One On One Interview With Yannick Riendeau

While 22 other members of the Boston Bruins organization were busy swiveling with one skate, hopping and testing their skills in physical drills, one man was working on getting back to full strength. That man was 21 year old QJMHL scoring-sensation Yannick Riendeau. Following the first day of public practices, I had the chance to talk with the Quebec native and ask him some questions. Although I took notes during the interview, forgive me if I'm paraphrasing at one point either for myself, or for Yannick, who spoke good English for a recently transplanted French-Canadian.

Some of these may not be direct quotes as stated due to our conversation mentality of the interview and his occasional lack of knowing what to say, being a partially newcomer to the English language.

Ty: Firstly, thanks for giving me the time to answer some questions, and you seem to have quite a resume and I wonder, why Boston?
YR: Well, they chose me and I agreed to sign here.

Ty: We know you've put up some phenomenal stats in the Q in 08-09, are you returning to Drummondville for another season or joining the Providence Bruins?
YR: I'll be playing with Providence in 2009-10 when I'm ready to return.

Ty: Now we know you have the sling on your shoulder, but what exactly happened and when do you anticipate to return and play for Providence?
YR: I tore my labrum in my shoulder, and I'm expected to be out for about 5 months, building up my shoulder back to full health with rehabilitation. I should be out until about the end of November, but if not, I expect to be ready for the second half of the season in the AHL.

Ty: In recent years, Boston has become very good at drafting and developing young talent such as Quebec native Patrice Bergeron, and even attracting young guys such as Blake Wheeler to sign with Boston, how do you feel towards what they're doing?
YR: Yeah, it's become an appealing place for the young guys, even in Quebec. I know they drafted Jordan Caron and I feel like as an organization they're making the right steps to attract the young guys to play for Boston.

Ty: You mentioned the young guys, there's a lot of talk about Phil Kessel and how he may not return to the Bruins, and there's previously been talk about him not fitting into the Claude Julien system, although his 36 goals tell otherwise, do you feel that you could fit in the Julien system and have you met with Julien yet?
YR: I met with Julien yesterday during the first day of training camp, and we got to talking about the basics, getting to know each other, and hockey. I really feel that his approach to the game is smart and his system definitely works and it's a good one to play in and one I think I could fit in.

Ty: Your numbers really don't lie, you seem to have a great shot and be a sniper from what we've seen. Would you say that your time in Drummondville really helped you become a more complete player?
YR: Yeah, I think of myself as a guy who can pass and be a sniper too. My time in the Q definitely made me a more complete player, from playing defense to passing the puck instead of just shooting. The coaches we had were helpful at getting me to get bigger and play harder to get to the next level.

Ty: When do you hope to be in the NHL with Boston?
YR: Well, I need to go through Providence first and you know, it's my dream to be in Boston, playing in the NHL.


Ty: I know you're from Quebec, so here's comes the question: Nordiques or Canadiens fan growing up?
YR: I was a Montreal fan. But not anymore. *laughs*
Ty: *laughs* Yeah, Boston's got to be your favorite now.


Ty: Lastly, who would NHL player would you compare yourself to in terms of style of play?
YR: I'd say Mike Ribiero, he was fast, sneaky and could really create chances.


Ty: Thank you Yannick for making the time to talk with me, I hope your shoulder feels better soon and you're back to full strength soon. Thanks again for choosing Boston.
YR: Thank you for the interview.


Following the interview, all I could say is that this guy's as nice as they come. Following his practice, he came out into the parking lot, keeping to himself while listening to his iPod and texting on his cell phone to a group of eager fans waiting for autographs. He had no issue taking his headphones off to answer the seemingly thousands of questions a small child with a jersey littered with autographs had ranging from "When did you first play hockey and what was your teams name?" to "What's your favorite color?". Personally, I can't wait to see this guy show off his skills in Providence and hopefully in Boston.