Status: NHL left winger from 1984-1995 for the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning. Currently serves as an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens.

DOB: Sept. 2, 1963  In: Summerside, P.E.I.

First Hockey Memory: "Six years old. Morning skates that were at 6:30 in the morning and being out on the pond in Prince Edward Island. It's a small, little place where I was born and raised. That was always a good memory when you're a kid."

Hockey Inspirations: "I just loved watching Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday night. Obviously, there's a lot of guys from Prince Edward Island that played - Forbes Kennedy, Errol Thompson, Al McAdam. All the guys I grew up watching play that are good friends of mine today. When you see guys from your hometown when you're from a small place play in the NHL, it was inspiring, that's for sure."

Current Car:  "BMW."

Nicknames: " ‘Turk’ since I've been like three or four years old. I had it all my life. And most people call me Turk more than they call me my regular name. When I got to the NHL a lot of the guys called me ‘Spuddy’ because of Prince Edward Island potatoes."

First Famous Hockey Player You Met Or Encountered: "Probably when I was a kid, Darryl Sittler and Phil Esposito came to Prince Edward Island to visit the Boys & Girls Club. I was probably nine or 10. It was pretty exciting."

Greatest Sports Moment:  "For the team, when we went to the conference finals against Edmonton when they had the star team with Gretzky and all those guys (1987). And just being involved in a seven game series, in the semi-finals (against Toronto in 1987), was probably my biggest moment. I wish I would have had some bigger ones but that was probably the biggest."

Most Painful Moment: "Losing in the first round to Toronto (1993). We had a team that could have won the Stanley Cup. Toronto beat us in overtime in Game 7. I thought that was the first year that the Red Wings really had a chance."

Most Memorable Goal: "My first, against Billy Smith of the New York Islanders."

Strangest Game: "When the guy in Calgary jumped out of the stands and fell on the ice and knocked himself out when he was streaking."

Funniest Player Encountered: "Shawn Burr is definitely one. Brian Bradley, my buddy. Marc Bergevin, actually. I played with Marc in Tampa, now he's our GM. Marc was a really funny guy."

Favorite Uniforms: "I always liked the Red Wing. I was fortunate to get drafted by them. And I always really liked that traditional sweater."

Fiercest Competitors Encountered: "Against: Al Secord, Wendel Clark. With: (Joey) Kocur, (Bob) Probert."

Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: "I used to play a lot of men's fast-pitch softball."

Funny Hockey Memory:  "Being around the guys, team parties, when you had rookie parties. I have fond memories of that."

Personality Qualities Most Admired:  "Honesty. And people that come to work and have fun. I like to be a positive person and that's what you like to see from people."

Mark 'Scoop' Malinowski's second book "Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew" is available on www.amazon.com. Malinowski is the creator of two websites: www.thebiofile.com and www.tennis-prose.com.

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