Will 2011 Bring the Mark Streit of Old?

the good thing was he was extremely close to returning at the end of the season. He was probably in good shape and rested going into the off season. I would expect him to be in great shape now and playing well early

Meanwhile, 4:31 a.m. man! Are you on the West Coast?

Like I said yesterday, he isn’t a Brendan Witt 33

Hemsky, who is made of fine china

At least it’s fine China. I think.

Not a fair comparison at all.

I have had left shoulder problems, and I am a left handed shot. I had surgery on my left shoulder and the labrum was fixed. When I started playing again it felt the same as before the surgery. People have been worried that he might not be able to take the hitting or still have the bomb of a shot, but for me I experienced none of those problems. I had different injuries than Streit, but I am not worried that he wont be the same player

Below are some parts of a recent interview of a Swiss newspaper with Mark Streit. I was too lazy to translate and just used Google translate instead. As always, it sounds a bit funny, but most things should hopefully be clear – if not, just leave a comment here and I can clarify.

What is it for an ice hockey player, not have played a game for 16 months for a feeling?
At the moment it seems to me not as if I had not played for so long. I feel like every August on the ice very well. The summer was just like everyone else. But the time before that was tough. I had withdrawal symptoms. I had previously thought it impossible that I could miss an entire year. I had never been seriously injured. And then I fell stupid in the gang, and then it happened. Man injured, is shocked, but eventually you have to accept that and look forward.

Did you have to learn patience in this time?
I am an impatient person. But if you are injured, one is left nothing else. The doctor told me the same, as it stands, I’d probably miss the entire season. I could not tell the simple to the media.

Why not?
It was so decided by the club. At the end, when we were still in playoff close, I almost have intervened. If we had come within three or four points to a playoff berth, I would have played. But then came at the wrong moment, two, three defeats, and it was no longer realistic. The injury was a big challenge for me physically and mentally. For that I have enjoyed other things. I was grateful that she left me in December to spend in Switzerland. I was the first time in a long time to celebrate Christmas with my parents and my sister.

Have you discovered during your injury lay-off a new hobby?
This was no time. During the rehabilitation time you spend even more time than usual at the stadium There were long days. I had physical therapy, ice training, rehabilitation training. In February and March, I trained extremely hard. In the summer I played tennis and golf, as always, often went up and down and go fishing. These are the three hobbies, with whom I can spend whole days.

The wear is huge in the NHL. Were you able to recover through the rest?
Absolutely. Not just my shoulder could recover, the whole body and the mind. In the last six years I had a big burden, and mentally. The break has done me good. I am convinced that I still have a lot of hockey in me. And at a high level. I am fit and have trained well and always lived scrupulously. In the NHL 33 is no age. Mark Recchi has won the Stanley Cup with 42. Nicklas Lidstrom is 41 and has won the Norris Trophy again for the best defender. These are role models for me. That I find my way. Especially since I’ve realized how much I miss the sport.

What do you most miss?
Everything. The game itself, the thrill, the tension before the match. The challenge to compete against the best. The close games if you do not know on which side it tips over. The pressure. The team lives to go with the guys on an away trip. The night before, to eat together. Many think at 33, 34, they would have seen it slowly. I feel as if I were just beginning.

You recommended Jeff Tambellini Zurich’s sporting director Edgar Salis. Why?
I have a good relationship with Edgar, we call each other often. I told him, Tambellini is one, which you must get. The gates can shoot for miles. When I played for the Islanders with him, I quickly realized that he would be ideal for Swiss hockey. And he is also good in character.

What is your greatest strength?
Persistence. I was never one who excelled equally. I needed more time to get used to the people to level, coaches, teammates. I am the woodpecker, the einhackt incessantly and persistently on the tree comes to its destination. Has always driven me the joy of sports. And my parents have been major factors. If I was devastated, they built me. They were always there for me when it went bad. And if it went well, they made sure that I did not took off. My father always said, pride goes before a fall. I have a very strong bond with the family. Therefore, August is always a difficult month for me.

What do you mean?
In the last few weeks before I fly to North America, with me always a certain restlessness, nervousness is there. I’m still here, but no longer correct. I am happy again hockey, but privately it is hard. It hurts to say goodbye to for eight or nine months of family and friends to leave behind his environment. Many of flirting with foreign countries. But talking about it and doing it are two completely different things.

What do you expect in your third-season Islanders? The team flourished in the second half of last season on – a good sign?
The conditions are really good. But it is important that the guys continue to make progress. Grabner, Tavares, Nielsen, Moulson, Comeau, MacDonald, Hamonic: These are good, talented players. We have talent and a lot of bite. But the consistency will be crucial.

The Islanders behaved passively in the summer in the transfer market. Were you disappointed with that?
The aim was to strengthen us at certain points. Players like Christian Ehrhoff and James Wisniewski have anywhere else to get such highly paid contracts I had not given them as a GM. We have a core of players, which was built in the last two or three years. The chemistry of the team is right. The strategy now is to let the boys do sometimes, is good.

What do you think your Swiss teammate Nino Niederreiter to?
His goal is a regular place. He will have grown physically safe in the summer. He will be there at the beginning, and then it is to fight him to a seat. We have a good rapport with each other, I will certainly support him. He should not put too much pressure. He is only 19th But with him I have a good feeling. He is a down to earth and ambitious boy.

You are the face of the advertising campaign for the Islanders season tickets. Is this an indicator that you will be captain?
I do not know. It has, of course, flattered me. I would love to be captain, it would be a nice challenge. But if I am, I see in a month. One thing is clear: There will be a new captain because Doug Weight has resigned.

Joining him on the ice are also Jonas Hiller (ANA), Roman Josi (NSH) and Yannick Weber (MTL).
Swiss TV went for a visit at Bern’s training facilities.
SF.tv sometimes uses geoblocking, so I uploaded the videos on youtube.
video 1
video 2 (similar to the first)

In a nutshell:

• Swiss NLA starts September 8, so the ice training sessions are already of high intensity at the beginning of August. This allows him to be at a higher level than many other players at the beginning of training camp.
• Goals of the trainings are finding the rhythm and getting back the condition (shape)
• SC Bern’s coach Larry Huras is happy Mark is there and gushes about he quality of his passing.
• He can’t wait for the next season. Islanders are a young, very talented team with some good veterans. The objective is to make the playoffs this season and he hopes someday to win the Stanley Cup.
• His personal goal is to regain the same level of play as before the injury. He already feels good and is surprised how good everything is going. He does’t have any concerns and looks ahead.
  “Playing hockey is like riding a bike, you can’t unlearn it!”