Inferno Interview - Chris Blight

22nd Jun 2012 | Posted by The Inferno

We caught up with new Devil Chris Blight who joins the Devils from Ritten/Renon in Italy where he finished as top scorer last season, following an excellent season for Reading Royals in the East Coast Hockey League where he scored 25 goals and 56 points in 49 games.

Chris brings a wealth of experience with him having made 50 odd appearances in the AHL playing for the Manitoba Moose , Portland Pirates , Hershey Bears, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Worcester Sharks in his time.

Gerad Adams had this to say on the new signing-

'He adds instant offense,but more than that he has an all-round game that we need from all of our players. He is good in all areas of the ice. Chris has an excellent attitude and he really wants to win.'

We spoke to Chris on his playing experience in the Italy, his time in the AHL, his plans for the future and what we can expect from him during the season on the ice..

The Inferno- How and when did you get involved in Hockey ?

Chris Blight - My mom actually put me in learn to skate first without my dad knowing. That is where it all started, I think I was about 3 or 4 years old. The next year they asked if I wanted to play hockey on a team and I said "sure".

The Inferno- You’ve played America and on the continent, what’s the best arena you've played in for atmosphere and what been the most intimidating rink you've played in?

Chris Blight - I have played in a lot of arenas so that is a tough question. In university Cornell had a great atmosphere, the fans stand the whole game. In pro Toledo had a really cool atmosphere, it was a small arena with a lot of loud and crazy fans. In Germany the arena's were all so loud which was really awesome. Atmosphere wise those were probably the best but playing in the AHL in front of 14000 people in Winnipeg and Connecticut was probably the most fun!

The Inferno- What’s been your best moment as a pro hockey player to date?

Chris Blight - I don't have a particular moment that was the best in my pro career yet because I do not have a championship. All the long playoff runs I have been on have been the most fun, conference finals in Toledo, the run in Reading in 08 that we most certainly would have won if we got our goalie back from the AHL. He's pretty good, he just won the Stanley cup (Jon Quick).

The Inferno- Who's the best forward you've played on a line with?

Chris Blight - When I played in the AHL it was usually 3rd or 4th line duty with limited ice time since I was not under contract with the NHL club. The odd time there would be an injury or the coach would mix it up and I got a chance to play with some pretty good players. One game I had a chance to play with Josh Bailey who plays for the Islanders so that was pretty fun. I played with Mike Keane in Manitoba as well, he has 3 Stanley cups. I've been fortunate to play long term with many good players like Faulkner and Latulippe in college, Bracken Kearns, Pat Jarrett, Andrew Sarauer and Dan Tudin in pro.

The Inferno- What attracted you to the UK and did you know much about the league before you were approached by the Devils ?

Chris Blight - The MBA program really attracted me to the UK in the beginning. When I first found out that you could get an education and play hockey at the same time I thought it was a great opportunity. My dad was also born in England and I still have relatives there that hopefully I will get to see in my travels. The fact that Wales in an English speaking country will be a nice change from the other countries I have played in.

The Inferno- Have you made plans for when you hang your skates up? Will you be studying while you’re here in Cardiff at all ?

Chris Blight - I will be taking my MBA at the University of Cardiff. I have not made definite plans yet for my time after hockey. There are a few things that interest me at the moment and hopefully I will narrow that down by the time I am finished.

The Inferno- What can we expect from you as a played in Cardiff ? You've been billed by Gerad Adams as someone who adds 'instant offense' ?

Chris Blight - As a child my dad was always telling me to shoot more and that has kind of stuck with me. I tend to get a lot of pucks on net and play the percentages more. I wouldn't say I'm a shoot first player as I still really enjoy setting up my teammates for goals, but if I having nothing else I'm not afraid to throw it on net from any angle. I don't score too many flashy goals but in the end it is more about how many you get and not how nice they were right? I think I play a pretty good all-around game and pride myself in my defensive play. I have been one of the leaders in plus minus on my team a few times in my career.

The Inferno- We as Devils fans tend to like a Hard hitting and Gritty style is that how you roll ?

Chris Blight - Well I am no Chris Frank that is for sure. I finish my hits and play a physical game, but again my role in the past has mostly been to score goals and you can't do that from the penalty box.

The Inferno- Have you set yourself any "goals" for the season ?

Chris Blight - Like any season the main goal is to win and do whatever is necessary to win games. This year presents an interesting challenge as I've been told that the regular season is the more important trophy to win. Every game is going to be a playoff game basically, especially in our tough conference. I think our goal as a team this year should be to get off to a great start and not look back as it looks like you can't afford to lose many games if you want to win the championship

The Inferno- Are you a Hockey fan when you’re not playing ? Do you follow an NHL team at all ?

Chris Blight - I was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan growing up but it has been hard to be a fan of them recently as they haven't made the playoffs in many years. My favourite player to watch is Sidney Crosby so I'm a Penguins fan when the playoffs start.

The Inferno- Looking at your stats, we couldn’t help but notice that you have dual passport. If you were ever offered to play for GB, would you take the opportunity or do you consider yourself Canadian and decline it?

Chris Blight - It would be an honour to play for the Great Britain national team. If I were asked I would happily accept. Playing for any country in the world championships is an honour. Half of my family is British and many still live there. My grandma babysat me so much as a baby that I had a British accent when I went to Kindergarten in Canada. My dad seems to think I will most likely pick it up again so I guess we will see.

The Inferno- Continuing with your career, we can see some Ex/Current Devils names who've been on rosters with you, have they helped you with making your decision to become a Devil? Are you looking forward to linking back up with them?

Chris Blight - Mac was my roommate in college for 4 years so obviously we are really close friends. It will be great to be on the same team as him again as it was last year. I'm excited that Tyson just signed as well, another great guy I met through Mac and it will definitely be great to play with him for the first time.
Franny first contacted me a few years ago about playing in Cardiff. He and G run a really great program in Cardiff from what I have heard from the ex-devils I spoke with, so I'm excited to finally be a part of it.

The Inferno- After a stint in Europe, you headed back to the US - Did you feel you still had one more chance at making the top league?

Chris Blight - The year I went back to the USA was due mostly because of the later start of the season in North America. I was coming off a season ending injury the year before and really wasn't ready to play until November so that didn't work for the European teams I talked to who all start in August or September. Larry Courville gave me a chance to come back and practice until I was ready to play and I will never forget his help at the time I really needed it. There were some doubts I could return from the injury but I think I put those to rest as I probably had the best season of my career that year.

The Inferno- You spent last season in Italy. How did this compare to other leagues in term of ability/ physicality to say North America hockey? How did you cope with the language barrier? How was last season for you? Another Devil signed up for this season Mac Faulkner played with you at Ritten/Renon - were you line mates? Did it help having another Canadian on the team with you?

Chris Blight - Italy was not as physical as North America but it was still a good league. There were some really good players in that league and the Italian national team has been in the top division for the world championships for a few years now. Mac and I played a few games on the same line but I mostly played with Dan Tudin last year. As for the language it was a surprise actually. Where I lived it was 95% German which was pretty good for me considering I speak a little bit of German from my time in Germany. When we went down the mountain to Bolzano it was mostly Italian which Mac has experience speaking so we made a pretty good team there.

The Inferno- What do you consider the strongest part of your game and what 1 thing would you improve - and why?

Chris Blight - Strongest part of my game would probably be my speed. As for what I would improve, I think it is important to improve all parts of your game even the things you do well. If I could have been 5 inches taller that would have helped too probably!

The Inferno- What plans do you have when you hang the skates up? Would you consider coaching or would you fall back on your degree?

Chris Blight - Like I said before I'm not 100% sure what I'll do when I am finished but there are a few things I am currently considering. I would probably consider coaching if the right opportunity came up.

The Inferno - Anything else you would like to add?

Chris Blight - The response has been great. I think I have had about 300 messages from Cardiff fans on twitter already so there is definitely a lot of interest in hockey there. I'm excited to get there and get started.

We'd like to thank Chis for taking the time to speak to us and wish him all the best for the upcoming season