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- Jason wore #83—in recognition of his birth year—while playing Bantam hockey. He wore #9 in the juniors because numbers only went up to 30.
- During his half-season with Belleville, Jason shared the spotlight with Matt Stajan, a fellow Mississaugan who would later play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- In 2003-04, Jason tied Nils Ekman of the San Jose Sharks for the most points among players averaging under 15 minutes a game.
- When it came time to choose an agent, Jason basically had his pick. He tabbed the only man who played better hockey at 15 than he had: Bobby Orr. Orr scored 72 points (one more than Jason) as a 15-year-old junior.
- Jason wears size 14 shoes.
- Jason’s combination of size and smooth skating has drawn comparisons to Mats Sundin.
- Jason and his father attended the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Rino wondered why his son wasn’t in awe of the game’s top stars. Jason replied that he couldn’t afford to be—he’d be playing against them soon.
- Although Jason’s rise has pleased Senators’ fans, the Alexi Yashin trade had already begun to pay dividends as 6-9 Zdeno Chara has developed into one of the NHL’s most intimidating defensemen.
- Jason roommate is veteran Bryan Smolinski, acquired from the Los Angele Kings prior to the 2003 playoffs. Jason was sent down when Bryan first arrived in Ottawa.
- To help pack on muscle prior to the 2003-04 season, Jason feasted on low-fat, high-protein buffalo and ostrich steaks.
Bobby Orr, 1972
Hockey Digest
Bryan Smolinski,
1995 Parkhurst