Does your golf swing emulate the compactness of your hockey form?
Ryan Carter: A golf swing does emulate a slap shot somewhat. I think I’m a little different from most players though; I shoot left-handed in hockey and play golf right-handed. Since I do it opposite, I’m sure it’s similar, but for me it’s not.
Jarret Stoll: It’s completely different, although I think it looks similar in a lot of ways with the hand-eye coordination. The slap shot would be kind of a similar motion but technically, very different.
Which do you prefer: The rambunctiousness of hockey fans, or the quieter side of golf?
RC: I guess it depends on the situation, but if I had to choose one or the other, I would go with hockey fans.
JS: It is great being on the golf course and having that peaceful calm of nature on your side, but definitely loud hockey fans. There’s nothing better than playing in the playoffs, or any game, and having that atmosphere that the fans bring. It gives you that added extra energy if you need it, and gets you pumped up that much more.
Do you have much of an opportunity to play golf during the hockey season?
RC: During the season, no, not much at all. The schedule is pretty demanding. But during the off-season it’s a different story.
JS: I try and get out a couple times a year, but it’s pretty tough with all the games and travel. If we have two or three days off in between games, which is very rare, maybe I can play, or I can play during an All-Star or Olympic break. But it’s not that often.
What are some of your favorite Southland courses?
RC: I haven’t played too many, but I like Pelican Hill, Monarch Beach and Shady Canyon. Every hole is scenic; you’ve got ocean holes and all the different things in nature that California offers, which I don’t get to see at golf courses back home in Minnesota. The other thing I really like is that most courses out here don’t have the trees like they do back home, so I find myself in less trouble out here.
JS: I really like Sherwood Country Club, and Riviera Country Club is very nice also. In the South Bay, Virginia Country Club in Long Beach. It’s one of my favorites and it’s close to home. Trump National is a course I play a lot also.
What’s your favorite golf memory?
RC: It would be a hole in one if I had one, but I don’t. One of my favorite pro moments was sitting on the couch watching Tiger Woods at The Masters, on the 16th green in 2005. He chipped it; the Nike symbol sat right at the edge of the cup and it rolled in. The celebration that followed...that was intense.
JS: That’s an easy one—my one and only hole in one. It happened in the middle of May in Palos Verdes. It was quite the day as it was at the Dodgers golf tournament.
How long have you been playing golf, and what made you pick up the game?
RC: I’ve been playing golf at courses for about 12 years. I’ve been playing in the backyard with my buddies for a while before that. That’s pretty much how it started, my buddies and I in the neighborhood, growing up wanting to get outside, play around in the summer. When we were sick of baseball, we’d pick up a golf club.
JS: Since I was 8 or 9. I have to ask myself what it’s like to play anything with a ball involved. I like to play to be outside on a golf course, enjoy the weather, the nice scenery and just to have some fun.
Who is in your dream foursome?
RC: I’d have to put Tiger Woods in there. It would be fun to watch how he plays the game, prepares, all of that. Cam Neely would be number two. He was my favorite hockey player growing up, and it would be fun to pick his brain. Last, it would have to be a good looking movie star, like Jennifer Aniston or someone like that. Just to fill it out.
JS: Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky—actually, no, take him out. Woods, Steve Yzerman and Megan Fox.
What’s the highlight of your hockey career so far?
RC: Playing in the Stanley Cup final and winning [in 2007]. The game has become a lot faster. I remember growing up and playing with wooden sticks and old skates. Goalies had the old brown pads.
JS: Losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, just the whole run we went through in 2006. To come up short was very disappointing, but to go through that run and realize what it takes to get to that stage and win...I think that playoff run was the best year of my life, the best two months of my life for sure.
In a team golf competition, who would win: The Kings or the Ducks?
RC: Well, we have Teemu Selanne, so I would have to say the Ducks.
JS: Definitely the Kings. We have some good players. We have some bad players, but we’ve got some pretty good ones, too.
-Katie Denbo
