Chris Wagner interview 1-13-24
Uh so Chris uh you just came back after it was 31 or 32 games uh Missing the the beginning of the season from a we’ll call it lower body injury yeah um I mean if you want to be more specific that’s I’m allowed to but I don’t know if it’s
Out there or not yeah I’ll just stick with lower body I mean I know what it was but we’ll keep it at that um so I I how difficult was that rehab knowing what what that injury wise um yeah that was I mean luckily in 12 years I haven’t
Had anything like that um and it’s mentally taxing more than anything because you don’t really know when you’re going to feel right or um when you’re going to be strong enough so yeah it was a lot um you know it happened with the two-month-old at home too so um
You know I thank my wife a lot for taking care of her while I couldn’t move for a couple months so um and then coming out here a new scenar situation since I’ve been home for five years too so um yeah it was tough I mean I’ve got
A four-year-old at home and I’ve got a herniated disc so I I understand you so it’s it’s definitely a pain in leg body whatever it is yeah no it’s tough and uh so you you chose Colorado this time you weren’t picked up on waivers like you
Were previously yeah uh so what made you choose Colorado um just uh first like my relationship with seac from you know eight years ago um we had you know a couple good discussions about you know opportunity up top and then playing here and then another thing was the the
Distance between the AHL team and the NHL team being you know only an hour away and then you know the city and people you know lovely when wins there po cins really nice area to live so um that and then you know km watched me a
Lot on the East Coast too because um where he was prior to here so um yeah I just felt like a right fit and it is nice coming into somewhere that you have a little familiarity to as well so um all those things combined all when you
Did play those 20 or so games with the Avalanche 2015 16 something like that uh did you ever make it up to around here I didn’t no I stuck uh around the Denver area pretty much um you know it’s just a different I I was I was so young then
Too so I never really yeah towards the beginning of your career I was just trying to survive but yeah no I never came up here and um and then of course you spent five years between Pro Providence and and Boston and and things like that what was
Your experience like with h Boston I’ve heard they’ve got a very um it’s like I’m not I’m not sure what word to use buture yeah it’s a it’s a unique culture yeah um yeah I’m just very grateful to have played there because I’m from there and that was kind
Of always a dream when you’re growing up to play there um you know I my family’s from there you know we started a family there too so um yeah it it was special and obviously that Locker you know went to game seven of the Stanley Cup my
First year home too so that was cool and then even you know and improv with um Mo and Tito and witer the the coaches down there too that made you know the transition down to the AHL um a lot easier um you know got the work on my
Game try to become a leader too so it all worked out and then I’m I’m not too familiar with geography I mean I I know generally where it is but like how far is the drive from Providence to Boston well it should be like 50 minutes
But it could be two hours at some point with traffic um but yeah it’s close and my parents house is in the middle of um Boston to Pro too so I could stay there if I wanted made it easy yeah it made it easy yeah and then um you you’ve been
Described by uh the general manager who literally just walked by as a heavy hitter yeah and a a heavy player um what else would you bring to the game um you know I had a tough balance but like defensive responsibility um face offs I took a lot
Tonight my timing was still off I mean six months on eight since a game right um but yeah you know four checking hard um and then obviously trying to lead young guys too as well I turned into the old guy all of a sudden so um yeah it’s
It’s crazy but um no more just like what came being hard on the and being hard on people and um I was like to end it with a little bit of a fun question so I saw that you’re one of the five players who uses a right-handed stick on his team
Yeah wow at least that tonight yeah because I saw the the sticks before they they put them away yeah so you’re in the the the minority yeah um are you a right-hander or are you a left-hander I’m fully right-handed everything uh hockey writing golf basketball you name
It so strong hands on the botom in your case yeah yeah which should be good for face offs yeah I was actually watching my daughter like start eating and grabbing stuff and I think she might be lofy so she could fit in on this team
And then um and then I you I noticed that you don’t tape your toe no never have never have I used friction up through college um and then yeah I just don’t like the whole using the scissors kind of thing covering it up but I’ve
Always never tap my toe do you go Heel To Toe or toe to heal heel to toe okay yeah yeah some people always argue that I know I know it’s like a thing now I don’t care right some people it matters I don’t know I do I do do tot
Heal myself but um so uh well welcome to Colorado we’re we’re fun we’re happy to have you again and like you said the old man here again but you bring a lot of experience like 300 and something AHL games and something NHL games yeah thank you so uh
Thank you for interviewing once again no problem
Chris Wagner describes how difficult rehabbing his injury was and why he chose to come back to Colorado.
