Catching Up With Steve Pinizzotto
Steve Pinizzotto during his Hershey Bears days. Photo by Kathryn Hedrick.
Here at Sweetest Hockey on Earth, we believe “once a Bear, always a Bear.” This belief is especially true with a fan favorite player like Steve Pinizzotto.
After winning two Calder Cup Championships with the Bears, Pinizzotto became a free agent last summer and signed with the Vancouver Canucks. He played in a handful of pre-season games before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery. He was kind enough to use his free time to answer a few questions and let us know about his injury rehabilitation, Twitter, and keeping up with former teammates.
Q.Unfortunately, you had an injury set you back this season. How is the rehab going?
A.Rehab is going well right now. I have just started loading my shoulder with light weights. I’m happy with the progression right now since I could barely even use bands a couple weeks ago.
Q.What has Vancouver been like, especially during training camp? How did it compare to Washington’s training camp?
A.Even though the season was short-lived for me, Vancouver has been awesome, everything I expected and more. I knew that from the moment I signed with the organization that it was going to be an exciting experience playing in front Canadian fans. I feel that the Washington and Vancouver training camps were fairly similar, but in this case I felt I had a solid chance to earn a spot on the team.
Q.You’re part of a growing number of players on Twitter. Do you enjoy interacting with fans on that level?
A.I heard a lot about Twitter from my teammates and so I thought it would be a good idea to jump on the bandwagon. Even though I don’t tweet too often, I think it’s is a great tool to interact with friends and fans. It’s amazing to see how many fans you have once you create an account. I personally use it more as a source to access industry information.
Q.Do you still keep in touch with any of your former Hershey teammates?
A.I still keep in touch with the guys in Hershey, mainly Patty McNeill, Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin and I shoot the odd text to Manner (Troy Mann). I had a great experience in Hershey and those memories are ones that can’t be relived. I went to the Caps/Leafs game the other night and was excited to see Coiner playing.
Q.Other than winning the Calder Cup championship, what was one of your favorite moments while you were with the Bears?
A.Geez, tough question – I feel like nothing can top those championships. I think the people I met and the players I played with during that chapter in my life were all great memories/moments. If I could relive any one of those moments I think it would be the overtime win in Texas Game 5 to bring the series back to Hershey.
Q.You came to watch a Bears game earlier this year. Any chance you’ll be back soon to see another?
A.When I came to Hershey it was in the early stages of physio where I was only going twice a week. Since that schedule has been ramped up, I don’t think I can get back to Hershey for another game. My main focus right now is to get my shoulder healthy again and to get skating. I feel that I have learned a lot from this injury since it took a whole year from me. You realize how much you miss the game when you can’t physically play.