Canadiens winger Tom Kostopoulos on his new home in Montreal

The Heritage Stick Co. is providing One on One conversations throughout the Hockey season with some of the top players in the game. If you have questions you want answered from your favourite player just e-mail us and we will try to get you an answer! Make sure to bookmark us to read the next installment.

Ask anyone who has played against this scrappy winger and you will be told the same thing over and over...Gamer! Kostopoulos has a reputation for never taking a night off and keeping opponents in check while on the ice. Having found a new home in Montreal via free agency this past summer, Kostopoulos is enduring himself to the Montreal faithful with his hard work and ability to create space for others on his team. A Mississauga native who enjoyed a stellar junior career with the London Knight, Kostopoulos was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999, splitting the following seasons between Scranton Wilkes-Barre and the Penguins before getting a chance to play consistently with the Los Angeles Kings the past two seasons. I recently had an opportunity to sit down and discuss all of the changes on and off the ice in his life~

I understand you have had a busy year?

Yes, My wife and I welcomed our baby girl into the fold last January and it seems like ever since it has been a blur. It's been amazing, She is now 10 months old and starting to walk.

How has the opportunity to play with this storied franchise been for you?

It's been amazing, this organization is first class, the way they take care of their players has been great for me and my family. I didn't know what to expect when I first signed back in August, right from the start they have offered support for everything and the guys in the dressing room have made the transition easy for me. It is motivating to be in a City that cares so much about their team, the media and fans love their team and it shows everywhere.

This team has jumped out to a better start than some expected, How are the Guys in the room handling the early success?

We have a lot of pride in what we do, This team is full of players who want nothing more than to win every night. So far this year we have been playing well enough to get the wins, but we cannot be looking back now on our wins, we need to keep pushing ahead. We have had some challenges following wins and need to be more hungry the next night, I think that is something that is important to everyone in this room.

The veteran presence seems to be a calming influence to the younger players on this team.

We have a nicely balanced roster full of veterans who have won and young players who have also been successful. I think when you have players like Koivu, Brisebois, Kovalev and Smolinski, they show each night with their play how they expect others to perform, All of the younger players are following suit and no one wants to be centred out as someone who isn't pulling their weight.

I noticed the Owner (George Gillette) in the dressing room tonigh is it common to see him around the team?

He is always happy and smiling, It's great to see that he cares for his team so much, it makes all of us feel like a closer unit. He doesn't do it to be prying either, he has been very genuine to me so far and I respect him a great deal for what he has accomplished in his business life and hope that we can do something special for him on the ice as well.

Does it feel good to be back playing in Canada?

Without a doubt it is nice to play in a city like Montreal and to have your friends and family be able to watch more of your games on TV and see you more often (Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo).

Montreal is sitting in 2nd place in the Northeast division after 24 games after a shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team is getting great goaltending from sophmore Carey Price & Cristobal Huet and it looks as though Christopher Higgins and Tomas Plekanec have found their groove and a rejuvenated Alexei Kovalev is leading the team in goal scoring. The Heritage Stick Co. wishes Tom a successful season in the Bleu, Blanc & Rouge and continued success off the ice~