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Q&A with Mark Fistric
Written by: Kevin Forbes on 06/03/2006 
An incident that will follow him might have occurred for Vancouver Giant defenseman Mark Fistric in the semi-final match up of the 2006 MasterCard Memorial Cup. In the final minute of the game against the Moncton Wildcats, the Dallas Stars prospect leveled opposing goaltender Josh Tordjman with a hit out of nowhere. Tordjman was trying to pull teammate Jerome Samson away from a tussle with Vancouver forward J.D. Watt (CGY), when Fistric, interpreting this as a third man entering the fray, skated in from the blue line and flattened the netminder with a hit to the shoulder. Whether or not this incident will follow Fistric remains to be seen, however it stands as his last act on the ice as a junior player.
Fistric was chosen in the first round by the Dallas Stars in 2004. A native of Edmonton Alberta, Fistric is blessed with impressive size (6’3, 230lbs) and uses it with abandon, occasionally crossing the line. In 60 regular season games in the WHL, Fistric scored seven goals and had a total of 29 points, along with 144 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, in the playoffs, he had a goal and ten points, with 30 penalty minutes in 18 games. Finally, in Memorial Cup competition, Fistric was held without a point in five games of play.
The captain of the Vancouver Giants, Fistric is described by head coach Don Hay as “a real physical guy, a solid stay at home guy. He really makes forwards pay in the corners and in front of the net. He’s got the right amount of skill to go along with it. He skates well and he’s a mean guy and he’s really tough on forwards.”
Hockey’s Future caught up with Fistric at the MasterCard Memorial Cup, just prior to the Giants semi-final game against the Moncton Wildcats.
HF: Can you describe yourself as a player and what you bring to the Giants?
MF: I think I bring, obviously, good leadership. I think I’m a hardworking guy that competes in all situations. I just try to bring as much as I can. A lot of physical play.
HF: You mentioned leadership and obviously, you’re the captain (of the Giants). Can you talk a bit about what that means to you to have that ‘C’ on your sweater?
MF: Well, it’s a great honor. I’ve been part of this organization since it’s been established and they kind of grew me into the player I am now. I owe a lot to this organization and to be able to represent the captaincy for the team and to be at the Memorial Cup is definitely a great honor for me.
HF: Has being the captain changed the way you play or the way you approach things in the dressing room?
MF: Yeah, it definitely makes me a lot more vocal and I think maybe on the ice, you turn down a fight or two that normally you would take because you’re more valuable on the ice. Other than that, you have the ‘C’ for a reason and that’s because of what you do before and I don’t think that anything changes because you wear it.
HF: You’re known as being more of a defensive guy. Have you ever had the inclination to make more rushes and go into the other zone to try to score some goals?
MF: (grinning) Yeah, I try. When I get the chance, I definitely take it. When I was younger, I never really did. Now that I’m older, I’m a little more experienced. I can get back in the play a lot quicker and it’s just a lot more fun for me to be able to jump up the odd time and again.
HF: You’re obviously a pretty big guy. I read that you sometimes have problems finding sports coats because your shoulders are so broad. Have you always been this big?
MF: (laughing) Yeah, pretty much. I wasn’t that guy that was lanky and then filled out. I was always proportioned to my height. I was very fortunate to always be the bigger guy playing. But as the levels go on, you start to go against guys that are more like you and bigger, so it’s a great challenge for me and I love going up against a guy that’s bigger than me.
HF: What do you do in the offseason for training? Anything in particular?
MF: Not too much. My strength is pretty much natural. I love to just work on body weight stuff and obviously my cardio, being a bigger guy, is definitely important to me.
HF: You’re a Dallas Stars draft pick. Have they been in touch with you this season and into the playoffs?
MF: Yeah, actually Doug Armstrong, the General Manager called me right before I left to come here. Just wished me luck and was just congratulating me on the progress we had all year. It’s just great whenever they get in contact with me, to hear from them and it means a lot to me.
HF: Maybe this decision has already been made but with the Giants hosting the Memorial Cup next year in Vancouver, are you going to be moving on with a pro career?
MF: Yeah, next year I fully intend to be a pro. Whether it’s in Dallas or in their farm, I’ll hopefully find a spot somewhere in there and that’s my plan for next year.
HF: With the new rules, you guys haven’t seen them as much in the WHL, have they frustrated you a bit here? Obviously they make your role as a defenseman a little harder, but have you noticed it that much?
MF: No, not so much. I don’t think the reffing has been that much different than what we were accustomed to in the Western League. I think that maybe they call a little bit more penalties but they’re pretty much all the same that they would call in the Western League. Obviously it allows the d-man to have to skate more and that’s a great challenge for us and we love playing that way.
HF: Can you talk about the effect that Don Hay has had on your hockey career?
MF: Don Hay is a well-known coach and he’s well respected for his accomplishments. Playing for him, I’ve learned a lot. Not only leadership qualities but as well as on the ice skills that will help me to become a pro one day. He told me that hard work will get you a lot of places.
Copyright 2006 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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