"When he coached me in Pittsburgh he said, If you want to be great, you have to know the history of your game. I remember that very well, and thinking that what he is trying to say is that every kid needs an idol. And when I was watching the World Championships and the Olympics, I was looking for an idol.
And I started with Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Paul Coffey. Then Hakan Loob, Jarri Kurri, who was my favourite guy when I was young. I wanted to be a goalscorer like him. But also Czech legends Jaroslav Pouzar, Igor Liba, Nedomansky, Martinec, Novy, Pospisil. I loved them all. They're the reasons I became the player I became."