It’s now been made public that Doug Wilson coveted you for several years. What finally brought you to San Jose?

Being drafted by L.A. and playing there for so long, I really owed a lot to that franchise and that’s the reason I went back there (after playing with Colorado from 2000-06). For a couple years we didn’t make the playoffs, but I did learn a lot about myself and the different things within the organization. When it became apparent this summer that I was going to be making another move, San Jose was the first place I looked. I had talked about it a couple other times with different opportunities. I’ve been watching this franchise for a long time and played against them for a long time. It became a pretty easy decision.

Coming over from a division rival, what were your views of this Sharks team? Did you feel this team was headed in the right direction?

The biggest thing is noticing how hungry these players are. You look at the star players here and they’re great players in this League. You want to get to the next step which is a Stanley Cup. Every player wants to get to that level and the hunger is here. When you’re late in your career like I am, you look for a team hungry to win the Stanley Cup and willing to make those necessary moves. I’ve seen it here time and time again over the past few years and being a part of that is going to be exciting.

How would you respond to the critics who say you’re past your prime or may question your decline in point production over the past few seasons?

It’s no secret that as you get older you tend to change your game a little. I still think there are things I can offer. When you get older, you need to find a team where a role is going to fit you. You can come in here and see this is a real good team. You can come and fit in right away and not have to do too much. Every night you just try to do something to help them win. My biggest thing is to fit in on a team capable of winning.

You’ve accomplished so much in your career. You’re a Stanley Cup and Norris Trophy winner and six-time all-star. What drives you to continue playing at 38? What else would you like to accomplish?

When you get to this stage, the only thing you play for is the Stanley Cup. Points, assists, games played and all that just comes with being a player. The real motivation is an opportunity to win the Cup. I went through a couple tough years in L.A. where that wasn’t the sole motivation of the franchise at the time. They were striving towards it but it wasn’t the sole motivation. Here in San Jose, it is. It’s kind of refreshing, but again at this stage in your career that’s all you can play for.

Todd McLellan describes you as a hybrid of two of his former Detroit players: Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom — with the defensive presence of Chelios and the offensive skills of Lidstrom, but with a little more physicality than both. How do you feel about being compared to those two legends?

Those guys are the tops in the sport. I remember going through some injuries early in my career and I looked around to see who was the best in the League at that time and what he was doing in the offseason. That was Chelios. I’ve copied his workout routine and have trained in the summer to be at that level. If you look now, the best defenseman in the game over the past years is Lidstrom by far. There are a lot of things you can learn from those guys. That’s the best thing. It doesn’t matter how old or how many games you’ve played, you can always learn and there’s always someone to learn from.

What has been your impression of this organization so far? The fans? Teammates?

As far as the organization itself, it’s very first class. You can tell right away from when I signed, the phone calls that were made and the process of having the family make the move up here. You can separate first class organizations and this is definitely one of them. The fans have been great. I didn’t realize how passionate they are and there’s such a large group of them. We had an intrasquad game (the Teal and White Game in September) and the building was really full. They come to practices and even wait around afterwards. The team is very involved in the city, the atmosphere and everything with promoting the Sharks.

How has the transition to San Jose been for you and your family? How do you like the area and how does it compare to L.A.?

It’s actually been really easy. They’ve made it as simple as possible. The kids are in school here and they’re enjoying their time. One of my main things was I wanted to make sure I brought everyone up here. You never know how long you’re going to play and when they’re not around, it would make for a long and difficult year. Making our transition from L.A. to here, I wanted to make it full scale and move everyone up.

The area is great and it’s very similar to L.A. You’re still in that California lifestyle. We love the beach and the area we live in and the areas we’ve visited, we’ve enjoyed our time. The schools have been great and the kids have actually done really well.

Doug Wilson recently said about you, “His leadership goes beyond a letter on your shoulder. A letter doesn’t make a leader, a leader makes a leader.” How do you feel about that statement coming from L.A. where you did wear the “C?” How does not having to worry about being the Sharks captain changed your approach or demeanor?

If you ask anyone that’s been a captain in the League, you put a letter on your jersey but you don’t really change your attitude in the dressing room. For most of my career, it’s been just playing. I don’t like to get up and talk too much. When there’s things that need to be said, you definitely speak up, but for the most part it’s your actions, how you carry yourself and how to be a professional. The biggest thing I learned when I came in the League was from Larry Robinson, Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky and Marty McSorley. These guys are great professionals. They loved hockey, promoted it to its fullest and they took advantage of that. And that’s what I want to give back.

What can fans expect from you?

Pretty much anything I’ve done in the past. I’m still capable of doing that with shots and being physical at times and doing things that are going to help the team win. The most important part is you come in and do your thing. You’re surrounded by a good team so you don’t have to rely on doing everything every single night. There’s a lot to be spread around here and if everyone’s got it going, you’re going to be pretty successful.

Both Todd McLellan and Doug Wilson have said you’re here to help this club win and not to just mentor the younger guys. Do you take the extra time to teach and advise some of the younger guys on the team or do you just lead by example?

Even in the role I had in L.A., obviously I was there to help some of the young defensemen and help that franchise grow. It didn’t really change my approach to how I played the game. Whether you talk to a guy on the side to tell him a different thing, that’s always going to happen. Here, you can rely more on just playing. There are a lot of guys here that can help the kids. So you go out, play and those kids will understand.

Talk about your love for surfing. Have you had an opportunity to check out some local surf spots like Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay?

I’ve taken the ride down to Santa Cruz a few times. I’ve driven up the coast to Half Moon Bay and stopped at a couple spots. I haven’t been in the water since I got here. When we arrived, we were kind of rushed for a couple of weeks and then camp started. So I think I’ll have to do that later on. It’s something I took up in L.A. years ago. It’s become sort of my summer passion and something to help me get away.

You and Chelios work with the same trainer (T.R. Goodman). What does he do with you guys that’s so special to keep you in elite shape and allow you to play well into your 30s and 40s?

T.R. has quite a few guys he works with. His big thing is restructuring the body the appropriate way. It takes time with him to see results. You can go in one summer, but it’s going to take year after year of hard work. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend over half my career with him and I rely on his offseason judgment of what I need to get out of it and how I’ve got to build. He’s been a big part of helping me stay healthy as long as possible and prolonging my career. The switch for me came early in my career when I looked around and saw what some of the great players were doing and I thought I’d better get on that same program.

How was your experience being in Mike Myers’s 2008 comedy “The Love Guru?” How did that role come about and why did they have you taking a face-off in your scene?

It was a good experience. I’ve known Mike for a while, actually since 1993 when we played Toronto (Campbell Conference Finals). He’s a big fan of the Leafs so he came to a lot of Kings games. So when he was doing this movie, he called a couple times and wanted to know if I’d be available to help out with the part. The scene is L.A. and Toronto playing in the Cup Finals. The whole face-off thing was just sort of his creation (said that with a smile).

Being from Canada, how was the transition to playing college hockey in America at Bowling Green University?

Bowling Green was great. That was probably the best thing for me. I was drafted Major Junior A. I went to camp where they wanted me to go back to Junior for one more year. As I did, I received a scholarship to Bowling Green and took that opportunity. I was tall and skinny and needed a lot of practice time. In college, you have an hour-and-a-half to two hours a day of practice and that really helped my body fill out. The schedule of playing games on the weekend and practicing during the week also helped. I also matured as a person and that was really key for me. Those were probably three of the best years for me leading into the NHL.

You’re not ready to hang up the skates quite yet. But if you can look to the future for just a moment, what’s life going to be like for you when you’re done playing? Is coaching a possibility?

I definitely want to be involved in hockey. I like the idea of a management role. I’ve been involved for the past 18 years at the NHL level, but I’ve been in hockey my whole life. I would like to continue in hockey, maybe get into the management side and help design a team. I think being around this long you get a good sense of what you think you might need and you can help out with that. I’m not so much interested in coaching as I am the management side. It’s something that interests me, whether it’s working with young players or helping design a team. With management, it seems like you can be put into a position to see how you like it and then you can move around a little if you want. But being involved in hockey in some aspect is definitely my goal.