From ap’s Sunday gatherings on the athletic
Olivier is the first and only Mississippi-born player to reach the NHL, but that’s a little misleading. He was born there, in February 1997, while his father, Simon, played for the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL.
The Oliviers left Biloxi, Miss., after the season and Mathieu has never returned. Still, the “Biloxi Bull” moniker has followed him, and on one level it works.
“A good part of my game is the toughness I can bring,” Olivier said. “But the bigger part is the level of intensity and the competitiveness. I like to play on the forecheck, the cycle and get to the front of the net. I’m the guy who likes to get into the dirty areas.”