After a dozen years in the National Hockey League, a season playing in Italy, and now into his third campaign in Japan, one might expect John Tucker to look forward to that 9 a.m. practice about as much as John Rocker looks forward to his next trip to New York.
But Tucker, a 35-year-old native of Windsor, Ontario, says he still loves zipping around the ice with his Kokudo teammates, dishing off nifty passes and dishing out words of wisdom.
"I spend a lot of time trying to help the young kids and teaching," Tucker said last week during a break in the action at the All-Japan Hockey Championships. "I know when I first started, young kids looked up to the older veterans who showed them the way. They've kind of gotten away from that in the NHL the way the salaries have escalated, but over here what's expected of us is to come and help out and teach our style of game to the young kids."
And if you want an education on pro hockey, Tucker, who was drafted 31st overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1983, is definitely qualified to teach. In 12 NHL seasons with Buffalo, Washington, the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay, Tucker posted 436 points in 656 regular-season games, including a career-high 31-goal campaign with the Sabres in 1985-86. Not bad for a guy who admits he's "not the best skater in the world." He also tallied 28 points in 31 playoff games, when defenses tighten up and scoring chances are harder to come by.
"I was a money player," Tucker says with a laugh as he looks over his stat sheet.
And while there's little doubt that money and a less-than-exhaustive 40-game schedule were contributing factors in the decision to move across the Pacific, it's still refreshing to meet an imported athlete who's not just here for the paycheck.
Tucker, who was voted the Japan Ice Hockey League's Most Valuable Player after leading the league with 74 points in 39 games his first year here with Kokudo in 1997-98, says he was contemplating retirement after having his contract bought out by the NHL's Lightning.
"But then I got a call in late August to come over here (on a one-year contract) and I thought it would be a great way to wind down my career and see a new part of the world," Tucker explains. "So I gave it a try and things worked out really well, and2 1/2 years later I'm still here.
"We get treated so well and I'm blessed to play on a team with great players, and we've been lucky enough so far to win everything we've been involved in, so it's been an easy decision to stay."
Well, almost everything. Kokudo has won the JIHL title the past two seasons and also had captured the last three All-Japan Championships. Last Sunday, however, the "Bunnies" went down 7-4 to Oji in the All-Japan final at Tokyo's Yoyogi Arena.
Each club in the six-team JIHL is allowed to ice two foreign skaters, as well as a few heritage players who are imports with some Japanese ancestry. Smooth-skating former NHL defenseman Corey Foster is Kokudo's other gaijin.
Although Tucker's only been in Japan a few years, he says he's already noticed some changes in the way the game is played here.
"I think (Japanese hockey) has come a long way. Everyone back home is so big, but over here the conditioning is phenomenal, the positional play is phenomenal and they finish their checks. They play hockey the way it's supposed to be played and I think that sometimes frustrates a lot of North Americans. They just lack a little of the creativity, but watching the North Americans play they're learning that part of the game."
One thing Tucker would like to see here is fewer half-empty rinks and a little more promotion of the game.
"This is one of the biggest cities in the world and you'd think we could get more people in the building," the globe-trotting hockey veteran observes. "The people who do follow it love it and are committed to it. Hopefully, it's going to grow. It's a great sport and if you come once you'll be hooked."
Tucker says he hasn't thought much about life after hockey, but he knows that day is not too far off. One thing he would like to do when his playing days are over is to stay involved in Japanese hockey in some aspect, perhaps helping out with the Olympic program.
As for his immediate plans, Tucker's not closing any doors.
"I don't know. I always said I'd be here for one year and I'm still here, so . . ."