VOORHEES, NJ -- While he was taking off his pads after practice on Wednesday, Ilya Bryzgalov engaged in some random banter with reporters.
It was entertaining, if bizarre, stuff.
When asked what he would have done if he hadnt become a professional hockey goalie, Bryzgalov didnt hesitate.
Astronaut, he said quickly.
The media pack sort of blinked back at him. No one was sure whether he was kidding. He wasnt.
No, seriously, he added.
At which point Bryzgalov began a long dissertation about the American space program versus the SovietRussian space program and which was superior. He noted that the first two animals in space were Russian dogs, which led to a strange exchange between Bryzgalov and a reporter about who had lost more monkeys in space -- the Americans or the SovietsRussians. Bryzgalov conceded that too many monkeys had lost their lives in that vocation.
NHL
The problem with monkeys, Bryzgalov quipped, they push the wrong buttons.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com