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Q&A with Raffi Torres
Posted: Saturday June 24, 2000 08:44 PM
Raffi Torres , 18, went fifth overall to the Islanders. A 5-11, 207-pounder from the Brampton Battalion, Torres is a wide-bodied goalscorer, with a heavy accurate shot.
Q: How do you feel about being a part of the Islanders future?
A: I'm just starting to get the blood flowing back in my legs. I'm here with my family and they're excited. It's a team that's just getting started and we're here to get them going. I'm pumped.
Q: There's a parallel between your ancestry and that of (New Jersey Devils') Scott Gomez, the first Hispanic in NHL history. Can you run through that for us?
A: My dad [Juan] is Mexican, from Mexico City. My mom [Anna] is from Lima, Peru. They emigrated to Canada 30, 32 years ago. They met in Toronto.
Q: Considering your background, how closely did you follow Gomez's rookie year?
A: He's a good story, himself. I always like to read about that in the paper and I don't mind talking about it. It's awesome to be going to the NHL this time. My parents have been a big part of what got me here.
Q: Raffi is short for what?
A: Rafael. But I go by Raffi. Like the [children's] singer. My teammates kid me about that all the time. They're always singing that little Baby Beluga song. When I'm down and not talking, that's what they sing to me.
Q: At what point did it occur to you that you could play in the NHL?
A: Just last year. I realized I had a good chance to go in the first round of the draft and hopefully, in a few years time, sign a big contract. That's the thing to do these days.
Q: You weren't highly rated until last year, but your Brampton Battalion teammate, Jason Spezza , was a celebrity at age 15. What was that like?
A: It was crazy. Two years ago, in the first game of the regular season, the camera comes in the dressing room and they're looking for Spezza. My face was getting red and I wasn't even the one being interviewed. It was great. I learned a lot from watching him -- and he's two years younger than me.
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