ONE-ON-ONE WITH JOHN CURRY

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PENGUINS: Talk a little bit about your journey this year. You went from not really knowing where you were going to be to start the season, to now being the number one golatender in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Talk a little about the ups and downs.

JOHN CURRY: One of the things coming into this year that I knew was the pro hockey business is pretty unpredictable. You don’t know where you’re going to be in a month or where you’re going to be in a week. So I just tried to take it day by day, work my hardest and do whatever I could to keep moving up. I’ve gotten a lot of support along the way and a lot of luck too.

I started the year with a little repercussion from my hip surgery, it bothered me for a while. Ended up going to Las Vegas for five or six games…was able to get my feet wet a little bit. From there I was fortunate to go over with Team USA to the Deutschland Cup, and that was one of the best experiences I’ve had with hockey. Just being over in a foreign country playing for your country, I know it’s not the world championships or Olympics, but it was still a cool experience. From there got back here and was able to play behind Conks for a few weeks before actually getting my first three games…I actually got sent down to Wheeling for a few days before [Marc-Andre] Fleury got hurt and [Ty] Conklin got called up, and since then it’s been me and [David Brown] here.

It’s been kind of a lucky situation where you get two goalies kind of thrown into the fire, and the team depends on you. It’s just great to be forced into the fire and gain experience that way. Since then, there’s been ups and downs, personally and team-wise. But all you can do is respond and come back the next day. I’ve found that you can’t look too far ahead, you can’t really worry about too many things, because even more than college and before, there’s just so many things you can’t control. The one thing I’ve learned is not to worry about those. There’s only a few things that you can. Keep it simple that way, keep working hard, and if you do that…overall things will work in your favor if you bear down and focus that much more.

It’s been a good year so far, but there are high expectations from here on out. I think we have a good team that can make a move in the playoffs.

PENS: Are you surprised about the amount of time and responsibility you’ve received in Wilkes-Barre this year? You are a rookie coming into a team with some quality veteran goaltenders on the depth chart.

JC: At the beginning of the year, the understanding was me and Brownie rotating between here and the ECHL, getting time in both. Which would have been great too. I was happy just to get experience in the AHL as a rookie. But it’s been great for the team to depend on you. Along with that comes a lot of pressure too. But it’s been a good experience, and I couldn’t’ have imagined playing this many games. It’s been fun. But you can’t be too satisfied or impressed by the way things have gone. You just have to take it day by day, and things happen the way they do. You can’t control Marc-Andre Fleury getting hurt or not getting hurt, you’ve just got to do what you can do.

PENS: What’s it like to learn from accomplished goaltenders like Ty Conklin and Marc-Andre Fleury? What have you picked up by watching and playing with those types of players?

JC: It’s huge, not only from how good they are as goalies, but from the way they approach the pro game, how they handle themselves. One of the things I learned, the difference between college and the pros, [in college] you bear down so much for a game as far as mentally preparing three days in advance. Whereas here, if you do that you’re going to get worn out. One of the things I learned from Marc-Andre was you just have to treat it as a game and have fun. He did that. Even right before the games in the locker room, he is focused and preparing for games mentally and physically, but at the same time, he’s loose and staying light. I think that’ really key, when you have a long season and you’re playing so many games. That’s one of the things I tried to take from him, was approaching it – not in a light manner by any means – but treat it like a game, having fun. And I think that can bring a better side of your game out.

But just watching him in practice was a lot of fun first of all, but I learned a lot from the way Coach Meloche teaches me and tells me to develop my game. To see that, what he’s trying to get me to do, was a lot easier and really helpful. So it was a great experience. I mean, obviously sitting on the bench for a week and a half, two weeks, that was a small trade off to have that experience I think.

PENS: What has been the bigger adjustment coming over from the college game - the physical or mental side of professional hockey?

JC: I think the physical side took place, it was a huge adjustment right off the bat. Since then it’s been mental, just dealing with the different schedule and the unpredictable nature of who’s getting hurt, who’s not, who’s playing well. There’s always things to be concerned about, but things that aren’t worth concerning yourself with at times. I’d say physically right off the bat was a huge adjustment, just because the speed of the game was faster, but at the same time it’s more controlled. So if you’re anticipating well, it’s easier in a certain way.

But mentally it has been an adjustment. I thought college was a lot of games where you play 35, and now you’re playing 80, and I’ve still only played 25 at this point. But you go through the experience with the team even if you’re not playing. It gets long, but it helps this year for sure that our group of guys are really close, it makes it a lot easier. Right now I’m pretty lucky to have a bunch of guys that it’s fun to be around, fun to come to the rink.

PENS: What’s the relationship like between you and Dave Brown?

JC: I hate him (laughing).

PENS: But how does it work? You’re both rookies in the league, and both want to get time. Does it make it easier because you’r eboth going through the same things as first year pros?

JC: Especially right when Fleury got hurt, we were both really cheering for each other. We had to prove ourselves as rookies, and everyone’s putting pressure on us, wondering what’s going to happen. You had Conklin here who was a veteran, and all of a sudden you have two rookie goalies who haven’t proven themselves, kind of hitting the panic button. We went through that together and kind of supported each other through that, and it was a great experience. Also just getting to know him as a kid, he’s been my roommate through most of camp, and then since he’s been here we’ve been rooming together. It’s been good to get to know him. Obviously I heard a lot about him last year, with how well he did at Notre Dame. He’s been a great roommate, great friend, great supporter.

Because I’m playing more games right now doesn’t mean anything. It’s not a given. You’ve got to keep working hard. He’ll keep supporting me and I’ll keep supporting him. It’s a long road, a marathon, not a sprint.

PENS: The rosters are now set for playoffs, and it’s you and Brown. Is that settling for you as the team heads toward the postseason?

JC: I really haven’t thought about it. There’s pressure either way. I obviously prefer the way it is. But at the same time, there’s so much pressure in the short history of this team to get to the playoffs. There’s a tradition. We’re kind of on the bubble right now, we’ve got to press ahead. The last thing I want is to look back and have the excuse be we had young, inexperienced goaltending. That’s one of the things I want to put on my shoulders, and I know Brownie does too. We want that to be an asset of our team instead of a weakness that people are worrying about.

You’re only as good as your last game. A lot can happen. But that’s one of the things I’ve been thinking and putting on my shoulders, is you’ve got to make it to the playoffs, and from there anything can happen.