Andrew Ference (Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins defenceman notched 15 points last season. Ference, who grew up in Calgary, scored a career-high 31 points with the Flames in 2005-2006.

CBC Sports: How did you get into hockey?

Ference: "I don't even remember it, but my dad said, I have an older cousin and I'd seen him play, and of course you want to emulate your older cousin and be just like him. I guess I was about two and a half years old when they got me on a pair of skates. My dad never skated or really played hockey at all. He just kind of put me on the ice and let me go at 'er.

"He did build me a backyard rink all throughout my childhood so you just kind of walk out the door and practice out there. Older cousins, older neighbours, that's how I started playing."

CBC Sports: What was the first game you can remember playing?

Ference: "Oh man, I can actually remember probably most vividly when I was really young, we still did the thing where you tried a new position every game, and we were still on the half ice. I remember really clearly when it was my turn to play goalie, 'cause there's just a rotating set of equipment that you got to take home to prepare for your next game.

"I totally remember going out into the backyard rink, and the same cousin just ripping shots on me. I'd put on my goalie equipment, I thought I was invincible, you know, go for it, so he'd just rifle shots at me. Then I remember that game, playing as a goalie and thinking, 'This is so cool.' I don't remember who won or lost but it was pretty fun."

CBC Sports: Who was your funniest teammate, and why?

Ference: "Oh man. Geez, I think growing up, I had a really funny team. I don't know if it was one single teammate, but it was this team that just loved their pranks. We were old enough, we must have been in bantam or something like that, because we'd actually go in tournaments on the road. There was every prank in the book, from stuffing the bed, you know, when there was like shaving cream in the bed, or cornflakes under the sheets, saran wrap over the guy's toilet, just awful stuff.

"Just pranks, and of course it just escalates and escalates. I just remember that year literally like as important as hockey was, whoever could pull off the best prank, that was just as important…No, I never got the saran wrap, and God, I'm so happy, too. That happened to somebody else. It worked too, that's the worst thing. It worked. I think the person was really meticulous, too, making sure it was on there nice and taught."

CBC Sports: Where was the most memorable tournament you ever played, and why?

Ference: "World junior tournament for sure. I mean that was, obviously I was in junior and it was in Winnipeg. Getting to play in front of you know, I played in front of big crowds in junior, I played in Portland, Oregon, but playing in front of big crowds that are crazy hockey fans in Winnipeg, you know they didn't have their team and they showed up like in full force, like we were the best thing going. Everybody was in white and it was 10-minute long standing ovations.

"We ended up losing in the final in overtime to Russia, so it was like one of the worst memories as well. But just the support that we had, the crazy intensity of that kind of tournament, you know it was really, until I played in the Stanley Cup Finals, it was unmatched."

CBC Sports: Where was the worst arena you’ve ever played at? What was it like?

Ference: "Oh god. We played there lots, practiced there lots. It was in Mundare, Alberta, and it was actually one of the best places too because you could get the best Ukrainian sausages in the world after practice. We always stopped afterwards, after practice and we'd get these Ukrainian sausages and it was great, but the rink itself was naturally frozen, so basically the doors were open and you know there's no refrigeration system, so it was so cold, and we'd always practice early morning so your feet would just kill in your skates and your fingers would hurt so bad trying to do up the laces, just 'cause it's so cold.

"Our water bottles froze, within an hour your water bottle was frozen so it shows you how cold it was. I don't even know if you really accomplished anything because the whole time you were just skating around trying to stay warm.

"Actually I felt really good at this one practice because it was the first time I felt like I had a really good shot. The puck was so cold, I shot it, it hit the post and the puck broke in half. I felt pretty good about that. Now I realize it was probably because the puck was frozen."

CBC Sports: Where was the coldest game of hockey you ever played? Describe it.

Ference: "Coldest game of hockey would have been outside of my house, you know, the backyard rink. On new years, our house was the new years eve house. The neighbours would cross-country ski over, we'd have a huge bonfire, we'd have new years, and we'd have the hockey game going as well.

"There's some nights I really remember, minus 30, you know, just freezing, but you know you still played for a couple hours. I don't know how we didn't get frostbite, I don’t know how that works scientifically, but ya, we'd come in and your feet would hurt because they'd start thawing off. That's probably the coldest I ever got."

CBC Sports: Who was the most memorable hockey parent you ever met? Why?

Ference: "I think growing up, you know, your coach, my coach...he was obviously a parent, like most coaches probably are. He probably taught me the most, you know, 'cause I had him for a number of years growing up through minor hockey. Single lessons I learned from him, one day I got a ride home from him from practice and it was as I was getting a little bit older, a little bit better at hockey, and he said, 'Andrew you gotta make a decision, and I was like, 'What's that?' He's like, 'Do you really want to be a defenceman?' I was like, 'Ya I like defence.' He was like, 'Okay you have to understand if you make this decision, you're never going to get any glory, you'll always get blamed for everything. Are you ready for that?' I was like, 'Ya, I guess.' So he's like, 'Alright, you're a defenceman.' From then on I was a defenceman and still am obviously. I remember that, he wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

"I remember that and I remember him instilling the tough Canadian kid part, you know where he's like, he said it to our whole team, he's like, if you guys ever get hurt, if you lay down on the ice, I better need to come out there and pull you off with the Zamboni. That's how hurt you better be. He never wanted to see us lay down and stay down. He instilled that toughness in us."