about playing on a line with Kerry Clark & Jason Christie in Saskatoon.
KK-It was a fearless line, but also a threat to score. Kerry made room by
driving to the net and also made room because of his size. Jason created
opportunities with his speed and hustle, and that was the guy who was the set
up man because I liked to have the puck and just read off their simple style
of play. Also, we always counted on one another to watch each others backs if
something happened. Both guys are great friends off the ice, too.

FD-What was the Memorial Cup experience like?
KK-It was a great experience, also exciting knowing that we were going to play in
front of our own fans(because we were the host city). The fans packed the
buildings and everyone just came alive. It was the first time they had
hosted the Cup, and everyone from the GM to the fans to the building janitors
were pumped. The fight with Domi(Peterborough) will always be remembered in
Saskatoon and by me. To look back now, even though it was a disappointing
overtime loss, I will always have great memories of the Memorial Cup
experience.

FD-What was your reaction toward being traded from Quebec...Any ill feelings
toward Minnesota?
KK-It was a very different feeling, as it was the first time I was ever traded.
I was over at Kory Kocur's billets house when I found out. I was very sad and
just sat in the chair staring at the wall and feeling empty. I don't have any
ill feelings toward Minny. I loved it there and the people were great.

FD-Talk about your season in Ft. Wayne.
KK-The season in Ft. Wayne turned out very good. I didn't want to leave Halifax,
but that's where they sent me. The coach Al Sims was great.I played all the
time and he let me do my thing. We had a great bunch of guys (Bruce Boudreau,
John Anderson ,to name a few) and we went to the Turner Cup finals which we
lost to Peoria in 6 games. It was just a great place to play. The barn was
great ,the fans were intense!

FD-When you returned to Halifax-,did you find the AHL to be more physical than
the IHL?
KK-At that time I had close to 500 minutes with Ft. Wayne so I think both leagues
were physical. If anything, now being back in the IHL, I think it's less
physical now.

FD-Did teammates such as Brent Severyn, Greg Smyth and Serge Roberge help you
in any way?
KK-I just learned from by watching those guys, both with desire and hard, hard
work ethic. Also learned a lot by watching them fight because they loved the
game and thoroughly enjoyed doing their job.

FD-Any memorable fights from either Ft. Wayne or Halifax?
KK-Well, there were so many it's hard to remember. One of the more memorable
ones would have to be Gerry Fleming.

FD-Do you enjoy your role of agitator?
KK-I enjoy that role because every team hated you except yours and this was a
job many people did not want to do. It was the "dirty work." I enjoyed it
because you were always so intense, every shift of every game, and knew you
were doing something right when you had their players and radio announcers
saying bad things about you! It was a role where you gave out a lot of
lickin's, but you also took a lot. Felt like the Energizer Bunny (Killer
Bunny, really..)

FD-Talk about the games you played for Quebec...any memorable moments?
KK-The best hot dogs in the league! Ha! I guess a few stood out, but just being
there was the main thing. I got the chance to play with the legend Guy "the
flower" Lafleur. I mean, I watched this guy on TV as a a kid all the time and
then playing with him was UNBELIEVABLE! Also,I just remember causing a lot of
havoc in those 6 games, some big hits and some good fights with Gerald Didick
and Ron Stern.

FD-Talk about your trade to Washington.
KK-The trade to Washington was kind of exciting because it would mean a fresh
start for me, and also was nice knowing they were interested in me and they
told me so. Then Barry Trotz(coach of new AHL affiliate in Portland) called
me a few times, because he was so excited to have me and then he came to see
me and took me out to dinner. It was a good feeling that they were so
interested. It worked out great for me as I played in the NHL, won the Calder
Cup(with Portland) and management treated you great and really cared for you.

FD-Do you think you were given a fair chance by either Minnesota or Quebec to
make their clubs?
KK-Yes, I think I was given a fair chance by Minnesota, as I had a good camp and
they rewarded me by staying up for 10 days and playing a game, they just
thought I wasn't ready yet. So they sent me back to Saskatoon.As for Quebec,
it was a totally different story. When I first came over, I fractured my
sternum in camp. I didn't come back to play until January.I played 2 games in
Halifax, got called up, played 1 game, and they said " you played very well,
but we don't want you around this losing atmosphere" (this was when they were
in trouble.) . I had a few good years in Halifax.I was leading the team in
points and PIM's after 10 games and went on to have some call ups..(cup of
coffee and then back on the flight!!). I was playing in Ft. Wayne, got called
up to play in Hartford, my flight was delayed, so I got to the game late,
never played, and they sent me back down that night.

FD-What was your initial reaction to being sent down to Portland?
KK-Well, going to a new team (Wash.) and all the veterans they had, I knew it
was going to be tough to make the team. I had a really good camp and was one
of the last cuts. So in a way I was disappointed but also knew they were
happy with me, and I knew if I played well, or there were injuries, I wouold
get a call. I was also excited to get going in Portland.

FD-Talk about the incredible march to Calder Cup and what it was like to win
the Cup?
KK-The march to the Calder Cup was amazing and to win it...you just can't
describe the feeling. It was a year where guys like Barry Trotz & Paul
Gardner just had the knack to bring in the right chemistry all the time and
got the best out of whoever dressed. We had the skill players, plumbers,
fighters, goaltenders, desire, hard work ethic and most of all lots of FUN!

FD-Whenever you win,it's special.Was it that much sweeter to win with your old
buddy Kerry Clark?
KK-To win is a great achievement, because that is what you play for all
year.Nobody can ever take it away. To win it with a good buddy makes it
sweeter ,especially a guy like Kerry Clark, because this guy works his ass off
everyday, never complains, knows and does his job and is one of the best
teammates you could have. So your happy to see the good guys get rewarded.

FD-What kind of relationship did you have with coach Barry Trotz?
KK-My relationship with Barry Trotz was great. He was a players coach. He
was always interested in you, and how things were going..always asked about
mom & dad, etc. If he had time or if things weren't going well ,he would take
time to talk or go have a beer. He wasn't one to get involved personally,
meaning he wasn't real concerned with what happened off ice, as long as you
came to play. Hockey was number one to him, he wanted you to come to the rink
committed everyday, and give 100%. And I know that he got that out of me.

FD-Any memorable fights from 1st tenure with Portland?
KK-They were all memorable, but the ones that stand out are one with John Van
Kessel(Cape Breton) and a couple I had with Scott Walker(Syracuse)....just
toe-to-toe...both bleeding...lasted about a minute and a half...the kind of
fight everyone sits on the edge of their seat for..

FD-So you go to camp and are very impressive.You make the Caps ,BUT,now a
lockout!How frustrating was that?
KK-Yes, the lockout was extremely frustrating because I thought I was finally
getting a well deserved break by making the team. You work so hard to get
there then one man comes along and has the power to tell me I can't play the
game that I love and fulfill my dream. It was crazy ,but I was happy to be
able to got to Portland and work hard to stay on top of my game.

FD-What did coach Schoenfeld do for your career?
KK-Schoney gave me the chance to play. He put me on the fourth line, so I
didn;t get much ice time, but I knew my role and accepted it. He never blew
smoke with me, he let me know how it was going to be and I respected that. As
a result, I worked harder every shift and I think he respected me for my work
ethic.

FD-You were involved in an incident against the Rangers a few seasons back in
which NYR color commentator John Davidson was very critical of you.How do you
react to criticism like that?
KK-Well, the thing with this is, J.D. knows I'm fiesty, but in this incident
,he said I started the whole thing, and truthfully, I was already on the bench
when the scrum started. So I just went to the pile and grabbed the first guy
I saw to even things up! It happened to be Messier, then he was the one who
threw the first punch and that was that. I remember as a kid playing street
hockey and I used to pretend that I was J.D. ,as he was one of my favorites.
I mean, criticism is fine and comes with the job, but some of what he said I
thought was very harsh, saying "this guy is an animal, doesn''t belong in this
league (NHL), get rid of this guy!" Hey, I know Messier is a great player,
Hall of Famer, etc., but I mean he is certainly not an angel...when he threw
the first punch it shocked me, so I did what I had to do.

FD-Who did you agitate more-the Rangers or JD?
KKWell, I think I agitated them both, but after listening to the tapes I guess
it would be J.D!!!

FD-Talk about your first NHL goal.
KK-My first NHL goal was against Tampa Bay in Washington. The puck got by
their defenceman, Chief (Craig Berube) picked it up, went on a 2-1, he
saucered the pass over & I one-timed it between the legs of their goalie.I was
very excited and relieved!

FD-Against NJ,the cameras caught yourself and Claude Lemieux in a "friendly"
conversation that ended with you smacking the water bottle with your stick in
his direction-talk about the incident.
KK-I think we were in the midst of a delightful conversation, perhaps asking
each other what the other wanted for Christmas...It ended with him putting the
water bottle on the edge of the boards, so I took my stick and whacked it back
at him, then grabbed my own water bottle and sat down.

FD-How did the Washington Post commercial with Craig Berube come about?
KK-They asked Chief and I to do something in the penalty box about violence
and crime rates while they showed us hitting and in a few tussels. It was a
lot of fun, took three hours because Chief and I kept laughing...They made us
up with black eyes (or maybe they were real?) reading the Washington Post.
They tried to make us sound really civilized and sophisticated...at one point
I was laughing so hard they made me leave the penalty box.

FD-When you fight,are you a win-win situation?If you win,great.You are almost
always smaller than your opponent.If you lose,at least you showed up.Since you
are always smaller,maybe you're not expected to win.
KK-Usually when I fight , the opponents are bigger, so people think I should
probably lose. So if I win, it's a bonus. When I fight, I take every fight
as a challenge, no matter who's bigger, and feel like I should win every
fight, because I get confidence when I fight. To some people it may look like
a win-win situation but I hate to lose and I'm very intense. Regardless, no
matter what happens, I'll always show up!!

FD-When did you realize that the Ron Wilson/George McPhee combination wasn't
the best for you?
KK-Well, when you're a veteran and you only get one game in exhibition...and
in that game you frustrate the hell out of Eric Lindros all night and take him
off for 6 minutes in penalties ,and also get into the offense....I knew
something was up, but I thought I made it. Just as I was getting ready at
home to head to Toronto for the 1st game of the season, the phone rang and it
was Wilson. I said to him "I guess I don't need to bring my bags.." and he
said nope..Then when I confronted McPhee he said he loved the way I played
with lots of character and heart. When the G.M. says that and you get sent
down anyway, something seems to be missing in the puzzle. I've been around
long enough to know when I don't fit into a coach's style. So right then I
asked for a trade. My reaction was that I was very mad and disappointed
because I did my job at camp and gave it all to that organization and I felt
like I just got kicked in the nuts. But within 3 hours we packed up and
headed to Portland and I went down with a good attitude, knowing that I needed
to play well to get traded.

FD-In all honesty,did any of the Caps brass give you any inclination of being
recalled at ANY time last year?
KK-Well ,it was a tough year.7 games in,I suffered a torn rotator cuff, missed
40 games, and it happened right when the Caps were bombarded with injuries. I
came back and played well, but no sign of any call up. Then in our playoffs,
I had part of my pinkie slashed off, so I don't know if they would have called
me up or not for their playoff run. Again, I would seriously doubt it. I
never really felt I got any respect as a player from Ron Wilson.

FD-Talk about the fight you had with Terry Ryan last season.
KK-The fight with Terry Ryan was a good one, both grabbed on and went toe to
toe, each switching to lefts and we both were cut. Great fight, no one hurt.

FD-How did signing with Las Vegas come about?
KK-Bob Strumm(Las Vegas G.M.) called me at my home in Churchbridge,
Saskatchewan and just asked what was going on for the upcoming season and said
if nothing, would I be interested in playing in Vegas? Then, the middle of
August came around and I was looking at offers from Ft. Wayne and Las Vegas
and felt that Vegas was the route to go.
FD-How did it feel to be named team captain?
KK-To be named captain was an unbelievable honor ,as veteran players such as
Petr Nedved, Brad Miller, Dean Ewen, Patrice Lebefevre, Louie DeBrusk & Stefan
Ustorf are all here. It meant a lot to me and I was thrilled to be amongst
these kind of players. It was great to know that Strumm and Bob Bourne
believed in my leadership abilities.

FD-Talk about the other tough players on Las Vegas.
KK-The other players on this team are very, very tough. Louie(DeBrusk),
Deano(Ewen), Millsy(Brad Miller), I mean these guys are crazy and fun to
watch. It makes my job a lot easier and I learn from watching these guys do
what got them there. I have a lot of respect for them as fighters and as guys
who have heart, character and dedication.

FD-Talk about the injury from the Nedved shot.
KK-The injury from Nedved's shot was scarey. We were on the power play when I
was coming out of the corner, I passed the puck to Petr on the point, and I
went to the net for a screen on the goalie or a tip-in. I was at the
hashmarks when he let the shot go from the top of the circles and I just
couldn't get out of the way (60-65 mph). It hit me in the side of my face,
still conscious, all I saw was black out of the right eye and I got really
nervous. After about 10 minutes on the ice they took me off and into the
ambulance I went...they took x-rays and after about an hour FINALLY gave me
some pain killers...my head felt like it was going to explode. They told me I
had broken my orbital bone and zygmatic arch and they needed to do surgery.
They made incisions over my eye and under my eye and also went in through my
mouth into the sinus cavity to clear out any bone fragments, and put in 2
titanium plates, 12 screws, and 45 stitches. It has been tough, and I still
haven't regained my vision. I am going to specialists hoping to get it
resolved. Only time will tell. It was definitely the worst thing I've been
through. One doctor said 1/8 of an inch higher and I would have been dead.
Shit, I always said they'd have to kill me to get me to quit playing..but I
was kidding...

FD-Can we expect the same fiesty pain in the ass to play against Killer when
you return?
KK-If and when I do come back, there is only one way to play that Killer knows
how....with reckless abondon. It's gotten me this far (10 years pro) so why
change things? So you can definitely expect the same hard nosed style of play
again.

FD-Please give me an approximation of how many stitches you've had in your
career.
KK-well I guess you could say I have had my share of stitches. I have had 2
years of 100 plus stitches...close to 260. So I think I'm well over the 500
mark, closing in on 600. I mean my own teammates jap me and call me road map,
scar face, railroad tracks, which doesn't bother me, because I think it just
adds more character. I'm sure there will be lots more to come.

FD-Tell me about your hockey school.
KK-Well, 2 years ago I bought Barry Trotz's hockey school and it became Kevin
Kaminski's Professional Hockey Academy. It has been a lot of fun. A lot of
the Portland Pirates come out to work the school, and Olie Kolzig came out the
first year and is returning this year. Maine is where my family and I are
planning on retiring and I feel like that city has done a lot for me and my
family, and I want to stay a part of that community. I also collect a lot of
memorabilia during the year for the school, and give it away as prizes to the
kids. It is as much fun for the instructors as the kids, as it always ends up
being a reunion!!

FD-Please take all the time and space you need and talk about your summer
charity event.
KK-This year will be the 5th annual"Killer Classic" which is a celebrity golf
tournament held in my hometown of Churchbridge Sask. We've had a lot of
different celebrities out like Kelly Chase, Kerry Clark, Jason Christie, Jeff
Odgers, Brad Church, Mark Wotton, Lionel Heinrich and Ray Elgaard. All the
proceeds go back into my hometown. We have built a $10,000 playground, fixed
up the ball diamonds, fixed up the community pool, hired a speed skating
instructor, and contributed to minor sports among other things. It is really
great to see a small town band together to put on such a production. This has
become the biggest golf tourney in all of Saskatchewan. More than 260
golfers came out and golfed in the pouring rain. There is a lot of press for
the event, and I pretty much spend all the hockey season collecting great
hockey memorabilia for the event. We have had such incredible items as Olie
Kolzig's game worn gear from the Stanley Cup, Bobby Orr's autographed jersey ,
a Maurice "Rocket" Richard jersey, and much more. It is a lot of hard work
but I feel like I really owe it to the community, because they have always
been so good to me.