Captain John Vigilante kicks off the first installment of “Breaking the Ice with…” The feature will be a season long series on plymouthwhalers.com and showcase a different Whaler so we can get to know them better.
Drafted by Plymouth in the 11th round (209th overall) in the 2001 OHL Draft, Vigilante is one of the overagers on the team and a four-year player in the organization. In this season's first game, September 21st at Saginaw, Vigilante played in his 200th career game and tallied a goal and 5 assists. Vigilante took a few minutes before practice to help us break the ice.
» On the greatest lesson he has learned from hockey…
"Basically, just always work hard in practice. You can never get better unless you keep working hard at it."
» On the best advice he has ever been given…
"Best advice would be from my parents and that’s 'Always push yourself to be the best. Never settle for not being the best you can be.'"
» On how he started playing hockey…
"When I was three-years-old I started skating and at four-years-old I started playing hockey. Basically because my two brothers were hockey players and my sister was a figure skater, they put me in the sport."
» On who has influenced him the most in hockey…
"My whole family is influential, but if it’s one person, it’s probably my brother Mike just because he’s the closest in age to me and I got to follow his hockey a lot growing up."
» On choosing major junior hockey, when his brother played college hockey at LSSU…
"I like to play hockey. College seasons are 36 games and the OHL is 68. Plus, we get college here too, so I’d rather play more games and still go to college."
» On his youth hockey highlight…
"A youth hockey highlight, the one that comes to mind, is my first overtime goal that won district championships. I was like 9 or 10 and it was the first one ever that I remember."
» On his most memorable goal…
"Most memorable goal would have to be actually in the OHL and game 7 when we beat the London Knights. I scored the game winner with like five minutes left in the game to move on. That’s probably my best moment in a Whalers’ uniform because it brought us on to the next round of the playoffs. It just meant a lot since we were moving on, but that would probably have to be my most memorable goal."
» On the player he admires and tries to model his game after…
"Someone I admire a lot as a player is Steve Yzerman just for his leadership role. He’s been captain for 20 years with the Red Wings and you never really hear anything wrong about him. Someone I try to model my game around is Scott Gomez. He likes to pass the puck and he scores some goals too. He’s just a real good player."
» On the toughest player he has played against…
"(Tyler) Hanchuck (played for Brampton, Barrie, and Sarnia) because basically if you see my nose, he did it to me my rookie year. I thought he was the scariest guy to play against back then, so definitely him."
» On what his typical day is like…
"On a typical day I wake up around 10 am or if I have class in the morning I go to class. Then just hang out usually during the day until practice or do homework or just take it easy, go to practice, and then to class. Nothing too hard really."
» On his pre-game routine…
"Wake up, have breakfast, usually I’ll take a nap. I always get a pre-game lunch in me which is usually pasta or some kind of pasta and chicken. Then just come to the rink and hopefully win a hockey game."
» On his superstitions…
"Well, I tape my stick the same way every game, but that’s just normal. I don’t think I really have too many superstitions that I have to go through before a game."
» On his nicknames…
"My last name is Vigilante so it’s kind of long to pronounce. A lot of guys call me Vig or Viggy, but that’s just basically it, just something short of my last name."
» On playing near his hometown…
"It’s awesome more than just knowing everyone and a lot the guys that come to the games. It gives my family and friends the opportunity to see me play for four years other than having to go away. It’s also good because I get to live at home instead of having to worry about living away from home at a younger age, so it works out well."
 » On his jersey number…
"My number my whole life has been #11 and I came here and #11 was taken by Tim Sestito, #9 was Stephen Weiss actually. Those were my favorite two numbers and once #9 opened up, I ended up just going with that number my second year."
» On the craziest thing that has happened on the road…
"There’s been a few like when I forgot my passport one time and we had to go by my house to get it. That was back in my rookie year and I was actually freaking out about it too."
» On if being named captain affects how he prepares…
"You can’t really change how you prepare. You kind of just have to go with whatever got you where you are and stick with it. There’s times where you have to be in the tough guy role and crack down on some guys, but overall I like having it (the 'C') a lot. It’s an honor first off and you got to make sure everyone is ready for games. Hopefully, we come out with a good start. A lot of wins and losses depend on you and how you get the guys ready for games."
» On his plans after the OHL…
"First off I want to win this year, that’s the first thing I’m looking at. After that, hopefully, maybe sign a contract somewhere in the NHL or the American Hockey League and keep my college going through that so I can finish my teaching degree. Just play it by ear, but hopefully sign a contract."
» On his funniest teammate…
"There’s been a few in my career. One of the funniest was Jimmy Gagnon from my rookie year. He was an overager. He was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. One of the weirdest, though, was Mike Knight. He was out there. He was a different kind of guy, but those are the main two that come to mind."
 » On what he brings to the team…
"Basically, more of my game is based on offense. I try to be solid in my ‘D’ zone, but if I help guys score goals or if I score goals myself to help get points on the board for us, that’s basically when I’m playing my best."
» On the rule changes in hockey…
"I like all the rule changes, so it’s hard to think of one off the top of my head. I like all the penalties they’re calling and no red line. It opens up the game a lot more. Now 6’6 guys can’t just grab you, so you don't have to worry about stuff like that. It opens up the game for more speed."
» On a movie about him…
"Who would star me? Definitely Brad Pitt and the movie would be called, 'The Life and Times of John Vigilante.'"
» On if he could play golf with anyone in the world, who his foursome would include…
"I’m the worst golfer you have ever seen. I know Dan Collins is pretty good, so I’ll go with Dan. Oh, but anyone ever to meet. I’d go with Tiger Woods, see what he’s all about when it comes to golf. Then the president, might as well throw him in there, and who else, one more person: God, I’d ask him a lot of questions." -Natalie Shaver, October 18th, 2005-
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