Jed Ortmeyer

Status: San Jose Sharks right winger

HT: 6-feet WT: 198 pounds

DOB: Sept. 3, 1978 In: Omaha, Neb.

Early Hockey Memory: "I remember skating with Gordie Howe in between periods at a junior game when I was a kid. It was a big thrill. I got to go out for dinner with him before the skate, then skate with him between periods – that was pretty special to me."

Hockey Inspiration: "I'd say Eddie Bruneteau, a coach of mine who played with the Red Wings. He coached me growing up. We'd always go over to his house and he had a shrine of all the Red Wings and memorabilia of stuff that he had. It was pretty special to me. My favorite player of all time is Mario Lemieux."

Nicknames: "Ortie, Jedder, Special Jed."

Favorite Movies: "Goodwill Hunting and Legends of the Fall."

Musical Tastes: "You know, everything; rock, rap, indie, techno. Pretty much everything."

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: "I like to play golf in the summer. Movies. Read. That's about it."

First Job: "Mowing lawns."

First Car: "Jeep Grand Cherokee, blue with wood paneling."



Favorite Meal: "Pasta, meat sauce or some sort of vodka sauce."

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: "Oatmeal."

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Vanilla."

Greatest Sports Moment: "Between playing my first NHL game and scoring my first goal (against Tampa Bay)."

Most Painful Moment: "My knee surgeries."

Pre-game Feeling: "Just try to stay relaxed. Kind of an all-day process. Mentally, I think about the game. After my pre-game nap I just kind of stay relaxed for a bit until the meeting. And then I get focused on that – what we need to do."

Favorite Uniforms: "Ours, obviously."

Funniest Player Encountered: "(Jason) Strudwick. He's got a good sense of humor. He's got a very energetic laugh that, when you hear it, it just makes you laugh as well."

Toughest Competitor: "Jaromir Jagr, probably. The guy just succeeds and obviously he's done it his whole career. Competes. And when things weren't going well you could see it. He just had that extra, that little extra drive."

Funny Hockey Memory: "Oh boy...when I played high school hockey we used to get in the jayvee locker room when they were stretching and put clear tape on all their skates. And watch 'em run out for warmups and fall (smiles)."

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "Missing a penalty shot."

Favorite Players To Watch: "I like to watch a lot of my old teammates from school, see how they're doing. That's who, most of the time, I watch. See what they're up to – (Mike) Cammalleri, Andy Hilbert, Mike Comrie, (Mike) Komisarek, Jeff Jillson, there's a lot of them."

Personality Qualities Most Admired: "Honesty. People are genuine and they're honest. Coming from the Midwest, it's something you get to see everyday. And sometimes you don't see that around other parts of the country. That's big for me."

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