Interview with Ove Dyrdahl

[GRZ 179]

We caught up with Ove Dyrdahl before game 4 against Chicago, here's what we chatted about:

First of all, hello! We appreciate you taking your time to talk to, I'm sure the D.C fans are excited to finally get to know you a little bit more!
"Hey, and yeah... this season has been a big rollercoaster but right now we are on the upswing and I'm happy about it, so it felt like the perfect time to properly talk to the press"
Lets start with your decision to further your career overseas, surely you had an offer to stay home and play hockey there?
"That's a good question and to be honest, I didn't even reach out to see if my team wanted to extend me, whenever my dad talked about how he used to play hockey and how great everything here at home is, I always wondered what the hockey overseas was, because we didn't watch much TV nor did we follow their leagues that much, so we basically had a no idea how anything worked here, some said the hockey here is much easier, some said its brutal and I wanted to experience it myself, and I am glad I did"
So how would you describe the league then? Is it really brutal or was it much easier than you thought?
"I'd say neither, it's a professional league where everyone wants to prove themselves, if you get lazy you can get replaced easily, so there's that added pressure, I like it, personally, I like when I have to work hard to impress my coach just so he has more reasons to include me in the next lineup, if he doesn't.... well, then I just make him regret his choice"
Interesting, lets move on to your draft, many expected you to go in the first round but you slid to the middle of the second, has it impacted your perception of you as a player?
"The draft day was really hectic but really exciting at the same time, here's some sneak peak at what happened - when we got there couple of hours before the draft, everyone got their instructions with the whole "stand here, look there and smile, take your jersey put it on, take the cap, put it on, look there smile" type of deal, but when all of that was happening someone accidentally bumped into me and spilled their coffee on my suit, so we had to rush and get a new one, and I still like to believe that it was destined that I landed in D.C because just when I got back in time they made their selection and picked me.
That's almost like a comedy skit, must have been hilarious and stressful at the same time, no?
"The boys and I laughed it off yeah, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't get anxious when it happened"
What's your impression of D.C?
"I really like it here, the fans are passionate, my teammates are all supportive and really talented, our stadium is one of the best, it's always jam-packed on gamedays and it's really futuristic and has lots of fun things you can do before/after the games"
It seems like we have run out of time this time, thanks for joining us and good luck in the playoffs, Ove!
"Thanks for having me!"

[jRuutu 2,375]

8/10

 

Solid article! The questions are good and keep the interview going forward. The answers are well thought out. I liked the fact that you gave some insight into the draft day experience.

 

The typical ''picture or two'' suggestion for improvement is the only thing I have. Good stuff.