Jason Jaffray has played with quite a few teams during his hockey career, and he’s always proven to be a plus ... in more ways than one.
The captain of the St. John’s IceCaps has suited up with 11 different clubs in a 10-year professional career, including six in the American Hockey League. In all, the 30-year-old winger has played 402 AHL games and has an impressive overall rating of plus-82 in the league, an indication of the two-way game he brings to the ice each and every night, along with leadership.
In fact, Jaffray has never had a rating worse than minus-two during any single stretch with a team, and all those minuses have come in shorts stays of 15 games or less. Give him a full season, or something close to it, and you’ll get the plus-24 he had with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat in 2009-10 or the plus-21 he had with the Manitoba Moose in just 43 games in 2007-08.
His other numbers are good, too. Jaffray has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games for the IceCaps, giving him the best points-per-game average on the team.
Q&A WITH JASON JAFFRAY
Favourite pre-game meal: Chicken parm and spaghetti
Must-see TV show: Entourage. Jersey Shore, True Blood
Favourite person to follow on Twitter: (Phoenix Coyotes’ forward) Paul Bissonnette. He has no filter to what he says
Favourite hockey player growing up and why: Mark Messier, because of his style of play and he was one of the best leaders to play the game.
If you weren’t a hockey player, what would you be: A pro baseball player
Favourite off-season pursuit: Golfing, slo-pitch, camping and playing with my kids
Favourite part of being a hockey player: Scoring goals. There’s nothing better than scoring goals in front of a sold-out barn.
Oldest piece of hockey equipment owned: Shoulder pads, five years old.
Superstition:I used to have a ton of superstitions when I was younger, but not anymore. I do carry a lucky $2 bill my little girl gave me in my glove.
Favourite ice cream flavour: Neapolitan
What people don’t know about the life of a pro: Most people think we take summers off. I may take a month off, then I’m back training three-to-four hours a day to prepare for the season ahead.
Song or band played the most on your iPod: Counting Crows, Tragically Hip, Kings of Leon
First real job: Driving a fertilizer truck for Agricore United.
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