Zach Parise, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has made a name for himself amongst the Eastern Conference powerhouse New Jersey Devils as a solid scoring threat. Parise appeared in his first NHL YoungStars game in Dallas this past January, where he scored two goals and notched three assists to help lead the Eastern Conference over the Western Conference 9-8.
The first round draft pick (17th overall) has had success at every level of play from his high school (Shattuck-St. Mary's) to college (University of North Dakota) to the international field. Parise was the MVP of the United States World Junior team that won the gold medal in 2004. Parise has moved up from the Albany River Rats to the NHL, where he continues to find the net.
When he's not playing hockey, Parise enjoys playing videogames. He took some time out to talk to SportsGamer about his love of gaming.
When did you start playing videogames?
We started on the old Sega Genesis with NHL 93.
What team did you play as?
We were the North Stars, always.
What game systems did you have?
We had every system. You name it..the Sega, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PSP.
Do you have a favorite NHL game from the old days?
I remember NHL 2000 for PlayStation was a favorite. You know what game I liked a lot was that NHL Hitz game. It was a three-on-three game. Now with EA Sports the game's are so defensive. It's so hard to score now. Those Hitz games were fun because the score was like 13-9 and guys were getting hammered all over the ice.
It's just like playing in the All-Star Game.
Yeah, exactly. Not too much defense.
What's it like to see yourself in the NHL videogames these days?
It's fun, but I wish my guy was a little better. It's kind of neat when you see other people and you hear them say their kid was playing as the Devils in the videogame. It wasn't too long ago that I was the one creating my character for the hockey videogames.
You said you wished you were better in the game, what would you tell EA Sports to change?
I think a little better shot would never hurt. Score a couple more goals.
Do you have a preference when it comes to NHL 07 or NHL 2K7?
I've always like the EA Sports games instead of the 2K Sports NHL games. That's what's hard for me now. I'm used to the button combinations and I've recently moved over to NHL 07 and now you stick handle with the analog sticks. I'm still getting used to it. I'm more the old schooler--hit the button for the one-timer.
What games do you play now?
We play PS2 Guitar Hero. That game is awesome. I'm also a big Halo fan and I love the Call of Duty games.
Do you play games with other guys on the team?
We have a lot of guys on our team who play Guitar Hero. And we have a lot of guys who have PSPs, so when we go on the plane we play poker.
How many guys have PSPs?
I'd say that more than half of the team has PSPs.
Who's the best poker player on PSP?
Scott Clemenson, our back-up goalie, is the best poker player.
Where do you rank?
I'm below average, I think.
Do you play Guitar Hero with any other teammates?
My brother plays Guitar Hero a lot, but he's down in the minors. I play a lot with Travis Zajac.
Have you mastered Guitar Hero on Hard?
No. I can do pretty well on medium, but once you throw that orange button in there on hard it's really difficult. My brother plays guitar regularly and he can play Guitar Hero on hard and get five stars.
Do you ever play any hockey games with guys on the team?
No. I play during the summer with my friends and my brother. But during the season, you almost get enough hockey that you don't really want to go home and play more hockey.
So what do you play during the season?
Guitar Hero is always fun and Halo can consume a day, easily. We like to play multiplayer Halo with four guys in the summer. That's pretty fun, but I'm not that great at it. We play two-on-two capture the flag games.
Do you ever play Xbox Live?
No, I've never done that.
What role do you see NHL videogames playing in growing the sport?
I think any time you can...especially with hockey the way it's gone with TV and the ratings…I think it's important to try to get as much publicity as you can whether it's through videogames or anything.
What was it like to play in the YoungStars Game?
It was fun. There was not a lot of defense played and the effort wasn't like a playoff game, by any means, but it was definitely a fun time. There are a lot of good young players.
Both the YoungStars team and the NHL All-Star team were very young.
That's definitely a sign that the league is in good hands for quite some time. There are a lot of good young players coming up.
Do you have a favorite stadium to play in?
Anywhere in Canada is always fun to play. It's always sold out up there and the fans are really educated with hockey and they really pay attention to the game.
Are there particular goalies you like to go up against?
I don't know if there's any goalie I particularly like playing against.
Is it nice to have Martin Brodeur on your team?
I'm glad I don't have to shoot on Brodeur. That's one thing I can tell you. Seeing some of the saves he makes, oh my gosh. I'd get frustrated.
What do you think of the new NHL?
From the short time that I've been here, it seems like the league's really balanced. Every game's important. You can't just not show up one night. Every game has been tough for us this year. And you match up differently against different teams. We'd sometimes play against a team that wasn't going to make the playoffs and they'd beat us every time, but at the same time, some of the top teams, it seems like we'd beat them every time. So it's really different.
