It’s been a while since I’ve added a player interview to the blog but Sam McCue’s heartbreaker celly after scoring the OT winner on Saturday night has spurred me back into action. McCue has been a blast to watch this year. He’s pumped when things go right, he’s crushed when things go wrong and he wears his heart on his sleeve. This year he’s found himself playing a key role on the power play and in the room as one of the older, more experienced players on a young roster here in Owen Sound. I caught up with the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick to chat about the season so far, his thoughts on this year’s team and some hard hitting content like who’s running the AUX pre-game.

Let’s start with reliving a bit of Saturday night’s OT win over the Kitchener Rangers. How good did that feel?

I’ve always dreamed of getting an overtime winner and this is the first year I’ve actually gotten into a game in overtime in the OHL. When I scored it was the best feeling ever.

It seems the heartbreaker has been making the rounds early in the season in the league. What made you bust that out?

I was actually on Attack Rap a couple weeks ago, and we were ranking the best goal celebrations and I ranked the heartbreaker number one. I said if I ever scored an overtime winner this year I would do it. So I pulled it out. I’ve seen my brother do it, and Easton Cowan do it and some guys in the league so I figured I’d go for it. It was pretty awesome.

This team has a reputation for refusing to quit. What was the mentality in that game once that second period lead slipped away?

This team does have a habit of letting off when we have a lead in the third and we kind of let off again against Kitchener and they scored two quick ones. One of them could have been offside and Harry almost scored right at the end so it was tight. We are a younger team and we have to find a way to stick to how we play in the first 40 minutes and not let off. I think the way we were able to pull it together showed just how good we can be against a really tough team.

This team has been to OT 4 times already this season  before Saturday night and all those games ended in a loss. What was the difference against the Rangers?

I think the key difference was thatwe got a power play. Our first shift went out and did fine and got some scoring chances and then we went out and drew a penalty and scored on the power play which was awesome.

You mentioned in your interview with Greg Cowan that you’ve been working on a playing a bigger role on the power play. Tell us about that?

I haven’t been on the first power play unit yet in my in my career in the OHL so to get the opportunity this year is great.  I’ve accepted that role and now I’m working on perfecting it and running with it.

Do you approach a game differently knowing the visiting team is on a 10 game winning streak?

I think we just had more bite to our game and more snap to it. I think their winning streak started with us when we lost to them in overtime. We’ve been good all year against the top teams. We beat Niagara when they were first. So coming into this game, we wanted to snap their streak after we’d just snapped our own losing streak on Wednesday with a win. 

What does the coaching staff say in terms of the opponents each game or is the philosophy the same?

We do the same pre-scout about the team and stuff but we definitely know they have really good players in the top six. We just talk about line matching and stuff like that. It was nice that we were able to get the win in front of our crowd at home.

It’s interesting that you’ve pointed out you guys play really well against the tough teams.

I think the tough teams make us work harder. It’s weird. We beat Branford  and Niagara who are top teams and we’ve taken London to overtime twice now and now we beat Kitchener in OT. They’ve all been really tight games. It just shows that we are right there with a lot of the top teams. We just need to win a few more.

Do you think a lot of folks in the league are sleeping on this team?

Yeah, for sure. We’re out of a playoff spot right now but we’re just starting to get in a groove. We lost a bunch in a row which sucked but we really were in most of those games against some really good teams. So, yes, I think people are sleeping on us. We are a young team but we’re right there.

You arrived in OS around the trade deadline last season. What differences are you seeing in the approach to things at the Bayshore this year compared to the end of last year?
I think the new coaches are well liked in our room.They’re around us a lot which is nice. They’re joking around and laughing so that just helps the environment a lot with the younger guys. We have a younger team with not too many older guys. I’m enjoying taking on that role and being one of the older guys and a leader. When I was 16, I needed that for sure so it’s great to carry that on.

What were you first impressions of OS and what have you come to love about playing here now?

The rink was smaller and it was colder (laughs). The city is a lot smaller and it gets really loud in here. Like on Saturday night, when we won and on Sunday when I was on that breakaway, you could hear clearly how loud the crowd was. It was quite cool. It’s definitely a hockey town and the small rink fits my game perfectly.

Speaking of that breakaway, that was some pass from Carter. What’s it like to play in front of him?

He’s amazing. He’s an outstanding goalie and we really enjoy having him back there, obviously.

He’s been great for us all year and he wins games for us for sure. That play could have been even better if I scored on it (laughs).

In Peterborough you had the chance to be part of a championship winning team and now you are part of a young rebuilding team here with a chance to be a leader. How does your past experience help you with your role here in Owen Sound?

Being a younger guy on a championship team was obviously really cool and I was happy to be a part of it. It was just my first year in the league so I spent a lot of time learning from the older guys, guys who are pro now like Tucker Robertson and Chase Stillman. Learning from all of those guys was really cool and I really appreciated it.  I’ve just taken their pro habits and applied  them to my game. Hopefully the younger guys can feed off that from me now.

What do the boys on the roster need to know about what it takes to win a championship?

It’s a grind and it’s hard. I didn’t play much during that run but just seeing the guys in our room and what they went through… broken bones, bruises and concussions and stuff. It’s a real grind to get to how far we did. Any playoff run is hard and the grind it takes to win hockey games and playoffs series is intense.

How would you describe this team this year? What are some of the best qualities you feel this lineup has?

I think we’re hard to play against. We’re tight in the D zone, and we come on strong in the O zone. We’re young but we finish every check and we’re tough to play against.

Tell us a bit about your experience at the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp this fall?

That was the biggest accomplishment of my career so far. It was a great time and obviously,  I learned lots from guys like Matthews and Marner. Just seeing what they do daily. I also had an opportunity to be there in the summer working out and training with the guys. I got to see the pro habits every day from those guys and I think it’s really helped me out so far this year in my playing and my daily routine.

What was the highlight there?

Playing an exhibition game in the rookie tournament and scoring at the Bell Centre in Montreal in front of a sold out crowd. I had a smile on my face for like the first five minutes of warm ups and then you couldn’t get the smile off my face after I scored.

What’s the most important thing you learned there about moving to the next level?

I’ve said it to Razor and a couple of the coaches now, it’s just how hard they are practicing every single day. It’s the battle drills and just how every single guy is just stronger, bigger, faster.  The jump to the next step is huge. But I’ve got some time to figure that out still thankfully.

Let’s rewind a bit to how you got started in hockey?

My dad played hockey at a university level. My brother plays hockey in the AHL now and so I kind of just followed in their footsteps and have been loving it since I was four or five years old in Sudbury.

What was it like growing up in the sport alongside your brother?

We had our rink in the backyard where we’d shoot pucks and stuff. We would all get out there together and work. We were always pushing each other but I think our dad pushed us the most. He got on us every day about getting bigger and stronger and faster, because those are the things you need for the next level. So other than me and my brother battling every day and chirping each non-stop, my dad took a big role in pushing us.

How important is the support of your parents? I’ve saw your mom at the rink last year wearing her half OS/half London jersey.

My brother is finally out of the league, so she can run a straight OS jersey now. But their support is everything and we get to see them pretty often. She’s down watching my brother in Cleveland right now but they’ll be back here in a few weeks. We talk every night and we always get to go for dinner when they are here. We are in touch all the time.

Now to the hard hitting stuff…

What kind of music do you listen to pre-game?

I listen to a lot of rap pre-game. I listen to country on the way to the rink but once I’m here it’s all rap.

Who picks the music in the room?

We have a bit of a schedule. I get to run the music from around 4 until after the video review. Then Petrovsky gets to run it until we get on the ice.

What’s one talent you wish you had?

Cooking.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

We have a family friend in Sudbury who has given me so much great advice. I can’t think of just one quote right now but all my great life advice has come from him.

Which NHL player do you most want to be like or admire?

I’d say Mason Marchment who plays for the Dallas Stars. He’s just a hard-working forward who scores goals here and there but gets in on the forecheck, hits guys and plays the right way.

What’s your favourite pre-game meal?

My billet family are great cooks so I have lots of options. They makes a mean lasagna but most of the time it’s chicken, rice and corn pre-game.

What’s your favourite post-game meal?

Pizza from Boston Pizza.

Thank you so much and good luck on the road.

Thanks!