Getting To Know: Jeff Finger

Jeff Finger was signed as a free agent by Toronto in the off-season. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)

Mark Malinowski
2008-11-07 09:54:00

Status: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman.

Ht: 6-foot-1  Wt: 205 pounds

DOB: December 18, 1979 In: Houghton, Mich.

Hockey Inspirations: "Mario Lemieux was my favorite player, and Scott Stevens. I loved the way he played. Just always enjoyed watching him."

Nicknames: "Many, many nicknames. Probably ‘Fings’ would be the one that stuck for the longest."

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: "Love fishing. That's what I do pretty much all summer. Don't spend too much time on the golf course, lots of fishing."

Favorite Movies: "Probably Shawshank Redemption."

Favorite TV Shows: "The Simpsons."

Musical Tastes: "I like heavy music like Metallica, Pantera. I love that kind of stuff."

Last Book Read: "The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale."

First Hockey Memory: "That's a good question. I just remember going to the outdoor rink in my town and staying there all day, flopping on the ice and when you get too tired, just lay on the snow bank and stuff. Hanging out at the rink all day."

First Job: "Working for the old man, painting houses. He used to own a painting company."

Favorite Website: "Probably Google."

Current Car:  "I have a Jeep Cherokee SRT8 (silver)."

Favorite Meal: "Pizza."

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "That's a good question. Would have to be vanilla, with cookies."

Pre-Game Feeling: "Little bit of nerves. Try to brush that off and just clear my head and relax."

Greatest Sports Moment: "First game in the NHL. It was against Calgary at home in Colorado. It was by far my best point so far."

Most Painful Moment: "Probably losing in the playoffs to Detroit last year. Getting swept and pretty much manhandled."

Most Memorable Goal: "Probably the first goal in my career, it was in Chicago. It was against Khabibulin. It was really meaningless, it made the score 6-1 with about 20 seconds left, but it was the first one, so you always remember it."

Last Halloween Costume: "I was Dog The Bounty Hunter last year."

Funny Hockey Memory: "Many, many things. Nothing specific I can pick out now. I've heard some stuff from the other benches, but probably wouldn't be able to repeat it on this."

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "Probably also in the first game of my career. I got scored on basically my first shift - on a two-on-one. It was Calgary, I don't remember, to be honest. I tried to forget that as soon as possible."

Closest NHL Friends: "I'd have to say Cody McCormick in Colorado."

Funniest Players Encountered: "Probably Ian Laperriere. He's just really talkative, easy to talk to and he's always engaging… a lot of fun."

Toughest Competitors: "Jarome Iginla, bar none. His talent, his tenacity, his toughness, he's skilled. He's everything you'd want in a hockey player I think."
 
Favorite Players To Watch: "There's lot of them. I'm just a hockey fan. Datsyuk is fun to watch. Zetterberg obviously. Iginla. Thornton. All the top players are fun to watch."

Favorite Uniforms: "Toronto Maple Leafs."

Last Vacation: "Basically when I go home in the summer that’s vacation for me."

People Qualities Most Admired: "Honesty and integrity would have to be the top two in my book."

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Mark "Scoop" Malinowski's first book "Heavyweight Armageddon: The Lewis-Tyson Championship Battle" is available at amazon.com. For more features from the world of sports, check out thebiofile.com.