In this exclusive "Fully Loaded magazine story, former NHL star winger Joffrey Lupul discussed his NHL life, on the ice and off it.
As one of the NHL's most cosmopolitan former players, Joffrey Lupul was on more than his share of magazine covers over the years. And in this Fully Loaded cover story on Lupul -- by writer Michael Traikos, in the March 1, 2012 edition -- the longtime Duck, Oiler, Flyer and Maple Leaf winger discussed living in Toronto, being a regular music concert attendee, and much more:
ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
By Michael Traikos
It all starts with a song.
Something to get the blood pumping and the crowd on its feet.
Nothing too obscure, nothing too dated, nothing too explicit.
A song everyone might not necessarily know, but one they cn get into upon the first listen.
This is how any good DJ's mind works.
And so, it's how Joffrey Lupul's mind must also work these days.
Tired of hearing the same old arena rock standards, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward asked the Air Canada Centre’s game-ops crew at the beginning of the regular season if he could set the playlist for the pre-game warmup. So now, instead of AC/DC and Nickelback, fans get to hear what Lupul wants to hear: The Black Keys, Arcade Fire, Kanye West and Jay-Z, and whatever else is on his iPod. “I do all the songs,” Lupul said. “I’ll switch them up every couple of weeks, throw something new on. It’s not only what I like. I’m trying to play to the different tastes in the room.”
To an extent, of course. Lupul does not play country (the musical preference of teammate Luke Schenn) and he stays away from Eurodance and Russian hip-hop, so you won’t be hearing Alex Ovechkin rapping at the ACC any time soon. He also avoids the kind of songs he tends to blast on his headphones when he is working out alone, but might not be considered listener-friendly (Tame by the Pixies is a personal favorite).
Lupul is not only setting the tunes for the Leafs. With a team-leading 52 points in 49 games, he was also setting the tone.
It is quite the accomplishment for a player who a little more than a year ago was lying on his couch, an IV sticking out of his arm, wondering if he would ever play in the NHL again after multiple back surgeries and mysterious infections threatened his career. Fifty points? When the season began, some doubted Lupul would play 50 games.
But not only has he managed to stay healthy, Lupul is having his best season, sitting tied for fifth among scoring leaders at the end of January and recently named assistant captain for his first All-Star Game. The Art Ross and Hart Trophies are in his sight. Either way, he appears to have a lock on the Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication. “At the start of the year, if I said I was going to be up in that top, I probably would have not believed myself,” Lupul said. “I’m not going to be looking and chasing guys like Evgeni Malkin and the Sedin brothers. I’m just going to keep playing the same way I have been and hopefully the points keep coming.”
The way that Lupul is playing these days is not the kind of the game you imagine a player would be able to play after spending nearly 12 months out of the sport when surgery to repair a herniated disc went horribly wrong. But aside from a three-inch foam pad that Lupul still sits on to help his posture while putting on his skates – “the guys call it the La-Z-Boy,” he said – you would never now he was once thought of as damaged goods.
During those dark days when the then-Anaheim Ducks right winger could not skate, exercise or do much in the way of physical activity, he said he turned to music as a form of therapy. He would pick up his acoustic guitar, which he taught himself to play as a rookie eight years ago, and strum something by My Morning Jacket or the Counting Crows. Or he would go see a concert and try to lose himself in the moment, forgetting he was a seventh overall pick in 2002 who had temporarily hung up his skates.
When he eventually returned – 362 days since he had last played – it was as though he’d awoken from a coma. Everything seemed different. He was no longer on the Ducks’ top line, but rather down in the depth chart fighting for ice time, a 27-year-old afterthought with a bloated $4.25-million salary.
It wasn’t until he was traded to Toronto last season – the fourth time he had to pack his suitcase in five years – when things started to look up. At the time, GM Brian Burke admitted he was betting Lupul, whom he had in Anaheim, could return to the form that had netted him 53 points in 2005-06. “I believe he has something to prove,” Burke said.
That seems to be the case, as the 6-foot-1, 206-pound winger is back to playing a power game. He is a sponge for the dirty areas, parking himself in front of the opposing net and crashing into corners, all in the pursuit of points. It is a toll for any player, regardless of their size or injury history. But Lupul is not about to pass up this golden opportunity. “You don’t know how often they’re going to come by, so you want to make the most of it,” he said. “I know I’m getting a good opportunity here to play first-line minutes – 18 to 20 minutes a night – which is better than I was getting in Anaheim when I came back from injury, so it’s something that you don’t want to waste.”
In Toronto, Lupul has found a home. On the ice, he has formed instant chemistry with right winger Phil Kessel (51 points in 49 games). And away from the rink, he has settled nicely in the hockey-mad urban center, spending off days record shopping in the Annex while catching concerts whenever the schedule permits. “I didn’t really know a lot about Toronto before I came here,” said the native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. “Everyone’s been good to me here. I like the city, I like being a part of a big city. I’m not like some people who like living out in the country and having a big yard. I like living down-town, the buzz, going out on the street and seeing people everywhere.
“It’s a really diverse city. I’m still trying to find my way around Toronto, but I’m always finding new areas and new restaurants. Any chance I get to see a new band or a band I have a CD of, it’s just something I like to do. I’d much rather do that than go to a club or a movie or something. It just seems like every band comes through here at least once.”
Lupul has also found a home on Twitter, where his handle @JLupul has more than 103,300 followers. He says he likes tweeting, because it gives him a chance to interact with fans. And while he was pranked at last year’s trade deadline (someone tweeted that he was being shipped to the New York Islanders) and caused a minor stir when he tweeted a picture from his Buffalo hotel room window – featuring City Hall – with the caption, “Is there any windowless rooms?,” he has also found it helpful.
Last year, Lupul accidentally left his iPhone in a Toronto taxi. After reaching out to his legions of followers – with Leafs tickets and a signed jersey as a reward – the phone mysteriously surfaced. “It’s just another way to relate to the fans,” he said. “I know growing up being a fan of lots of different hockey players, you don’t really get that chance to connect with them that much. Not like an actor, where you see them interviewed. In hockey, it just seems like we give the same boring interview day after day after the games. I mean, that’s all good, but it’s also nice to show fans a different side of you that they might not get to see.”
Mostly, Lupul likes to talk music. Sometimes fans will tweet him a new band or song he should check out, which might get used in the pregame warmup.
We suggest You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman Turner Overdrive. It’s an oldie. But based on what Lupul has done so far this season, it seems to fit.