One on one with �� Rick Nash, LW, Blue Jackets - NHL

TSN: You had a good rookie year, and you are having a great second year. How much more comfortable are you?

RN: This year I feel a lot more comfortable. I don't know if it is confidence or whatever. That one year under your belt really helps you start to know your role, and you know what you're supposed to do out there.

TSN: Is driving to the net something you take pride in?

RN: I don't know if you could call that my specialty. I don't think I have anything too special. That's where all the goals are coming from. You watch the highlights, and 90 percent of the goals are coming off of rebounds. I find if you just go there and pay the price, you're going to get rewarded.

TSN: The Blue Jackets traded stalwart defenseman Darryl Sydor and acquired a young, big center in Alexander Svitov from Tampa Bay. How do you view that trade?

RN: It was tough to lose a guy like Sydor. He's a great guy in the dressing room and a good player who is a veteran. It just shows what kind of a business it is, you know? When you're not making the playoffs, you have to look at your future, and picking up a guy like Svitov is real big. He was a third overall pick (in 2001), and it just might take him some time to bloom.

TSN: After the Blue Jackets traded up to No. 1 overall in 2002 to grab you, did that put extra pressure on you?

RN: I think it was lucky for me in my year because Jay Bouwmeester (taken third overall by the Panthers) was considered to be the top overall pick. Everyone expected him to go No. 1. Obviously, me going No. 1 did put a little pressure on. I think the guys on the team helped me out, like Andrew Cassels and Tyler Wright. They taught me to just play the game and not to worry about the other stuff.

TSN: Gerard Gallant recently took over as interim coach for Doug MacLean, the general manager and president. Has that made a difference?

RN: He's a bit different. We don't have the guy that is signing our paychecks behind the bench. Guys are not as uptight as we were. On the other hand, we lost a guy who is really dedicated to his job and got us really fired up.

Gerard coming in gives us a little spark, and sometimes that is all a team needs. The good thing is we didn't lose Dougie. He's still our boss and our G.M., and he is still at the rink every day.

TSN: What are your thoughts on the ability of teammate Nikolai Zherdev?

RN: The sky is the limit for him. This kid, watching him play and how he stick-handles, is pretty amazing. He just jumped right in. It looks like he has been in the league for five years, he's so comfortable out there. I think it's really exciting for us as teammates and for the fans and management to watch him.

TSN: Your childhood hockey hero was Mats Sundin of the Maple Leafs. Have you tried to pattern yourself after him, and have you had a chance to meet him?

RN: I don't think I really play much like him. He's a lot more skilled than I am. I just try to play my style, maybe something like a John LeClair (of the Flyers). He's rough in the corners and finishes around the crease.

Sundin is someone I still love to watch, growing up as a Leafs fan. I haven't spent any time with him. When you get to the rink, it's all business. I'm sure he doesn't want anybody coming up to him. That would be embarrassing if I did.

TSN: Did playing lacrosse as a kid help you with hockey?

RN: I think it did. I played lacrosse for about nine years. I think it really gives you soft hands, always cradling the ball and taking in passes.

It really helped with endurance, running up and down the floor. It gets hot out there. I think it really does carry over to hockey.

TSNumber 1.05

Goals scored per game by the Blues in 21 losses since December 22. After starting the season 20-6-3-1 and contending for first place in the Western Conference, the Blues plummeted nearly out of the playoff picture by going 10-20-6-1. In those 21 losses (including the overtime loss), the Blues have scored more than two goals once--a 5-3 loss February 4 at Edmonton--and have been shut out seven times.

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