It’s a huge day at Sportsnet. Actor Jason Priestley (@Jason_Priestly) of Beverly Hills 90210 fame, a racecar and hockey junkie who recently released Jason Priestley: A Memoir, dropped by the studios.
The Vancouver native, 44, sat down for a quick chat before co-hosting the 10-11am hour with Ben Ennis on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. Priestley got into his love of sport, talked about his 2002 racecar crash, and doled out some devastating news about the Peach Pit.
Sportsnet: Let’s hear your Stanley Cup prediction. It’s tough to call at this point…
Jason Priestley: Stanley Cup prediction? I think it’s gonna be, oh man, is it gonna be Kings in four or Kings in five? That’s tough. Are the Rangers gonna get it together and win tonight? I’m gonna hope for Kings in five. Kings in five, at home.
Do you actually cheer for LA?
Yes, because I live in LA.
What about the Canucks?
Oh no, I’m a huge Canucks fan. I don’t cheer for LA when the Kings are playing the Canucks! No way. [Laughs].
Ok, I’m going to weave in some 90210 questions.
Why would you wanna do that?
I just have to. Do you get tired of talking about 90201?
Not really, no. But I’m surprised that people still want to talk about it.
Are you kidding? It’s legendary. Were you upset when Kelly rejected your proposal?
I’m surprised that you would ask me that question, because it wasn’t real. [Laughs]. It didn’t really happen.
What?
The Peach Pit wasn’t real. It wasn’t a real place. [Laughs.]
I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. How did you become a fan of racecar driving?
I always watched racing on TV. I was always fascinated by racing and speed. I raced sailboats, I raced anything I could.
What made you want to drive? Some would say that’s a little crazy.
It didn’t seem crazy to me at the time, still doesn’t seem crazy.
I heard that after your crash [during a training run in 2002 at the Kentucky Speedway], your nose came off your face.
My nose was ripped off. It was laying up here on my forehead. My orbital bone, my cheek bone, were all broken. Three skull fractures. Both of my feet were shattered, my back was broken, T9. That’s all.
That’s it?
That’s it.
Your nose was on your forehead! How does your face look as it does now? [Ed. note: It looks good.]
[Laughs.]
And after that, you raced again?
Of course, yes. ‘Cause I was a race car driver.
When did you decide you were done?
When I was sitting at my friend Tony Renna’s funeral in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2003. My friend Tony Renna was a racecar driver who died in a tire testing accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
You did stay involved on an ownership level.
I did that for a number of years, and then got outta that.
As a kid, was racecar driving your go-to sport?
No, I’m Canadian. I played hockey and rugby, played all the sports you’re supposed to play.
What kind of car do you drive?
An Audi S4.
No.
What’s your dream car?
My dream car? [Ed note: We have no idea what he said here.]
Sounds fast.
Oh, it is.
Your favourite sport to watch growing up?
Hockey.
Always a Canucks fan?
Yes.
Who did you idolize, player-wise. Did you have posters on your wall?
Yeah, I did have posters on my wall, but it was that iconic Farrah Fawcett poster, like every other guy in the world. Guy Lafleur, he was my idol when I was a kid. I wanted to be a player like Guy Lafleur.
Do you play beer league hockey now?
I play pick-up when I can. There’s lots of hockey in Los Angeles, actually. It’s surprising. There’s a lot of Canadians.
When’s the last time you watched a 90210 episode?
Aaaah….1998.
That’s way too long ago. Even for the memoir you wrote, you didn’t watch any clips?
No.
OK, final question. How often do you get called Brandon?
Never.
I can’t believe it! I figured you’d get, ‘Hey, Brandon!’ several times a day.
No, never. [Laughs].
