91Èȱ¬

Mark Smith: I've been playing ice hockey since I was four years old. Everybody back home in Canada plays ice hockey and all my friends were doing it. My dad threw a bunch of gear at me, opened the door, tossed me out and closed the door

RYG: How hard do you have to train to play for the Devils?

MS: There's a lot of training involved in playing hockey. I mean you have to learn a whole new transportation to play this game and it takes a lot of practice. We practise every day for an hour and a half.

RYG: Can you describe a typical week as a Devils player?

MS: We usually have Mondays off. On Tuesdays we practice in the morning, and then a lot of the guys head to the gym. We have to keep fit off the ice to be fit on the ice. You practice at 100% every day in the gym and then you play every Saturday and Sunday. It's good but it's a lot of work.

RYG: How important is it to stay fit when you're playing ice hockey?

MS: It's a contact sport so you have to do a lot of weight training. You have to be strong because you hit the glass a lot.

RYG: What do you have to wear on the ice?

MS: We have to wear a lot of equipment. We wear shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads, pants and then there's the helmut and stick obviously. The most important thing is the skates because you need to skate on the ice. You play every day and you've been training for it your whole life.

RYG: Wearing all that kit must weigh you down though?

MS: Actually it doesn't. A lot of the stuff doesn't weigh anything. The heaviest part is your skates and they're pretty light.

RYG: You play a very physical game, do the players get injured much?

MS: We've been pretty lucky this year. We haven't had too many injuries with the guys. These guys get separated shoulders and ribs. A lot of guys get hit with the puck in the skate - that's going to hurt. It's mainly upper body, arms and shoulders.

RYG: How important are the fans in getting you psyched up for a game?

MS: It pumps you up if you're playing in front of a lot of people. So far we've been getting great support here. The Cardiff Devil fans are awesome - they're so loud it's unbelievable. It helps us get more motivated to play. When you're playing in front of a great crowd it's exciting.

RYG: What does it feel like when you're about to go out and play?

MS: I'm nervous every day. It doesn't matter that I've been playing for 24 years, I'm nervous before every single game. We get to the rink two hours before, just to get prepared, ready, and loosened up. Between the time you get there and the time you're on the ice it's very nerve-wracking. Until I get on that ice for the first shift I'm very nervous.