6 Great Non-Hockey Quotes From Retired Anaheim Ducks Captain Scott Niedermayer

You really can't blame Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer for hanging up his skates. What is there left to accomplish in hockey? He led Canada to the gold medal in the last Olympics and alongside his brother Rob helped Anaheim win its first Stanley Cup in 2006-07 (the franchise's first so far). Scott previously played on three Stanley Cup-winning teams in New Jersey (including that franchise's first), and he's a lock for the NHL Hall of Fame.

But Ducks fans will remember Niedermayer (who is not dead yet!) as more than a hockey player, as these non-hockey quotes show.
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“As an Anaheim Duck, I hate to see real ducks tortured so that a handful
of wealthy chefs can serve their diseased organs.”
-From his August 2007 letter
asking all 50 members of the Chicago City Council to
uphold a ban on on foie gras, which was in danger of being repealed.
(PETA.org)

“Being away from there for a long time, you realize exactly how lucky
you were to grow up and experience what you can back there, being in
the outdoors. That was a big part of how my interest
got started.”
-Explaining how he became an environmentalist, in light of his public opposition a few years ago to a proposed a hotel
in his hometown of Cranbrook, a picturesque small city in British
Columbia. (Orange
County Register)

“It
was a gradual thing. I think being an athlete you're always trying
to eat right, stay healthy. I think the other part was living where we
did–hiking, fishing and then moving to New York, New Jersey. It was so
different. The air had color.I thought you weren't supposed to see the
air.It just didn't seem good. It just gradually started that way. I
think because I like to do so much outside, it would be nice to keep it
as natural and pristine as we can.”
-Further expounding on his environmental
consciousness, during a visit to Oakley headquarters in Lake Forest. (Oakley.com)

“My love for nature and the outdoors developed while growing up in
Canada and I hope the generations after me get to experience nature as I
have.”
-From American Honda Motor Co.'s official announcement that it was delivering him a zero emissions
hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle to replace his Prius hybrid. (FuelCellWorks.com)

“The
environment, a healthy planet, all these things have been fairly
important to me. It's a passion I have.”
-Speaking to a crowd outside the Honda Center watching him receive that fuel-cell car. (Ducks.NHL.com)

“At least they know what they are.”
-His answer to whether he convinced any Ducks teammates to ditch their SUVs
for hybrids. (Orange
County Register)