Article content continued

That’s doubtful, but this is Ference’s media training camp.

He won’t be an in-game commentator or on any panels for now.

Photo by Ian Kucerak / Postmedia

But he’s got lots of story ideas, starting with the prospects as he talked to invitee and junior Edmonton Oil Kings forward Trey Fix-Wolansky among others at Rogers Place.

He’s interested in autograph hounds as a story idea, too.

“Like the people waiting outside of hotels to get autographs (from players),” said Ference, keen like most people to know why they want the autographs, for a personal collection or to sell on eBay, and how they always seem to know where the NHL teams are staying on the road.

Ference, heavily involved in environment issues, never played in a prospects tournament when he first started his NHL career with the Penguins. The fitness testing was pretty basic, too.

“You’d partner up with another player. If it was a veteran, they’d ask how many push-ups you did. You could say 100. Same with sit-ups,” Ference said with a chuckle.

“There were so many players at the camp, 80 or so.”

No rookie tournaments. “There were a lot of fights. I remember that,” he said.

E-mail: jmatheson@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @NHLbyMatty