20 questions with Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson

Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

In our latest series of 20 questions, I go 1-on-1 with Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson:

1. Favorite NHL team growing up and why?

The Wild, just from being from Minnesota. I lived right there and that's all we watched.

2. Favorite NHL player growing up and why?

Marián Gáborík. He was a scorer on the Wild.

3. What was your welcome to the NHL moment?

I don't know, probably just my first day. I was kind of thrown into the fire. I got called up on a Friday and played at noon on Saturday. I was sitting next to Travis Zajac and Drew Stafford in the locker room, just a couple of older vets that I grew up watching. It was cool.

4. Favorite road city in the NHL

Probably Vegas. I like Vegas.

5. Favorite road arena in the NHL

Maybe Little Caesars Arena in Detroit? I like that rink. It's just new and really nice and a good setup for the road team. 

6. Favorite all-time teammate and why?

Oh gosh. That's a deep one. I've been on a lot of teams I feel like. Maybe Joe Blandisi? He's on the Toronto Marlies right now. I'm really close with him. He's awesome. Him or honestly Brett Seney in Rockford. Brett's probably my best friend that I made in hockey, him and Kieffer Bellows.

7. Why do you wear No. 15?

I didn't really want a high number when I got traded here, and they asked me and I said: 'You got anything between 10 and 20 that's not out of control?' 15 was kind of a good number. I've worn almost every number. In college I wore 13, junior I wore 17, I wore 14 in New Jersey, 28 in Toronto, high school I wore 19. Honestly, I kind of like odd numbers and I like them to be under 20 would be ideal.

8. Favorite activity to unwind from hockey?

Just hang out with family. We like to go bowling or like golf. You can't really golf in season but just hanging out. A lot of cribbage and cards. Just different things like that.

9. What's your stick flex number?

85. I started at 85 in high school and kind of played around with it, went down to 80 because I pretty much just take snapshots, and especially when I was in college I shot a ton of pucks and it was really easy for me to get it off, so I always went with the lighter stick. I think I just got too big and it was way too whippy for me. So I can get the same snap on an 85 flex, and I cut it down a little bit too so it's a little stiffer than that.

10. What's one thing you have to do on a game day? The popular answer is nap

I don't nap actually. I'll lay down and throw some TV on, watch a cartoon or something. I drink a cup of coffee, one in the morning and one before the game. It's my favorite. I don't have any superstitions, really. I don't want to have to be tied to anything because some days I can't do everything. Like some days maybe I'm banged up and I need treatment or something, so if I can't do something, I don't want to be tied to it and then it messes up my whole routine.

11. Best hockey prank you've witnessed

I don't know if I've even seen any. I've never really been on a team that pranks anybody. I mean, it's kind of rude. *Laughs* I don't really have any that I've been a part of. A guy in Toronto when I was with the Marlins, I forget which guy, but we put a name on his helmet the whole day. He said something and we were just making fun of him. Stuff like that happens once in a while.

12. Hardest player you've had to defend and why

Probably Connor McDavid. I feel like there's probably five players that you get depending on who you ask, but they're all in the same little realm.

13. Current or former player you'd want as your linemates

Jason Dickinson, duh! And Colin Blackwell. No, everyone I've played with has actually been awesome. Fliggy, Dicky, TJ.

14. Build your all-time 3-on-3 overtime lineup

Umm, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov.

No Connor McDavid?

I don't know, I'm trying to change it up and give something different. *Laughs* I think all those three guys get the job done too.

15. Favorite TV show

South Park probably. 

16. Favorite vacation spot in the summer

I don't really go on vacation, but probably Vegas if we go on trip. I've only been three or four times with the team, and then me and my wife went once together and it was awesome. But we don't go on vacations honestly. Our trips, we'll do a weekend up in Duluth but it's not really a vacation, it's in the summer.

17. Favorite sport outside of hockey?

Golf.

18. What's your golf handicap?

0.

Seriously?

Yeah, but it'll fluctuate. Like, at the peak of summer, I was a +0.3 I think, and then I'll go anywhere from that to a 3.

There was an NHL Players' poll on the best golfers in the league. Did you make that list?

Probably not. 

I know Joe Pavelski was up there.

Oh, he would smoke me for sure. He's like a tournament player though. I'm just a guy you don't want to play on a Wednesday morning. I'm getting better. It takes a little bit for me to get going but then by August I'll be playing really good.

Oh, and which 3 teammates would you want in a foursome?

I'm trying to think of who's probably a stick in here. I'll take Andreas Athanasiou, he's pretty good. I've never seen Seth Jones golf but he's a vibes guy and I think he'd be fun to have on the course and have a good time. And maybe Boris Katchouk. He's pretty good. He'll be able to move the needle for us.

19. Favorite non-hockey athlete ever? I'm guessing a golfer?

I run into so much trouble with this because I have so many favorite golfers. If you took the Top 20 in the world, I'd probably name 15 of those guys as my answer. I'll say Jordan Spieth just because I love him. I've always been a fan of him.

I'm on the Scottie Scheffler train right now.

Ah, f--k, Scottie's my guy too. I can't pick him right now though with the putting. 

20. If you weren't a hockey player, what would you be?

Right now? Probably a dad. Just a stay at home dad. 

Any idea what you want to do post-playing career? 

Be a dad hopefully. I have one kid and we have another one due in May.

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