Mike Commodore of the Columbus Blue Jackets. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old defenceman with the signature hair and bathrobe hails from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He's been a part of two memorable Stanley Cup runs, coming up one game short with Calgary in 2004, and then winning it all as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He signed with Columbus in the 2008 off-season.

CBCSports.ca: How did you get into hockey?

Commodore: "I guess getting into hockey was the thing to do up in Fort Saskatchewan. That's how I spent my time outside of school. For most of the year it's fairly cold, and ice is available outside so it was just what everybody did. If you wanted to be athletic in any kind of way it was usually hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer."

CBCSports.ca: What was the first game you can remember playing?

Commodore: "I don't really remember the first game I played, but I remember the first time I played goalie. Our team lost 13-1, and I think I let a shot in from the other end of the ice. That was my one and only game in goal. I was pretty young, and I remember that pretty vividly. As soon as that puck went in from the other end of the ice, I'm like: 'I am done in net,' and that's when they moved me to playing defence."

CBCSports.ca: Who was your funniest teammate?

Commodore: "Probably the funniest teammate growing up, I guess would be Scott Chartrand. He always had something funny to say, always liked to make fun of you a little bit. Sometimes it wasn't that funny, but as your skin gets a little thicker as the years go on it was funnier and funnier. He was a good guy to have on the team, and I still keep in touch with him quite a bit. Probably off and on we played three, four seasons together. Early teens, 12 to 16 years old."

CBCSports.ca: Where was the most memorable tournament you ever played?

Commodore: "You know what? Probably the most memorable tournament that I ever played in was this one that was called the St. Albert Icebreaker Tournament. It was a bantam tournament and we won it, but I guess the reason why I remember it was, not only that we won but it was probably the best game I ever played growing up in minor hockey.

"We played Notre Dame, a team out of Saskatchewan there. They always had good teams and they were awesome that year too. We ended up beating them 6-5 to win the tournament. I don't remember doing anything spectacular, but I remember it was a great game. They were crushed, and we played them later in the year and they beat us about 10-0."

CBCSports.ca: Where was the worst arena you've ever played at?

Commodore: "There was an arena in--where was that? I think it was in Lamont, Alberta. It was the worst arena, and it wasn't even that bad of an arena but it was so cold, I mean freezing. You had to wear a toque underneath your helmet, and gloves underneath your gloves. (laughs) It was painful.

"We played a few games there, mostly a lot of practices, whenever there wasn't ice available in Fort Saskatchewan, and I dreaded going out there. With a half hour drive and it was, I mean, you might as well been playing outside."

CBCSports.ca: Where was the coldest game of hockey you ever played?

Commodore: "Yeah, Lamont would have to qualify for that. You didn't even want to go out on the ice. Your feet were freezing, and if you took a shot in the foot, I mean that never feels good but it was awful in there. It was terrible."

CBCSports.ca: Who was the most memorable hockey parent you ever met?

Commodore: "I guess the first person that comes to my mind is a guy named Damon Kondro. He was a coach sometimes but mostly a parent. He wasn't extremely loud or anything like that, but he got the best out of you definitely, and he got pretty fired up sometimes. That would probably be the first guy. He was always around, he was funny, and he was a good guy. I still see him pretty much every summer."