Lemaire wants Gaborik to dig down a bit deeper

The rookie wears a wide grin when he speaks of his idol. The veteran blushes at the notion an 18-year-old kid considers him his role model. Fourteen years less a week separate the pair in age, but there is little difference in the way the Slovakian duo play the game.

Marian Gaborik politely answered the run-of the-mill questions you�d expect on Draft day. Are you excited at being the third overall pick? How do you feel about playing with an expansion team? It wasn�t until the name Peter Bondra was mentioned that he perked up. After all, this was his idol we were speaking of.

�He�s a great skater, a great player and a great person,� said Gaborik of Bondra.

Bondra understands how Gaborik feels. He felt the same way when he met his hockey idol, Peter Stastny, a few years back. Nervous. Shy. At a loss for words. What Bondra can�t understand, is why Gaborik would view him as a role model. Not that he isn�t flattered by it. He is. But Bondra�s genuinely mystified at his �star status.�

�Somebody once told me that he thinks of me as his idol,� laughed Bondra. �I don�t know why he would choose me as his role model. There are plenty of good players to choose from. It�s a nice feeling, but at the same time, I think he�s going to do much better than me.�

Bondra and Gaborik met briefly a few years back, but did spend time together in Trencin (Gaborik�s hometown) this summer at a training camp of sorts. Gaborik noticed Bondra and approached him somewhat cautiously, extending his hand and saying hello. The NHL veteran, playing in his 11th season, sensed the teenager was a bit nervous.

�It�s always nice to meet the person who is your idol,� said Gaborik.

�He�s a little bit shy,� said Bondra. �When a guy is shy, I think that means he�s a good guy. He�s very down-to-earth. He knows what he wants and he knows it�s not going to be easy. During the week that I saw him, he always tried to play a little extra hard.�

Who knows if he was trying to impress Bondra? If that was his goal, he certainly succeeded.

�I noticed him right away on the ice. You don�t even have to look for his number, you just notice him. The way he skates and the way he plays the game�it�s nice to watch. It looks like he has the natural instincts of a goal scorer. I don�t think he�ll have any trouble making a name for himself in the NHL.�

The two never played with each other this summer. Instead they practiced, worked out and played against one another. When they did have the odd moment alone not much was said. Gaborik was likely too shy to speak up during that week, Bondra didn�t want to dole out advice to the youngster. In his mind, who was he to throw out bits of wisdom?

You get the sense Bondra has a twinge of guilt for not speaking up more. Perhaps that�s why he insists he will speak to Gaborik the first opportunity he gets.

�Maybe we could sit down and have a coffee or a Coke and discuss more stuff,� said Bondra. �Maybe he had more questions. I wish I would have spoke to him more during the summer. I don�t know what else I can tell you, but it feels great that he looks up to me, but he shouldn�t have to. I wish I would know him better, but we will meet again.�

While his NHL aspirations are modest at this point, Gaborik does have one wish in particular he hopes will come true sooner rather than later.

�It would be great for me to play with him some day,� said Gaborik. �Maybe it won�t happen for a while, but I�d really like that.�

Despite the age difference (Gaborik was eight when Bondra began his NHL career in 1990) and Bondra�s insistence the two have very little in common when it comes to playing style, it is glaringly apparent these two are cut from the same jersey.

�He�s a player who capitalizes on his chances, can consistently put the puck in the net and is a great offensive player,� said Bondra, who has led the league twice in scoring and racked up six, 30-plus goal seasons.

Bondra could have easily been describing himself, although he laughs at the inference.

He may not understand why Gaborik holds him in such high regard, but the 32-year-old right winger can certainly relate to what it�s like to meet the player you consider your idol.

�My idol was my older brother who played professionally. Then it was Peter Stastny. I was able to talk to him and we are good friends�at least I think we are. When I played against St. Louis, he would come and talk to me. I was nervous. When you meet a player like Peter Stastny for the first time, you don�t know what to say. He�s a nice person and a great player.�

When Gaborik and Bondra meet again, there will be plenty to speak of. Whether the bulk of the conversation is hockey related or not is of little importance.

It may only be a few months removed from their summer meeting, but plenty has changed in their hockey lives. After all, the kid is only about 330-plus red lights away from surpassing his idol�s goal total.

�He�s a good skater and has good hands,� said Bondra. �He finds a spot in front of the net and scores the big goals. He�s ready to play.�

In some small way, Gaborik can thank Bondra for that.