Wednesday 04 October 2006

Photo André Pichette, La Presse

CANADIEN

Komisarek wants to be a “Locomotive”

François Lemenu

Canadian Press

Montréal

Mike Komisarek no longer will be happy in the role as a support worker. In his third season in Montreal, the defenseman from West Islip,New York, expects to be a locomotive and pull the cars.

“I don’t want to be a simple passenger”, said the young giant who measures 6'04 and 242 lbs. “I want to be a force on this team, a tough player who the coach won’t hesitate to send into action, no matter the circumstances.” Komisarek trained hard this summer, even practiced yoga to complete his conditioning and form. Even if he had an ordinary training camp, he feels more at ease in Montreal for the first time in his career. “My first two years allowed me to familiarize myself with my new environment and learn the basics of my trade. Today, I feel good because I feel at home.”

A Defensive Defenseman

Komisarek will never be an offensive defenseman even if he was the first overall choice of the Habs (7th overall choice) in the 2001 NHL Draft.  He was the first defenseman drafted in the first round.
In 2002-2003, he was limited to one assist in 21 games. The following year he earned 4 assists in 46 games.  Last season, he scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 71 games. Mike suffered the loss of his mother to cancer during the past season, but always remained professional.

“I never earned a ton of points admits the ex-University of Michigan defenseman. My strengths are blocking a lot of shots, playing the body and make good passes out of the zone. I am calmer on the ice now.  At the beginning I had a lot of uncertainty in my play.  I was more dependant on my defensive partner.  I am more confident now, which comes with experience.”

A duo with Markov?

Komisarek ended the season playing with Andreï Markov.  He should rejoin the Russian this season as Rivet will play with Souray and Dandeneault with Niinimaa.
“I finished the season with Markov but I’ll wait to see what the coach’s plans are.”  
Komisarek expects that the team will have a good season. The team is pretty much the same except for the addition of Sergeï Samsonov, Mike Johnson, Guillaume Latendresse and Niinimaa.
“We are a close knit group” he says. In Mont-Tremblant for example, the players hung out together. One day, you were with one group and the next day a different group. There is a sense of camaraderie on this team. It is essential in order to win”, he said.