One of the most highly anticipated players ever to come out of Canadian Junior Hockey - Possessing ridiculous speed and stick-handling skills, he tore apart QMJHL in his draft year, accumulating a staggering 137 points in only 53 games. His on-ice production and domination, along with his good looks, personality & marketability vaulted him to the top of the list of prospects for the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected 1st over-all by the Ottawa Senators, but struggled to reach the lofty expectations placed on him by NHL scouts and fans alike. At the young age of 25, he retired & walked away from the NHL entirely... He moved to the West Coast and played "recreational pick-up hockey" instead. Crazy right?? 2 years later, with his love of the sport re-kindled, he secured a try-out with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He returned to the NHL and played for 3 more seasons. During this return, despite still not living up to the earlier high expectations set by others, he did manage to quietly earn respect from his coaches and teammates alike.
Now 48 years old, Alex has opened up, sharing a transparent, candid and very insightful conversation on what it was like to have had those high expectations (on an NHL team that had only won 10 games the entire previous season) thrust upon him as a teenager. And very importantly - how he now feels about the 10 year NHL career he managed to put together! A fascinating interview - ENJOY!
