Mottau On Toucher & Rich: Getting Ready For The NHL Season
Defenseman Mike Mottau was traded by the New York Islanders in February along with Brian Rolston to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin. Mottau is currently an unrestricted free agent and looking to grab a job with an NHL team now that the lockout is over.
Mottau joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich to discuss getting in game shape, talking to teams and injuries.
The defenseman was given the chance to go down to San Antonio about a month ago to play games.
"Ultimately it was just about getting into game shape and be ready and be more valuable to a team when things got all set and done with the CBA."
How important is it to be in these actual game situations instead of just playing a game of shinny with the boys?
"The physical play adds another element of conditioning, so when someone's leaning on you or you have to lean on someone it just adds another component."
In terms of injuries, is the fact that some players have had so much rest a positive thing or can that add to the likelihood of injury?
"I would say once the initial push of playing at a higher level passes and there's no injuries because that's probably the window where you'd see the most injuries."
Plus, did he find that some people were upset with him and players for not getting a deal done sooner?
