Although his first NHL game – on February 16, 2013 – didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, Eric Gryba has gone to skate in over 220 big-league contests.

“I was with Ottawa and we were playing in Toronto,” recalled the defenceman. “I was pretty excited. I think it was on my second shift, the Leafs score and there you are, I’m a minus-1 right off the bat.”

Now, in his second season with Edmonton, the 28-year-old Saskatchewan native has played his part in helping the Oilers gate out of the gates quickly to be one of the League’s top teams.

When he’s not enjoying the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd, Gryba picked his Top 5 places to play on the road. Hint: all five have one (original) thing in common.

Top 5 places to play on the road

1. New York

“I love playing there just for the city itself. There’s so much to see and so much to do. I always look forward to playing there.”

2. Boston

“It’s where I went to college and it’s such a great city. It’s so awesome. I love going to the north end whenever I get the chance. I really enjoyed my time there when I was in school.”

3. Chicago

“Chicago’s an unbelievable city as well. The city itself is so good because there’s so much culture and so many great restaurants. I certainly enjoy going to Chicago – so much history there. It’s also a very cool building to play in.”

4. Montreal

“I love playing in Montreal. Playing in the Bell Centre in front of that crowd, especially when they get ramped up. It’s one of the coolest buildings to be in when they get fired up. And it’s one of the coolest buildings to be in when you can shut them up. I’ve been both on both sides of that when I was playing in Ottawa. That’s a great building.”

5. Detroit

“I love playing in the ‘Joe.’ There is just so much history there. The amount of history, the Cups they’ve won – you walk in, it’s such a character building.”