Kaufbeuren. Nur noch 4 Tage, dann steigt der neue kanadische Flügelflitzer des ESV Kaufbeuren, Mark Soares in das Flugzeug Richtung Europa. Kurz vor Abflug, stellt sich Mark den Fragen der Fans aus dem ESVK-Forum. (Da die englische Sprache im deutschen Schulsystem inzwischen allgegenwärtig ist, haben wir bewusst auf eine Rück-Übersetzung verzichtet.)

1.) Hallo Mark, what do you know about Kaufbeuren and the ESVK so far e. g. have you watched some videos on YouTube?

As far as I know, Kaufbeuren not an overly big town to live in. Although one thing I know for sure is that the people in Kaufbeuren show tremendous support towards the hockey which creates a good atmosphere to play in front of. I see myself entering a very positive atmosphere in Kaufbeuren thanks to the coaches, staff and fans who have already welcomed me to Kaufbeuren.

2.) What was the reason for you to sign with ESV Kaufbeuren? Was Mike Wehrstedt involved in your decision in any way?

Making the decision to play in Kaufbeuren was defiantly made easier after talking to Coach Ken and Mike. The decision in the end was up to me and the reason i felt Kaufbeuren was a good fit for me, was because I felt that the level of hockey is very high and where I wanted to start off my pro career. I was looking to play hockey in Europe and Kaufbeuren provided me with that opportunity to do so in a great hockey town.

3.) Have you ever been to Europe or is this your first time? How do you expect the “old continent” to be?

This is my first time ever travelling to Europe, and I think things are defiantly going to be different from what im used to. With that said im excited and looking forward to the new experience.

4.) How would you describe yourself and Scott Dobben? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I feel that Scott Dobben and I play a fairly similar game. We have played on the same line for the last two years. Together we bring alot of speed to the game, work and play with an extremely high level of intensity.

5.) Do you have a talisman or something similar with you on the ice or do you have a special ritual before going on the ice?

There’s a quote I live by when im on the ice. Its goes “It’s not the SIZE of the dog in a fight. It’s the Size of the FIGHT that’s in that dog”

6.) Are you curious to get to know the atmosphere in German Ice Rinks since it is way different to North America? Im defiantly curious about the atmosphere in the German rinks, but I look forward towards the change and experience.

7.) How do you expect you and Scott to cope with the bigger skating rinks in Germany – blessing or curse?

I believe with our ability to skate and move the puck, the bigger ice rink will be an asset and a large advantage to the both of us.

8.) You are not one of the tall guys measuring 5’7”. Is this a problem for you or are you nonetheless certain to establish yourself?

Hahaha, I laugh every time people question my size. My size has never been an issue for me. Ive constantly had to prove people wrong and im prepared to continue to do so. I’m not the kind of person who lets things like that bother me.

9.) On the Lakehead University homepage you are said to have a similar style of play to Martin St. Louis. Would you agree with that?

Id like to say I play pretty similar to how he plays.  I defiantly admire the way Matin St. Louis plays. As big as he is, he is by far one of the hardest working players in the game. With hard work he has proved that small players at the pro level can succeed which is why i like to model myself after him.

10.) Other than Scott you haven’t played as a professional hockey player so far. Do you think you can handle the increase in games since it will be at least twice as many as before?

The increase of games shouldn’t be a problem, its a matter of mental and physical preparation for the upcoming season, which i believe im prepared to handle.

Mark, vielen Dank für die Beantwortung der Fragen. Wir wünschen einen guten Flug und freuen uns auf Dich zum ersten Eistraining am 10.08.2010 in Kaufbeuren.