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Chris Durno is a 6’4” 215-pound forward with the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators. He spent four years with Michigan Tech of the WCHA and attended 2003 training camp with the Milwaukee Admirals. So far this season with the Gladiators, the 23-year-old has 10 goals and 13 assists, 34 penalty minutes, and is +7 in 47 games. Six of those points have been scored in the past week as he’s gone on a bit of a hot streak.

HF: What’s gotten into you lately? Why do you think you’re suddenly scoring?

CD: All season we’ve been focusing on defense and doing the little things. Lately our line was reunited about two or three weeks ago and everything started to click. We’ve been putting the puck on the net and the puck’s been going in. It hasn’t been that we’ve been doing anything amazing with the puck, deking guys. We’ve been getting a lot of dirty goals in front of the net, just keeping it simple in our own zone.

HF: So really nothing’s changed then.

CD: Just being back together as a line. We were split up for a while. Being back together, we all really like to play together. We work the puck well low together. I haven’t changed anything in terms of preparation or anything like that. I’m maybe just getting comfortable as we’ve gone along here.

HF: Overall, how do you think your season’s been going?

CD: I think it’s been going pretty good, there’s definitely been some ups and downs. We started the season really hot, we came in, 12 rookies this year and no one really knew what to expect. We came out real strong. We played well at the start of the year and other teams were trying to keep up with us. And then we kind of went through a lull around Christmas time and hit a skid. It seems we’re back on track now. We don’t consider ourselves rookies. We’ve played 50 games now and if we don’t know what we’re doing by now, we’re never going to know. So, hopefully everything will come together here at the end of the season and have a little run at the playoffs.

HF: How do you think your transition from college to pro hockey has gone?

CD: I didn’t really know what to expect coming out of college. I went to camp in Milwaukee [AHL] and I had a good camp. I thought I played well. But coming to the Coast I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I got here it was excellent hockey. It’s a different style of hockey from college. College is kind of run and gun, you have four lines and it runs through everybody. You come here and you have three lines and you’re going almost every other shift. I think the biggest transition is playing all these games. We play 72 games compared to 35 games, twice as many. You have to learn to be ready every night.

HF: Do you find it more draining physically?

CD: I don’t think so. I feel better now because in college you’re always running around with school. We had days from 8 am to 11 at night, and never had five minutes all day to sit down. Now you have practice in the morning and have the afternoon to relax, keep your body healthy and get some proper food in you and whatnot. I think it’s a little easier in terms of that now.

HF: Were there any surprises turning pro?

CD: I didn’t expect the team I was coming to with a bunch of young guys to be as good as we are. We’re definitely one of the best teams in the league if we come out and play every night. I didn’t expect this building here that we play in to be as nice as it was. This is definitely the best building I’ve seen so far this year. In terms of the game, I don’t think there’s been many surprises. It’s just more of a controlled game. You have to play better defensively and smarter all around hockey. [Coach] Jeff [Pyle]’s made sure we all know the systems and that each guy knows what he’s doing each time he steps on the ice. He wants to make sure everyone is on the same page and I think it shows, how well we’ve done this year.

HF: Another player I interviewed said that Gwinnett has the deepest team in the league. Is that a source of pride for you and your line?

CD: We take a lot of pride, whether you’re on the first line, second line, third, you still have to do the same job. You have to play defense and try to chip in a few goals here and there. I guess it’s a nice compliment. We try to go out there and be the best line no matter who we’re playing against, no matter what we consider ourselves. I don’t think we usually put ‘third line’ on it, we just go out and try to do our job every night.

HF: Can you talk about your linemates and what each guy’s strengths are?

CD: I think all three of us play pretty well down low with the puck. Usually when Goody [Kris Goodjohn] ends up with the puck down low, Steve [Slonina] or I will try to crash the net. Kris is good at finding us with the puck. He’ll get behind the defenders once in a while and have a breakaway or create a 2 on 1 opportunity. I try to be physical, I try to take the puck and just do the little things, chip it off the boards to the guys. They both have great speed. We’re all real close the three of us and everything’s just been clicking with us lately. Hopefully it continues to do so.

HF: You seem very willing to stand in front of the net.

CD: If we’re working the puck in the corner, I have confidence in Steve and Goody that the puck’s going to get to the net eventually. I don’t always have to go to the corner. One of them will get the puck and bring it to the net one way or another. So me being there creates that screen or a rebound.

HF: Would you say that ‘power forward’ is a good categorization of your game?

CD: I think that’s a good categorization. I’d like to be more of a power forward, I don’t think I play physical enough every night. Sometimes I get away from that. When I’m playing physical that’s when I play my best hockey. I just have to continue to reinforce that in my head, that I have to go out there and make a couple hits every shift, create a couple turnovers, my linemates that way.

HF: You’ve been getting more power play time lately.

CD: Yeah, probably about a week ago Phil [Lewandowski] got hurt, and the power play just hadn’t been clicking for whatever reason. I got an opportunity and we ended up scoring the first time I stepped on the ice. Jeff said to try it again because it hadn’t been working and I scored about 10 or 15 seconds into that shift. So I’ve been getting some opportunities since then, scored another goal or two on the power play, but you know it could change from day to day. You have to keep producing.

HF: You got into a fight the other night as well.

CD: It’s something that being a big guy I definitely need to bring into my game more. I guess just making this transition to pro hockey, it’s been a little different. It’s something I have to do. I think it will come more as the season goes along. I don’t go looking for fights every night, but I’m not going to back down if someone challenges me.

HF: What would you say your weaknesses are?

CD: I think one thing I could definitely work on is my speed. Being a big guy, being quicker gives you that much more of an advantage over your defenders. I can always work on my shot. Just my quickness in general I think.

HF: Have you ever taken power skating courses?

CD: When I was younger. When I came to college my skating was my weakest thing and I got a lot better in college. Being a bigger guy, it’s tough sometimes to get your feet moving. You have to keep your head trained to keep your feet moving. I think I’ve gotten better, it’s just something I need to keep working on.

HF: When did you reach your full height?

CD: I think it was Grade 11. I was this height but I was real light. When I went to school I probably weighed 185 maybe. When I came out of school I was 215 pounds. That was one thing college was great for, it taught you to get in the weight room and train and get big in the summer and do a lot of the little things. That’s one thing I really respect about the college game. It helps you, you’re not getting banged up every night. It gives you the opportunity to get bigger and stronger in the four years you’re there.

HF: Did you ever think you were going to get drafted when you were 18?

CD: It wasn’t really something I thought. During the season I talked to a couple people, but nothing was really happening. It wasn’t a big deal for me. I kind of was a late bloomer I guess, after I started to gain weight I got better out there, a bit more of a power forward I guess you could say. It wasn’t a big deal for me not getting drafted. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be playing hockey in four years. I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing. It didn’t really matter to me at that point I guess.

HF: How did you end up at Michigan Tech?

CD: I talked to a couple other schools before I chose Michigan Tech. The WCHA is one of the best conferences in the country. I thought it was the best opportunity for me to come in and start playing. The hockey is great out there, the crowds are great. It’s a good place to play. I didn’t know many people out there. I got to meet a lot of people.

HF: What did you major in?

CD: Marketing and Management.

HF: How did you end up in Gwinnett?

CD: Jeff played up at Northern Michigan, close to Michigan Tech. He got put onto me, I’m not sure who through, but he started calling me this summer. Right from the start Jeff was real up front with me, he was real honest, and I liked everything he was saying. I came down here and I worked hard. And things worked out. At the start of the year I wasn’t playing much, at one point I got put on waivers. I got lucky, I got another opportunity to come back here. It was just something he had to do, it was a numbers game. It worked out, I got back in the lineup and I didn’t want to lose my spot from that point on. It was a second chance for me. I wasn’t playing my best hockey. That really forced me to play better or I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

HF: What have you done different this time?

CD: When I came back I wanted to be more physical, to be a presence on the ice one way or another. If I wasn’t scoring goals, I have to do something to get ice time, whether it was getting in a fight, or throwing a big hit or just playing solid defensively. Slowly everything just came together and things started working for me. Jeff responded by giving me more ice time and showing confidence in me as the season’s progressed.

HF: I noticed you down on the bench alone before the game, is that something that you do a lot to get away from everybody for a while?

CD: I’ve only done it the last couple games. Just get a feel for my stick. Come out and talk to the kids. It gives me a little break. They like to blast the music in there and I need a break from that every few minutes because it rocks my head.

HF: What kind of music is played in the lockerroom?

CD: There’s a lot of rock, a lot of heavy metal. Usually when the heavy metal comes on I take a few minutes and go outside. I can’t deal with it all the time. Everyone takes turns bringing music in, no one is too picky about what we listen to.

HF: Why do you wear #*8?

CD: I grew up wearing #8 all along. When I went to juniors, and into college I switched to #25 and #26. I came down here and Blue [Bennefield] had #26. I decided to go back to #8, I didn’t want to step on any toes. I definitely wasn’t going to take #26 off Blue.

HF: What would make a successful season for you?

CD: Before the season started we had a goal of making the playoffs. But as the season went along, we realized we’re a better team than just making the playoffs. If I didn’t go deep into the playoffs this year, I think I’d be upset because we have the talent to do it here. We have a great group of guys. Just getting to the first round wouldn’t be good enough for me or for anyone on this team. We want to go deep in the playoffs and that’s how I’m going to measure it this season.