Ryan on the Team 1200
Bobby Ryan is making his first media rounds in town as a member of the Senators and this included a stop at the Team 1200 this morning. Here's what Bobby had to say to a bevvy of questions...
On his reaction to the trade:
Honestly it was a lot of elation..
On the Sens heading in the right direction: apart of that and witness that -- what they did last year was incredible with the injuries and all that kind of stuff..
On if he would sign an extension in Ottawa:.
On management he knows:
Tim Murray was actually the guy that vouched for me in the draft and he was the guy who called me to tell me about the trade. I actually heard about the trade from the guys that own Gongshow Hockey Gear, the local company here, they're friends of mine. They were the ones that told me about the trade and then I got the call from Tim Murray. Him being in Anaheim at the time vouched for me to be a draft pick of theirs, but my first conversation and first call as an Ottawa Senator was with him and it was a great conversation.
On being drafted second:
Anytime you're drafted second overall people expect you to step in right away and I don't think that was ever the plan for me. I think the plan was for me to grow into the player I'm starting to become and I think there's more to grow into. Over the last couple of years I think it has been a steady progression and I'm learning more away from the puck than I ever thought I would. I'm starting to grow into a player that's becoming a bit of a two-way player and I hope to do that here. I can't wait.
On the trade rumours out of Anaheim:
I think you look at that team and you have Getzlaf and Perry who won a Cup, they've done everything you can ask those players to do and I think I just fell two years behind them. When they signed their extensions that kind of sealed my fate, I remember the day they both signed their extensions within two or three days of each other I remember saying to my girlfriend, "I think we're out of here." That kind of sealed my fate right there. I don't know, with Teemu coming back year after year, what do you say? He's one of the best that has ever played and you can't get mad at him because you get a chance to play with Teemu Selanne which is incredible but I just kind of think I was the odd man out every time. That's tough to do year in and year out. It doesn't hurt you but it hinders you. I think I learned to deal with it long enough and this year happened to be the year we moved on.
On his growth:
I feel like I'm a different person from two weeks ago when it happened. I'm getting this opportunity where I've always been the fourth or fifth man in the offensive scheme to where I'm coming in and I think I'm going to be second or third and that's a cool feeling. It changes things, there's a little more pressure with it, but it's a pressure I've been trying to embrace for a couple of years now as things have progressed and now I want to do it on a broader scale. I can't wait.
On players he knows:
I know Kyle (Turris), we've crossed paths at a lot of things over the years and he was one of the first calls. He reached out to me through Twitter right away, gave me his number and I called him within 24 hours of being traded. I talked to (Jason) Spezza within 48 hours of being traded. I tried to reach out to as many guys as I could, obviously I wanted to come in hot..
On "The Tweet":
I don't think I was prepared for sending that to a Canadian market. The amount of feedback I got from it was overwhelming but really cool. The only response I got that was negative was from Leafs fans and I expected that anyways. I had no idea that would be on the scale that it was.
On his position:.
On the pressure of Ottawa:
On a good day in Anaheim you'll have three or four reporters and I respect the fact that's going to change. I think my attitude coming into it is I have no other option but to perform. I've never really had that before, that pressure. There's a certain level of anonymity in Anaheim that I don't think I'll get here in the locker room. I get that and I'm looking forward to embracing that, but at the end of the day you have to, there's nothing you can do. I'm going to come in everyday ready to work and that's about all I can say about it.
On playing in front of Ottawa:
I can't see any reason why you can't get up for a game here. Like I said, I've played in the league six years now and I've been here one time and it was an unbelievable experience. To wear the red on that gameday has to be something special. I can't wait to embrace that.
On the off-the-ice adjustment:
When you have to think for two all of a sudden after not having that and then you've got to move. It changes things. She (his girlfriend) is a Southern California girl, she's lived there her whole life and I don't realize how much she's going to like it here. I told her about the canal and how much people skate to work. The only thing she said was 'I get to have Tim Hortons everyday' so I think she's going to enjoy it here, I can't wait.
For those of you who are more inclined towards audio, you can listen to Bobby's appearance here on this page.