5/09/2009

Mathieu in Canadeins magazine

Mathieu Schneider has awesome fans. And I'm not just talking about me. *wink wink*

Mélina, or who I shall now refer to as "Goddess Among Women," sent me a copy of the Canadiens magazine which features Mathieu on the cover (because I'm a librarian, I feel it important to point at that this issue is volume 23 #5, dated only 2008-2009).


hey, my kitchen floor looks pretty clean.

Merci beaucoup, Méline! Vous êtes une super nana!*


The article, "LA BOUGIE D'ALLUMAGE / The Catalyst," by Manny Almela, covers a lot of ground. Here are just some tasty tidbits:


On Chris Chelios:
"He was a role model for me when I was first breaking into the league and he was a player I tried to pattern my game after," noted Schneider, who has also trained in the offseason with Chelios in Venice Beach, CA for the past 14 summers. "We were already tight, but our time together in Detroit brought us even closer. I've always heard that we look alike, too. Our wives used to say when we were in Detroit that they could only tell us apart because one of us was a lefty and the other was a righty."
Good, I don't feel so bad that I had a hard time telling them apart on the ice. Same coloring, same profile, same stature, similar number... drove me nuts.

On his age, and his hair:
No matter what his birth certificate says, he actually seems not far removed from being asked for his I.D. by a bartender. "I don't get teased about it now because it's a good thing to look young at my age; it's when you look really young in your early 20s that is sucks," admitted Schneider, who will turn the big 4-0 in June. "But I do get shocked with each passing birthday. I just don't feel my age. It helps that I've been lucky to hold onto my hair; some of my buddies haven't been as fortunate in that area. I've often be accused of dyeing it, but let me go on the record as saying I've never done that. Check it out - I've got a few grays coming in here on the sides."
Thank God! I was getting very self-conscious that I have more gray hair than he does. Hey Mathieu, since we have the same color hair, here is what I use: Revlon ColorSilk™, in either dark brown or brown-black. Covers the gray, but doesn't change the color so it looks natural.


On the youth and nutrition:
(when shown the old Canadiens magazine) "I can't believe how young I look in that one - are you kidding me?" he laughed in disbelief. "This seems like only yesterday to me, that's the crazy thing. It was sucha blast and the memories are still vivid." .... "That kid there was all about double cheeseburgers and poutines, that's for sure," he admitted, shaking his head.... "I'm pretty strict when it comes to my diet now. It becomes a lifestyle thing, but that doesn;t mean I don;t sneak in a bag of M&Ms here and there," he reveled with a smile.... "The first time I had an egg white omelet, did I like it? No. But you get used to it."
Hmmm... I wonder if Mathieu can teach me about better nutrition. I know I should eat better, but I'm lazy. And cheeseburgers are just so tasty. Egg-white omelets? Not so much. I've never had poutine, but it is the first thing I do when I go to Montreal some day.


Chris Chelios on Mathieu's chipper return to Montreal:
"That's just Schneids, he's always smiling," laughed Chelios. "He just likes to show off those perfect teeth of his. He's a good psoitive guy and a great team guy. He loves the camaraderie. I'm sure it was a real easy fit for him. It's looked pretty natural to me since he's come back. It seems like he never left."
Shhh! I've heard those aren't really his. Well, they are his in the sense that he has a receipt for the dental payments. But they aren't nature's originals.


On advice received from Marty McSorley:
"He warned me not to get grumpy as I got older. He admitted that in his last few years he was always grumpy, knowing he knew morethan everybody else, and he still has regrets about that. That's something that stuck with me ever since. It's funny, I ran into him the day I was traded and thanked him for the advice."
My youngest nephew had a questionnaire to ask his family for homework the other day, and one of the questions asked for 3 pieces of advice. I said "try your hardest at everything you do," "take responsibility in the good and bad," and "be nice to people." If I had known, I would have replaced that last one with "don't be grumpy."


On longevity:
Schneider's pleasant disposition aside, how much longer is he willing to put his body through the rigors of life in the NHL? "I made a mistake of putting a cap on it five years ago, but here I am still," he said. "As long as I feel as good as I do now, I'll keep it going. A goal I do have is to play in the Olympics next year in Vancouver. That's a big thing I'd love to do."
That is a goal he's had for a long time now. Well, four years at least. I'm not sure he's on Team USA's short list, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for him.

The rest of the article talks about his rocket of a shot, his love for the power play, his appreciation what he learned in Montreal the first time around, and other stuff. A good read... and even cooler because it is in French as well. Everything looks (and sounds) cooler in French.

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*I KNEW that phrase was going to come in handy one day!

2 comments:

Khumbu said...

It was an honor for me. You deserve it!

and...

I always knew that one day someone admits that I am «une super nana!» ahahah!!! Thank you! =)

Anonymous said...

Ahah, I told you 'vous êtes une super nana' was a useful phrase!