You’d think that Mike Comrie, center for the New York Islanders, has to deal with a lot more paparazzi than your average NHL hockey player.After all, his girlfriend is Hilary Duff.  He showers her with humble gifts such last year’s $100,000 Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV birthday present, which certainly sparks the interest of the press.

Surprisingly, Comrie says that when he’s with Hilary Duff is when he’s truly able to escape the constant scrutiny.

“I guess I’m contradicting myself a bit, but I can duck out when I’m with her,” he recently told the Edmonton Journal. “I’m not in a city with a million people where they’re all keeping an eye on what you do. She’s in a business where her fans want to know what she’s doing in her day-to-day life and I realize and understand that. I guess that comes with dating someone in that business.”

And from all indications, he’s still head over heels for the pop star.

“Things are still great,” he gushed. “We’ve been pretty serious since the summer. She’s a good person. She does a lot of things for charity, a lot of things people don’t know.”