Aside from being team captain and a financial planning major, Zdeno Chara is a big-time bike guy. He's watched and completed parts of the courses of the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. He's friends with Pavel Padrnos, a former Discovery Channel teammate of Lance Armstrong. We were chatting today about Armstrong, his comeback with Astana, and his reunion with director Johan Bruyneel. "It's going to be awesome," Chara said of Armstrong's return.

* Chara spoke highly of his time with HC Slavia Praha, his first experience as a pro player before going to Prince George. "I had a mid-step going to Czech Republic and living on my own in Prague, making my own money and living on my own," Chara said. "I'm realizing, 'OK, I can't be thinking like a teenager now.' I'm surrounded by men. Men with families and kids. I have to start to think like that. I'm surrounded by more mature people. I have to think more as a mature person. I've got to do groceries. I've got to make sure I have something to eat. I've got to eat dinner. Now I have to start thinking about taking care of myself."

* Chara on the poor but happy people of Mozambique: "You come to a country where they have so little from what we have over here. But they are so much happier than we are. We have so much more, but we are grumpy. We're always running. We're always chasing something. You give them a soccer ball and they are so happy. They can play with that ball all day long, every day. There are no video games. No Nintendos. Nothing like that."