Rangers center Jonny Brodzinski takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: The Post has obtained a copy of a letter you wrote to yourself in high school:
“Dear, Jonny Brodzinski it is March 3, 2011
“I’m writing this paper for an English project and I am writing it to myself in the future. Hopefully you have a lot of money and a good job or maybe playing in the NHL. Or still going to college. Hopefully you found a pretty hot chick and have been dating her. This week we just beat Osseo in the semi final game and I had a goal and two assists. It was the game winner and I was extremely sick that day. We play Maple Grove on Friday, March 5, 2011 to go to the state tourney for my 3rd strait year. Right now I have 55 points in the playoffs and reg reason combined. Should have a few more but what ever. :) peace out old jonny
“Jonny Brodzinski”
Without me showing it to you, tell me what you remember about it.
A: (Smile) I said that I hope I’d be pretty much exactly where I was right now — playing hockey, have a family, doing what I love still and … pretty cool.
Q: The Post has learned your first-grade teacher, Mrs. Vansanten, was your favorite?
A: They would sing the song “Johnny Angel” to me. She would just put me in the middle of the room, and then all the girls would sing “Johnny Angel.” It’s crazy (laugh), but she’s my favorite teacher ever, and God bless her, she still contacts me to this day.
Q: Tell me about your grandma Pudge.
A: She was the greatest. Just such an influence on my life, and my brothers’ lives, pretty much our entire family, she was the glue for all of us. … Came to every single one of our games, was the loudest one there by far. Sometimes she really didn’t know what she was yelling about, but she was yelling for us. Losing her [to brain cancer] really sucked, but she’s in a better place.
Q: The Post has learned that she used to sneak you a ham sandwich on occasion.
A: Yeah, yeah (chuckle). This is going back to when I was younger, I was always a little bit bigger, she always called me husky or big-boned. But I’d come back from a hockey game, I’d eat and I’d be like, “Oh, I’m still so hungry,” and my dad would be like, “Get to bed! You don’t need another one!” And I’m like, “Ucch, whatever. I’ll go to bed,” and then my grandma would wrap one in a plastic wrap and slide it underneath my pillow (smile). So I’d get an extra ham sandwich from here.
Q: You and your three brothers took care of her when she lived with the family for nine months.
A: It was kind of heartbreaking ’cause you go from this woman you looked up to your whole life, and kind of seeing like towards the end of her life just kind of that personality, that huge personality just kind of disappear. That really sucked. She would still come to the games and be around, but it really wasn’t the same person. It made the grieving process of all that just a little bit easier ‘cause we knew it wasn’t the same her.
Q: The Post has learned about your disdain for meat loaf.
A: (Laugh). Growing up, I would eat everything, but the only thing that I didn’t like was meat loaf. That’s funny (smile). So every time I was playing baseball or playing hockey, my mom would just say, “If you don’t hit a home run or if you don’t get a couple of base hits, or if you don’t score a goal, I’m making meat loaf tonight.” So that was like the big punishment (smile).
Q: Apparently you hit a big home run.
A: Yeah, it was at the very end of the game and I was coming up to bat, and she just said, “We’re making meat loaf tonight if you don’t get a hit,” and I ended up hitting a home run.
Q: She yelled it out from the stands?
A: Yeah. Oh, yeah (smile).
Q: What is the biggest obstacle or adversity you’ve overcome?
A: I would say just so many coaching turnovers for me in my career. Just having to prove myself over and over to different head coaches. You don’t really understand how hard it is to gain trust of a new head coach. And then, you finally get it and he gets fired. Or, you finally get it and you go to a different team. I’d say that’s probably the biggest thing is just getting that comfortability with the coach to where he understands who you are as a player and he trusts you.
Q: You’ve been be involved in 85 transactions.
A: Yeah. That’s a lot of times. A lot of that is due to COVID, so it’s kind of a little bit skewed. Still, the hours of me having to cancel plans with my wife, we’d have a dinner plan or something, and we’d have a sitter all set up, and then I get called up because somebody’s sick up here and I have to drive down [from Hartford, Conn.] to New York City, sit at MSG and then right as soon as warm-ups are done, they’re like, “Hey Jonny, you’re good to go back home.” A lot of those, which is extremely taxing but it’s part of the job. If somebody’s hurt, I’m willing to do that job.
Q: Do you think you’re a fan favorite?
A: (Chuckle) I would say I’m a good story, but I don’t know about fan favorite, I think we got a lot of guys in here that score a lot more goals than me or maybe be better defensively.
Q: Whatever comes to mind: Chris Kreider.
A: Best net front player probably of all time.
Q: Mika Zibanejad.
A: Great shot.
Q: Adam Fox.
A: Poise.
Q: Jacob Trouba.
A: Physicality.
Q: Alexis Lafreniere.
A: Skill.
Q: Kaapo Kakko.
Q: Cutbacks.
Q: Artemi Panarin.
A: Vision.
Q: Matt Rempe.
A: Toughness.
Q: Igor Shesterkin.
A: Vezina.
Q: If you could beat any goalie in NHL history on a breakaway, who would you want to beat?
A: Probably Henrik Lundqvist.
Q: Why him?
A: Because my very first game I had two breakaways on him, and I missed both of ’em (smile). Two breakaways my first NHL game he saved both.
Q: Coach Peter Laviolette.
A: I’d also say poise for him, too.
Q: In what way?
A: I think he has great knowledge behind the bench, I think he knows when to do certain things. But he’s always poised in a situation whether we’re down a couple goals or up a couple goals.
Q: The word perseverance comes to mind looking over your career.
A: Yeah, it’s kind of been my whole career, really. High school coach said that I wasn’t gonna be good enough to be playing at the varsity level. Was a little bit too big, couldn’t skate as well, and then kind of junior or senior year, got a little bit taller, hit a little growth spurt, I was just a late bloomer. Filled out a little bit and produced and ended up going to the USHL to Fargo … even there, really didn’t have a good year there, 20-something points, nothing crazy, but ended up getting a scholarship to St. Cloud State which I was expected to be third-, fourth-line guy coming in which I was right away. And then ended up getting a chance with Kalle Kossila and [Hobey Baker Award winner] Drew LeBlanc, ended up finding chemistry there, put up a bunch of points, scored 20-something goals that year, and ended up getting drafted in my last year of eligibility to L.A. [2013]. Everything happened very late. The call-ups and send-downs, it can weigh a lot on ya, you can really think that “Maybe I don’t have it, maybe I don’t have what it takes to be an NHL player,” but you gotta keep going.
Q: What was the low point emotionally for you?
A: I would probably say it’d be after my last year with L.A. I really thought that I had what it took to be a good player with the Kings. I did everything that I had to, so many summer programs and just worked so hard to get to where I was, and I end up getting hurt [shoulder dislocation] my last year with L.A., I was out nine months for pretty much that entire season, and then when I came back from my injury, they said that they weren’t gonna re-sign me. The full year of grinding, getting back, trying to get to where I was, to be able to be in the lineup every night, and then, hear that they’re not gonna re-sign me and going somewhere else.
Q: That had to be heartbreaking.
A: For sure, yeah. It’s just something that nobody wants to hear, but it’s part of the business. It makes you the player you are today because if that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have gone to San Jose. In San Jose, I went down, played in the American League there, which they brought me in and they were like, “We might need you at center.” I was only right wing coming in to San Jose, ended up playing center there, and then when I signed with New York, they were like, “Oh we really like ya ’cause you can play both, you can play center, you can play right wing.” So if that doesn’t happen to me I’m just a right winger and that’s it.
Q: Describe your on-ice mentality.
A: Have a big motor. Never stop working I think is the biggest thing, and that’s kind of been instilled in me from my first couple of years with L.A. Probably the biggest mentor and coach for me has been Mike Stothers. He was just such a great coach [Ontario Reign] for me, he was so hard on guys, but that was something that I really needed and something that I loved because didn’t matter if you’re a first-line guy or if you’re a fourth-line guy, he kept you accountable and to this day that’s the reason why I work so hard, don’t give up on plays, be in the right spots.
Q: A scouting report, what do you pride yourself on?
A: Offensive zone, being in the right spots, having a good shot … being responsible defensively. If there’s a guy coming back up the ice, I think I’m the first guy back, and I’d be able to catch him with my speed.
Q: Tell me about watching “Miracle on Ice” with your father.
A: My dad actually was the captain for Herb Brooks at St. Cloud State. He played at the University of Minnesota for two years, transferred to St. Cloud State [1985, 1986] for two years, I played at St. Cloud State, [brother] Michael played at the University of Minnesota, he used to play at St. Cloud State, [brother] Bryce played at the University of Minnesota. So, four boys, two at St. Cloud [brother Easton], two at Minnesota, my dad split time. He was extremely emotional just ’cause of his connection to Herb and everything that they went through. Met Herb a bunch of times, was actually good friends with his son Dan Brooks, we would go golfing in the summer a bunch.
Q: What drives you now?
A: My family. I got a 4-year-old Lucy and a 1-year-old Olivia, wife Lauren, dog Leo. That’s my why, that’s why I do it.
Q: Describe what being a dad girl is like.
A: It’s awesome. Lucy the oldest, she’s like the biggest tomboy ever, too, so it’s like we have her on the ice and she just flies, she is so good. Even this summer she’s like, “I want to play, I want to play, I want to be Number 22, I can’t wait to get a stick.” She loves it. There’s nothing better than be a girl dad. I wanted boys growing up, but now that I have two little girls, it’s the best.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Stevie Yzerman, my favorite player growing up; Mark McGwire, he was one of my favorite baseball players growing up; grandma Pudge.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “The Longest Yard.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Adam Sandler.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Jessica Alba.
Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?
A: Morgan Wallen.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Pizza … If I could have something every single day it would probably be Chipotle.
Q: What’s your golf handicap?
A: The past couple of years now with two kids it’s a lot different, but when I’m playing a lot it’s usually around like a 2.
Q: What is so great about being a New York Ranger?
A: There’s so many things … playing in the World’s Most Famous Arena is probably the best one. Every time you step foot on that ice, it’s so historic, and the players that put on that jersey before you for such an historic franchise, it’s amazing playing in New York.
Q: What do you like best about this team?
A: I think this team has a really good chemistry kind of up and down the lineup. So many different personalities, guys from different places, but I think everybody jells so well.
Q: Is this a Stanley Cup championship team?
A: Yeah, I think we have all the right pieces. It’s just a matter of playing to our best ability, there’s been so many games this year where I’d just say that Jersey game for instance, they didn’t have a single chance that felt like a high-danger chance that entire game. Everybody played physical, we were putting pucks in the back of the net, we were playing good defensively, I think that was like our most well-rounded game, and if you just copy and paste that the rest of the year, I think we’re gonna be right there.
Q: Tell me about your Stanley Cup dream.
A: I just envision it this year as just being a really good role player for this team, and making a big impact every night. … I don’t have to be a guy that’s gonna go out there and put up 20 goals in playoffs, but be a guy that’s gonna be really responsible, chip in every once in a while, and help a team win.
Q: As a kid growing up in Blaine, Minn., did you dream about hoisting the trophy?
A: Oh for sure, but it was always with the Minnesota Wild (smile).
Q: Have you dreamed about it wearing a Rangers jersey?
A: Now I have, for sure yeah. The past couple of years, it’s been the only thing I think about.
Q: A message for Rangers fans?
A: Thanks for every night just cheering for us. There’s nothing better than hearing them yelling at the Garden. You can feel it on the bench. It just creates momentum for us.
