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Pat from Colorad: Does playing with a sensational partner like Chris Kelleher allow you to be more offensive minded? John Slaney: Yes it does. With Chris, he's such a great defensive player which gives me a chance to get in on the plays and score more goals and help out the team.
Graeme: Dear John, I have been watching you for several years now. Do you think your multi talent on able to play in both the forward and defense position has actually hampered your career? I just think while being multi-skilled is a positive thing, not being able to settle in a position might lead you to the tag of "utility player". Good luck on your career. John Slaney: I guess it's always good to play both positions in that situation with the skills I do have. Being a forward playing defense helps me to be a defensive guy. With the offensive skills I have, hopefully that brings about more goals, which I've done in Pittsburgh. If other teams want me to play forward, that is always a possibility.
CATHY CLANCEY: FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS! WHEN YOUR PLAYING CAREER IS OVER, MANY YEARS TO COME, WILL YOU BE LOOKING INTO A CAREER AS A COACH OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF HOCKEY? John Slaney: Yes I will definitely love to stay in hockey. That would be my goal afterwards to become a coach. I enjoy the game so much that I think it's in my blood to stay in the sport in some aspect, either as a coach or scout or any other capacity.
Dan: What your thought of the City of Portland, Maine when you played for the Pirates? John Slaney: I was only there for three months, but I think it's an absolutely beautiful city and the fans were great. With the team we had, it was unbelieveable -- we won the cup there, which was nice for the city.
Shawn: What is your favorite minor league team that you have played for? John Slaney: Wilkes-Barre is definitely my favourite. The fans are unbelieveable. It's pretty much sold out every night and there's always great excitement there. The people I've met outside of hockey there have been very friendly and very supportive. It's a very friendly town that's nice to play in because we feel so welcome.
F0OTER22: Hey John! First of all, congratulations on your award. From being a Penguins season ticket holder, I am so excited about the improvement of this year's team. What do you think has been the biggest improvement in special teams this year compared to last? Good luck the rest of the season. LET'S GO PENS! John Slaney: We have all our veteran guys that have been in the league before and knows every situation of playing on the ice, that helps our team be successful so far. Also, with our goalie situation and having only two guys instead of five guys last year, that's definitely helped our cause.
WBS Fan: What do you believe is the ONE skill you must have to play at the AHL/NHL level? (speed, strength, skating). John Slaney: Well, I guess you have to have all of those you mentioned to play in both leagues. AHL is more for younger guys coming into the league who develop their skills. As an older guy who's trying to get back to the NHL, it's about working hard and doing the right things to make teams notice. My skills of moving the puck and the offensive notion definitely helps me.
Bernie (die hard WBS fan): I am a big hockey fan of the NHL as well as the AHL. I am originally from the Scranton area now living near Philadelphia. I am very happy that the area finally has a hockey team. Who do you think is the Penguins biggest rival at this point in time given that PA has several AHL teams? Also, how would you rate the fans of the WBS Penguins since the teams existence? John Slaney: Philadelphia is probably the biggest rival for the Pens. As for the fans, it's unbelieveable. It's great for the players to come and be excited to play there. There is so much excitement and energy from the fans.
WildRose: John, we all know of the rave reviews WB/S players give Northeast Pennsylvania and it's hockey fans. Is there anything that WB/S fans do that annoys you? John, how does it feel to be on top of the Mid-Atlantic division and second place overall in the AHL after the previous lackluster season? John Slaney: There's nothing the fans do wrong. They're just unbelieveably great. Some players have said that it's exciting to see the fans go crazy there. After last season, it's a great feeling to go to the rink everyday knowing our team is doing so well. Our record has flip-flopped from last year to this year, and it's great for a second-year team.
m-3 : How is it to have Dennis Bonvie back on the team John Slaney: It helps us a lot. With Dennis out there, it gives us more space because of the way he plays. He is a good player, he helps the team in every situation and he is a very exciting player to watch.
dwmoss: As a season ticket holder for the baby pens for the last 2 years, i've enjoyed watching you play since you started for the WBS Penguins, my question is this: when are you going to switch positions from Defense to Forward???? John Slaney: Playing defense my whole career, it's something I would like to stick with. The reason I played forward last year is because we didn't have enough forwards and the coach asked me if I wanted to have a little fun, considering our situation of losing last year. I agreed to it because I wanted to help the team with scoring goals and to the point of getting us to the playoffs. At this point, I don't think there will be a possibility of me playing forward.
dwmoss: How are you and your teammates taking to Billy Tibbetts, due to his infamy? John Slaney: Billy is fine. He's a good player and he means well on everything he does. He's kind of a joker on the team and from his situation he's a great hockey player. Some day he's going to make it to the NHL. Everybody has the same reaction with him and the situation.
Marc Lachance : Who was your ideal when growing up? John Slaney: Growing up, I guess it was Gretzky, Lemieux. They are the best players that ever played and you always want to play like the best. They were very interesting to watch.
joe: The phantom-wb getting to be like a nice rivalry what do you think.whose the best fighter in the ahl in your opinion tibbetts,mclaren,fedourk,skrlac,downey,thorton,lessard. John Slaney: I'll say Bonvic is the best. With Dennis, he's definitely the best enforcer. The other guys you mentioned are tough and can control their teams situations, but I'd have to say Bonvic. The rivalry is definitely going to be interesting with all the fights and the high scoring from both teams. Pretty well each time we meet it's like a playoff match, even though we play each other 10 times.
Tracy Ship.: Hi John! I was just wondering...do you think you have changed in your game play at all this year being as the team has changed? John Slaney: No. I pretty well play my own game. I try to help the team as much as I can both offensively and defensively. I try to be a good leader for the young guys and try to keep things going well.
Karen: John, What is the biggest contributing factor to the team's quick start this year? John Slaney: When our goalie situation changed and that helped us to keep our goals against down. With good goalies, you're going to win more games and that's happened this season so far.
Joe M.: John, greetings from another St. John's boy (I actually played against you on a couple of occasions duting your St.Pat's days)! I must admit I've been puzzled as to why you've had a tough time sticking in the NHL, you no doubt have the skills. What elements of your game are you focusing on at the moment to help get you where you belong? Thanks and good luck! John Slaney: Well, I guess I'm focussing on defense because it's always been a knock against me. I've been working hard and getting the team to keep winning. I've tried to be a good leader, and stay focussed so that when I get called up again I'm ready. It has been a real shock that I've been sent back down so early. I was surprised because I thought I would stay in Pittsburgh. But I guess with the guys they have and the young kid Marha, it seems they're going to give him a chance.
John Slaney: I'm not happy he's gone. We could use him, but he made his own decision to leave, because the team offered him a contract he didn't take.
rue99: Will you be excited to play against Ryan Bach when Louisville comes to town? John Slaney: Yes we will. When you play against former goalies of ours, it's nice to score a lot of goals against them. He's definitely excited to beat us. In Ryan's case especially, he's a nice guy and it's going to be fun to beat them.
Ted: Are you glad Robert Dome is gone? Was he a waste of talent or what? John Slaney: Not at all. We could really use him.
Sulfer: Who is your favorite player you've ever played with? John Slaney: I played with a lot of big names like Gretzky, Jagr, Forsberg, Sakic and so many more. When I was a rookie, I played with Dale Hunter and his brother Mark. There's so many I've played with that it's tough to choose just one player.
Flinr from Newfoundland: John, do you have any businesses or will you be starting any in St. John's like Darren Langdon done in Deer Lake with his sports bar?? John Slaney: Not at this moment. That's something I haven't thought about. Hopefully in the future, perhaps when my hockey career is over, that might be a possibility.
Slaney_fan2: Hey John!! It's Shawn from Lloydminster! Did you work harder this offseason than you have before, and if so do you think that's why you are having the season you're having? John Slaney: Yes. Like the old saying goes, the more you get older the harder you have to work. In professional sports, you always have to work out during the off season, because you have to keep your cardio up and your strength going.
Moderator: Thanks John for speaking with us. You seem very popular and your fans submitted a lot of questions. Good luck in the rest of the season and congratulations on the award. Hopefully we'll see you back in the NHL soon.
John Slaney: Playing in the All-star game was nice. I haven't been in the AHL for quite a few years now. With regards to the fans, it's nice to answer all their questions. It's nice to let you all know what's going on behind the scenes and share what we're thinking with you. Hopefully the WBS fans will look forward the All-star game this year. It's a pretty crazy town here! They love their hockey!