How’s your hearing?

It’s pretty good. The hearing aids that I use are current and I’m certainly well looked after. I’m spoiled rotten.

What do you think of today’s NHL compared to when you played

the game?

What I’m enjoying most of all right now is the new found passion. Guys like Ovechkin who show that type of emotion that is more of a Canadian trait, even more so than the Americans.

Are the players more skilled today then they were back then?

I certainly like the skills that some of the players today possess. I wish I could’ve played the boards the same way that some of these guys do today. Some of the passes you see today are all over the ice. Players can handle the puck in the air almost as good as if the puck were sliding along the ice. These are the skills that we’re starting to see.

Who’s your favourite player today?

I’m a (Sidney) Crosby fan like most people.

What about back when you were playing?

I’d still put (Gordie) Howe. I’m not a big (Wayne) Gretzky fan or that particular era of hockey.

How come?

It’s not due to the hockey players, more so because expansion moved too quickly during that time and the league was watered down so much that there wasn’t enough good players to fill the league. I’d say from around 1975-1995 was what I called no-man’s land.

Do you think Gretzky would’ve been able to dominate in today’s game like he did in the 80s and early 90s?

I don’t think Gretzky would’ve been able to roam around the back of the net like he used to. You look at what Crosby goes through. Also, players like Ovechkin, Malkin, it doesn’t matter. Any of the good hockey players, they go through a lot of grief to score goals nowadays and take a lot of punishment. I don’t think it’s going to get any easier either. It’s going to get tougher.

If spearing was legal, who would be high on your hit list?

That’s a European trait. They deserve everything they get. They brought a lot of good things to the game but I like to think I’m a purist and I think spearing and hitting from behind are two things they’re infamous for. I told the head of the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation that if it was me playing out there, I’d start a third world war.

What do you remember from your Stanley Cup wins in Toronto?

I think every cup was great but I think winning the cup in ’62 was the most exciting.

You’re well-known for playing in the Stanley Cup final with a broken leg and scoring the winning goal in 1964.

Well, you become very emotional. My only advice I can give young people today is that they play every game like it’s their last.

Who was the best player you ever

played with?

I’d have to say Gordie (Howe) once again. He was an athlete that was so superb in so many ways. His mental outlook for the game and his attitude was great. It didn’t matter whether it was practice or a game or just sitting in a dressing room. Everything was fun to him.

Do you ever wish you could lace up your skates and play in the NHL tomorrow?

Not really. I had a wonderful time playing when I did. I call from 1947, the advent of television, to 1967 which was expansion, it couldn’t have been more of a perfect time to play as an athlete. You had fun. You made some decent money.

Do you think players have it tougher today or is it softer?

I think the time commitment to the game is so long now. Players are looking at at least 10 months a year. Then, the two months that they do have off are spent getting ready in preparation for the coming year. They’re put on a regimen. When you see that and you see the kids getting burnt out, it’s one tough business and it’s not easy.