Inside "The Room" with Matt Benz

Minnesota Wild Asst. Equipment Manager, Matt Benz (And John's cousin) has a unique perspective about the extraordinary kindness of Minnesota Wild players. The Wild has a long tradition and culture of kindness. Matt shares some great stories. We also discuss the important topics like:
1. Is it a  "Jersey or Sweater?"
2. Are they "Breezers or Hockey Pants?"
3. Are Rock-n-Roll roadies like NHL Equipment Managers? 

Transcript

0:15

Welcome to the Kindness Chronicles, where once again, we hope to inject the world with a dose of the Minnesota nice that it desperately needs. We got Steve Brown in studio. Hi, Steve. Hi. Great pipes, Steve. Yes, nice and warm in here. Kevin Gorg, you're back in town after a little quick trip out west. Yeah, back home loving this single digit weather. It's awesome, right? But yeah, happy to be back home. You know, I got diabetes in my feet. You know, the good news is when it gets this cold, you don't even feel your feet anymore. It's just, it just goes away. John, you paint quite a picture of yourself to our, I'm a real disaster. I'm a real disaster, but it sounds like you sound better than last week. Are you feeling better? I feel better. You know, I still have an occasional cough, but they, I still got that medicine with the codeine. So I've been pounding that before I go to bed. So that's why, that's why last week was so sleepy time gets to be, I mean, it is like it. I like him on shrooms. Assuming what? Shrooms are like You look, uh, you know, fantastic. 90% better than last week. Thank you. You look great. That tri, that's terrific. Kg you got a really special guest and he is special to me, but he's also special to you. Why don't you introduce who he got on the horn with us today? Well, he is obviously special to you because he is your cousin. That's right. You know, we've worked together Matt and I for 19 years. His name is Matt Bens. He went to Hill Murray High School. He's a St. Thomas. Graduate and he's one of the equipment managers for the Minnesota wild. And I'm telling you, Matt and that staff epitomize what kindness is all about. Great human beings. They have fun every day. They work their ass off, Matt. Welcome to the show. Well, it's good to be on. Thanks for having me, guys. I appreciate it. So, just to be clear, we checked the Hill Murray box, we checked the St. Thomas box. Have you ever been to Mata Midi? Because we always have to mix. And do you like Seinfeld? Yeah, I think I saw them beat my daughter's lacrosse team last spring. Oh, no. I don't have good feelings about them at all. Where does your daughter go to school? She's at Roseville. She's at Roseville. Okay. Very nice. Well, good. Well, Matt Benz is my cousin, as KG mentioned. On your, on which side of your family? It would be on my dad's side of the family. Okay. So, uh, my dad and Matt's mom are first cousins. Got it. Okay. But I have to tell a story about Matt and Mike Benz. and we'll keep Katie out of this one, but Matt and Mike, at my wedding, and I was just reminded of this, Back in November 2nd during our anniversary, my wife found the video from our wedding and she found a VCR player, TV combo. And one of the things that we did at our wedding is when people dinged the, you know, the, the, the, yeah, you know, ding, ding, ding. And then, you know, you got to give the kiss. Well, Matt, do you remember what happened at my wedding when they were doing the ding, ding, ding. I believe I do. I think I know where you're going with this, John. Yes, so the idea was, is we were going to pull a name out of the hat that had all of the, uh, the people that RSVP'd. And we got the Benz Boys. And the deal was, is before we kiss, you guys Or whoever it was has to kiss somebody in the audience. Nice. So this is a two for one. It's like the kiss cam kind of thing at your wedding. Well the kiss cam, but here's what got kind of unusual. The people that the Benz boys chose to kiss. Where they're very attractive cousins, the Kanash girls. Ha ha ha, what? And truth be told, do they know they were cousins? Absolutely. Wow, nice Matt. But truth be told, they were probably the two best looking girls in the room. Okay, alright. Outside of Becky. Well, let's not go crazy. What? The bride is separate. So let's have Matt tell us about that. Yeah, tell us about that, Matt. Well, so we, we've got, so we're invited and we always, you know, we wouldn't have missed that for, for anything in the world, but I don't think we had a plus one on the invite. You were not, no. You, no, Mike was actually Matt, you got invited hoping that Mike would be your plus one So I guess we may do, I guess we, but, uh, yeah, so John directed us to, and they, you know, very, very nice and very attractive girls, but yeah, second cousins as well. Just pecks on the, I think pecks on the cheek. Pecks on the cheek, just to be clear, it didn't get too, it didn't get too weird. But uh, I just, real quick. And you saw that, you saw that footage, that's crazy. It's upstairs. We could review it later. But I just have to tell you a little bit about Matt's family. Matt's dad was absolutely a legend of a guy. Truly one of my favorite relatives of all time. This great big Jim Benz. Just couldn't be a better dude and mom could not be a sweeter. How is your mom doing? She's doing good, John. Thanks for asking. She's doing good. She's awesome. You grew up in the Como area? Yes. Yep. Yeah. Cause I know your dad was. Mom is, mom is still in the same house. No kidding. So. Very cool. Yeah. Yeah. So she's, uh, we'll have to, we'll have to someday just really peel her out of there and I don't think that'll be easy. No, she's, she's, she's doing great on her own and she's, um, she's, she's staying busy, which is important in, in retirement. So she's keeping herself busy. And Mike is down in, uh, I think he's in New Ulm. Yes. Yes. I was actually in New Ulm for a work meeting. And I drove by the, uh, is he Edward Jones? Is that who he works for? Or Fisher? Edward Jones? And, uh, I called and his secretary answered and said he was out for the week. And I said, that sounds like every financial planner I know. They got a pretty good life. Yeah, he had a deal that he paid. He had a deal that he just couldn't pass up. I thought someday he'd be the mayor of St. Paul. He was, he was selling beer for a distributor and I thought, man, you couldn't go into any establishment in St. Paul without him knowing half the place. Um, so when he said he was moving into all my, Oh, you took a really good job with shells. Well, no, he's totally career change. So. Uh, but he, he's enjoying it down there. He said he's having a good time down there. And your sister is still in Stillwater? Yes, she is. Yep. Okay. So that's it for the Ben's family reunion. I guess. Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that we knew where everybody was at and all that. Sure. So Matt, what is, what would you say you do for the Minnesota wild? Oh, I get that. You know what, John? I get that question a lot and it's, it's sometimes, I mean, once I feel like I'm the, uh, den mother,, I'm the assistant equipment manager, uh, I'm a, I'm on a staff of three and it's a lot of. Well, like, we just got it back off the road. It's a lot of moving gear around, a lot of late nights. It's a lot of, mending. If it's, fixing jerseys and socks, if it's fixing equipment, getting the room set up, things like that. Doing laundry. It's doing a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that, isn't super glamorous, but, Gorgie, it's Corgi makes me, reminds me all the time how important it is. So, Oh, it's huge. I guess, you know, you're being a little modest because you do all that. The long nights, the hours are ridiculous. But then I was telling these guys, um, off day before we connected with you. It's like a NASCAR pit stop during the game with the gloves, the sticks, the skates, and you're the main guy on the skate sharpener. And it isn't like the old days where we just sharpen them in the morning and then you're good to the next day. Like this is happening shift by shift, like they're changing gloves. They're getting skate sharp. I'm not kidding. Yeah. It's, it's remarkable. And I stand in that tunnel behind the bench and watch this go on and it's organized chaos, but it, you know, it's a different world now with the way these guys play the game. Yep. The speed at which it's played at and what their gear has to be like, and you know, Matt's got arguably the most important job during the game because if those blades are just the way those guys want them, it's a problem. And you're dealing with guys like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Foley and Marco Rossi, where that makes a difference within the game and for the team. And so it's really quite a process to watch. And Matt, it's gotta be a rush for you knowing the impact you have every night. Yeah. Well, and Gorg, I gotta correct you. I, I do the, I do, I do. I do the sharpening during the game, but I, Cliffy and Tony are doing it, um, before the game, getting everything prepped before the game, so I'm kind of taking care of stuff during the game, but it's, it's a, it's all three of us, you, I'm just the one that you see running the stuff back and forth, um, but no, it's, it's some, you know, some games are, uh, Sometimes there's a lot going on down there and, and, um, you know, I guess that's a pretty good analogy, the NASCAR pit crew. Um, there's a lot of moving parts and there's, you know, if it's, like you said, if it's glove changes, if it's stick changes, if it's, um, but it's, you know, it's exciting and it's, it's something that, uh, you know, every game is going to be different. And some, some can kind of, when I can get a game that I'm not moving around too much, it's like, Oh, that's pretty good. But, uh, some, some of them are crazy. There's a lot of irons in the fire sometimes. So. So I got a couple of questions do the guys, like their skates sharpened a particular way, like, I mean, is it that precise? Oh yeah. No kidding! So, so everybody has, John, everybody has a different, uh, not everybody has a different one, but, um, they have a unique hollow. Um, so it's, you know, sharpness to, sharper and then flatter is, you know, a guy that wants a lot of glide, he'll go with a flatter hollow. A guy that wants to maybe cut a little bit more, or isn't as comfortable with a, you know, I guess a flatter hollow. They feel like they might slip. Um, they'll go with a little deeper hollow, so then it's going to be a little bit sharper. Um, if that makes sense. Um, So, so wait a second. These guys, These guys take their skates off during the game? And you have to The blades. Oh, you take the blades off of the skates. The blades pop in and out. Oh, you know what? I figured that It's been a while since you played hockey, John. Well, let me tell you about my hockey life real quick. I was a really good skater, terrible stopper. Oh, that's pretty important. It's an important part. I couldn't change directions unless I made it to the boards. But man, I could get them going, I could pick them up and put them down, but then I kind of got weak ankles. My ankles are a little too weak to be a good skater, but okay back to you Matt. Yeah So the first question that I think of when I think of hockey equipment is the smell Is the smell does that apply to professionals or do their equipment just not smell the way? Like KG's goalie bag would smell. Yeah, fair point. I, I don't, I don't think, John, I don't think we're as bad. I don't, I mean, and I'm obviously pretty, I think I'm immune to it at this point. But, uh, you know, we, we make sure we dry. We've got the, we've got the benefit of having a room that heats up to, uh, over 100 degrees and we put fans on it and um Kevin might not have his his goalie bag he might not have taken his gear out after each practice that might be part of the reason why it's uh for sure no I mean no man makes a great point like it's it the smell isn't as bad I can attest to because I've coached at all levels and you know back when I played it was a little different but the room does not smell Like it is, it's amazing how they keep this gear pristine and, um, you know, it's the national league. So I think there's a different standard there, but it's a remarkable, cause if you walk in a youth hockey locker room, it smells like ass and it's not that way with a while. Well, and you know, this is a facts based show. You haven't coached at all levels KG. I mean, you've coached at a number of levels, but I mean, come on I outside of the NHL have coached at all levels. Have you like coached little peewees and stuff? God, yeah Oh my god. Yeah, I did that when I was first when I was first out of college. I coached squirts and peewees Oh my god, and uh, yeah, you know, I've obviously coached high school and college. How about mites? Any mites? Yeah, hockey schools. I've done the mite camp and It's like, uh, organized babysitting. Speaking of den mothering, um, yeah, I don't wish that upon anybody. It's a lot of work when you got the mites out there and, and Matt, let's just get back to where it all started. Like, I think this is a great story. I know the answer, but I want to see if our listeners will, will, will glean something from this. How did you end up here? Like, you know what I mean? We talked about hill Murray and St. Thomas, and this is a pretty unique place to land and you've done it over 1500 games, so you're clearly really good at it. How'd you get here? Well, I, you know, I, I, I finished up college and I, I got into a career in sales and marketing. Um, tried that for a while. Um, it was fine. It paid the bills. But I, I, you know, the corporate, corporate world wasn't really for me. I found myself, towards the end of the day, between four, between four and five in the afternoon, I was staring at the clock, just waiting for five o'clock to roll around so I could pack up my briefcase and leave. And, um, it just so happened that my roommate at the time, another Hill Murray guy, Brett Prew, uh, had gotten the, the job the first year that the wild was in existence. He had gotten a job on the equipment staff. And so he asked me if I wanted to ever come out and help out during game days. And I said, yeah, I'd give it a, I'd give it a shot. So I came out on the opening night. And it was just a great group of guys. It was, it was guys who were at the end of their careers or guys that, you know, were kind of hanging on, this was like kind of their last chance and expansion team, and it was just a, it was just an eclectic group of guys. And, but good guys, um, and I just really enjoyed it. So I found from there on out, I hope my. Former sales manager is not, not listening, but, uh, I was scheduling every, if she would have lined up my, uh, the wild schedule with my, uh, with my sales, with my, with my meetings, my call schedule, I always had a phantom, uh, St. Paul meeting at four o'clock every, uh, while I was, uh, I never, so I never missed a game, uh, that year. And then a job opened up the second year. And I jumped at it. And, um, so Tony DaCosta was, um, nice enough to hire me on. Um, and the rest is, I guess that's 1, 500 plus games ago. And I never thought it would be, I never thought I'd be a lifer at this, but, uh, it's, um, it's here's where I'm at. And, you know, I, I, uh, it's one of these things where it's, well, I, I. The nine to five wasn't for me and sometimes now I love the hours and sometimes I hate the hours But it's a very unique job. I'd say there's some late nights and you know, so So Matt, I have a question and a bit of a correlation for all you guys to kind of listen to I think I've I Think I understand what you do because of because of my background So how many guys on the team how many guys are you and your team of equipment managers responsible for? between well usually Preferably like 23. Okay. Um, right now we've got 25. We've got some guys that are injured right now. So we've got 20 that were on this last road trip and 5 that stayed back at home. So we've got 25 guys in the room and that's usually a good ballpark of what we're dealing with. So you're responsible for the, uh, the preferences of 20 to 25 people. Um, and I will correlate this with, um, It's a behind the scenes job that's very similar to this. Thanks. Um, a rock and roll roadie. That's exactly what they do. We, we, we never had them because we didn't have the, we weren't at the level where we need them. Um, but if you travel around a lot and you're, you're touring like at a serious pace, every from like, say, cheap trick. We played with him a lot and we got to know their roadies. They have someone that's responsible for each of them. So a drum tech knows everything about what the, the, the preferences of that drummer, um, a guitar tech, same thing, the preferences of where, I mean, literally down to, um, Uh, putting a, a box of Kleenex, wrapping it in gaff tape, so it's a black Kleenex box on their amps set a certain way. A certain amount of picks. It's very similar. So, um, I think, but he's doing it for 20 to 25 people. That's a different thing that I can't imagine the specifically, the, the specifics you have to have and the, the, you must have an amazing memory and, um, just, you know, how, how you got into that position is quite amazing and what a. What a fun thing to be a part of. Yeah, real quick, since you're a roadie for the wild, are you high all the time? Oh God! And question number two, do you get the groupies that the band doesn't want? I'm sorry, why would I say these things? I know, I know, it seems like a weird Family guy, you're a family guy! It seems like a weird correlation, but What I learned from doing that tour with him and hanging with those guys, you know, how, how much those guys know about everything. They, they, they have to take a guitar apart, put it back together while in between songs and things like that. So it's very similar. And, uh, it's a very important, it's a very important to the pressure too, right? Like same thing, like it's very, a lot of pressure involved where if it's not just right. Yeah. Um, you're in big trouble. Like, and that's the thing. I, I marvel at watching clip and Tony and. And Matt, every night is the pressure they're under. And when things happen within the game, how quick they have to react, it's, uh, it's not for the faint of heart. I'll tell you that stuff. That's really cool. Yeah. You gotta be really intelligent, really smart and be able to think quick on your feet and not panic. And, and Benji is that guy. He's very, Very much a flatliner. He watches my emotions watching the team and he laughs because I get so wound up and he is just able to kind of flatline and that's what you have to do with that spot. So Matt, do you also swap sticks and stuff like that too? Yeah, yeah, and you know, that's that's kind of a clippy thing. If a guy breaks a stick, he's got to be on it. Yeah, he'll grab it and he's quick. Yeah, I you know, I'm Right every once in a while. I'll jump up there and I don't I don't get as many chances as he does He's kind of a 90 at 99 percent of time He's up there and he's great and Tony will do something in some buildings on some road trips or wrote in road games He'll uh, he'll do it as well. They're good. They're really good because you know, you just That's where the pressure is. And yeah, I mean, we're not, you know, we're not saving lives or anything like that, but it is pressure. It's, it's, it's, but you get to a routine and, you know, as I'm on a staff of, you know, I just did my 1500th, like Gorgie said, and I'm, I'm the least senior out of the group, you know. And you've been there 19 years. Yeah. Holy smokes. You know, Cliff got me by, Cliff had his last year. And Tony had his quite a few years ago, so it's, uh, the 1500, so, um, it's just a lot of experience. This is the Kindness Chronicle, so what we really want to know is, I mean, you've encountered hundreds of players over the years on the Minnesota Wild. You know, are you comfortable telling us about some of those guys that just are the embodiment of kindness? Yeah, sure. Yeah. Well then tell us, who are some of your favorites? They're not listening! Well, you know I just want to start off by saying that the group that we have right now is really a solid group of guys. And yeah, I can't say that about every single season we've had and I, I can't. My wife gets tired of me telling the story, but I, I, um, I, I used to say this about the team in 03, um, and how I used to say, and I think, I feel like this would, this would apply to this team as well. I said, you could take every single guy, put their name on a, on a piece of paper and throw them in a hat. And I would include also staff, you know, meaning the equipment guys, athletic trainers, and even our strength coaches. You could throw them all in a hat, draw groups of four, and send them all each to a different restaurant for dinner. And I think that each one of those tables would be, um, Everybody would have a good time. There would be great conversation. There's just, it's everybody, um, in this staff, or in this, in this group, in this team, just cares about each other, and just really looks out for each other, and they get along. And it's, and I don't think that that's a bad thing. I think that that's a rarity. I don't think it's, um, yeah. And, and I really, truly believe that, that everybody in this, and we've had call up through the year or through the season, and we've had, but everybody gets accepted with open arms and we, you know, we have a guy, we got off waivers this year and he, they make, they make everybody feel at home and it's just, it's just a great group of veteran leadership and you look at it. And I, and I think that, um, you know, we've got a, we've got a first ballot Hall of Famer, um, playing goalie for us. And he's. Just about as salt of the earth as you can get and, um, you know, not even just as a hockey player, just as a person. So you talk about kindness and this is a guy that there's a reason why he's, why everybody loves him. Um, but we've also got, we've got some, you know, we've got other stars too and we've got. You know, a guy that's probably a top 5 forward in the league and he's, he's a guy that he's a please and thank you guy. This is a guy that comes, you know, Corral, he comes out every morning. He comes to the rink and he, he comes to the equipment room to find us, us pigeons and say good morning to us. And you know, it's just. It's just, there's no, you know, our leadership just doesn't kind of a check your ego at the door if you have an ego and it's just, it's, it's really, you know, and I credit, you know, Spurgeon and I credit Foligno and I, you know, all these veterans, you know, Boghossian and guys have been doing it for a long time. It's just, it's, nobody has an ego and I just think that that, uh, that that goes so far and it's, it's really a special group that we have this year. So, um, you know, as far as singling out people through the years, I mean, I guess I singled out a couple there. On the current team, but, I mean, through the years, gosh, um, You know, going back, you had, you know While you think of that, I just want to make a comment. If Bogosian wanted me to be kind I'm being kind. That guy, That guy is the most frightening looking hockey player. And I hear he's He looks like he was in the movie 300. Oh my god. He, he Like one of those warrior guys. I mean, he, he looks like a guy Who, should either be wearing a tool belt or, a great big saw, you know, to cut down huge trees. I mean, this guy is a man, he's got, he's a sweetheart. He's an absolute gentleman, great guy behind the scenes. I'm really curious to which players he's going to single out from over the years because our time together is, is united. I mean, we've both been there 19 years and I have a handful of guys. In mind and I want to see how it matches up with With with matt's list here. So i'm super curious where he's going. Okay, and I don't want to leave anybody out. I know but They're not listening. Yeah, they're not listening But so like for instance, you know, I mean early on you had a guy like a darby hendrickson. Yeah Amen. You know, here's a guy that you, you, we'd have, we'd have a lot of talks through the years and just would philosophize about things and just keep everything in perspective and um, just really, you know, just, you know, you talk about kindness and here's a, here's a very kind person. Um, you know, and then going through the years, you know, Matt Cullen, I guess I'm now I'm picking out. Now I'm just picking up. Well, there's something to be said about that. Those Minnesota guys are nice guys. Minnesota nice right there. No, but you know, a guy, Danny Heatley, we had, and he's, here's a guy that still, still reaches out to us whenever we're in, he's based, he's based out of Southern, Southern California. And we, I, you know, he, I think we really made a special, I think we really made an impression on him because Peter always reaches out and tries to meet up, meet up with us for dinner. Um, I saw him this past, uh, last time we played L. A., he was, he's scouting now for the Philadelphia Flyers. And I saw him in the, in the press meal there, where as Gorgie would say, the mess hall. And I chatted with him for a while, and he's just a truly, just a, he's just a, a great person. He's just, he's, he's a sweetheart. He's a Wisconsin Badger. Yes. Yep. Yep. How about that, KG? I know my hockey. But just a guy that really appreciated what, you know, what we had here. And, um, you know, I think we met him. He was here for a, for a golf tournament a couple of summers ago. And we all met him for a few beers. He had, he had the whole family. He has two daughters and he's married with two daughters. He had the whole family up here and we went. He had rented a lake place, Airbnb, so we met him there for a few beers and got us lunch and all this stuff and, um, just can't, can't say enough about that guy. Um, who are some of yours, Gorgy? Well, Darby Henderson's at the top of the list, I'm gonna tell you right now. He is, without a doubt, the nicest professional athlete I have ever encountered, and I've encountered many. Uh, Matt Cullen was on my list, Danny, he was on my list. Uh, Nick Schultz Copycat. Uh, I Nick Schultz for sure was on that list. Just a great, great guy. Here, was Nick Schultz the second overall pick by the Minnesota Wild? Wow, look at you go. I know, right? Look at you go. I know, right? Going out there for Benzie. And yeah, Schultz, I would even throw another first rounder in there. Pierre Marc Bouchard. 96. Yeah. I made a Pierre Marc Bouchard comment in the last episode. Yeah. I see there's nothing worse than seeing a great big fat guy wearing a tight Pierre Marc Bouchard sweater at the Axe. It's like, don't be that guy. You know. The guy I thought Benzie was going to bring up was Nicholas Backstrom. long time goalie. Still, I think pretty well connected with the uh the training staff. Just another wonderful human being, right, Benzie? Yeah, and I haven't gone through everybody, Gorgie. No, I'm not. I should, I should have, I should have pulled out some old media guide so I can uh, no, I'm back. Right. We still see him twice a year now. He's coaching with the, with the um, with the Blue Jackets, with Columbus Blue Jackets. Um, but he was a guy, yeah, he was a guy that When he wasn't playing, when he was playing from about, from about 4. 30 till game time, you kind of didn't want to be around him because he was very, very focused. Um, but just a fun guy, very fun loving guy. Um, just that, yeah, I would consider him a friend as well. Do you want to tell us about something that you didn't like so much? No, I'm teasing. We're not going to have you do that. No, we're not going down that road. You don't like being your cousin or what? Easy. Whoa. There hasn't been a whole lot. I feel like, um, through the years we've been lucky because I feel like management Whether it's coaching staff, management, or even the in the room leadership, I feel like they weed those guys out, um, and, you know, they, they, they figure out a guy with a bad attitude and they just don't last long. So, I, yeah, I really couldn't, you know, I really probably couldn't, I guess I could probably call a couple guys out, but I'm not going to do it right here. Well Benji, hang on KG, one thing. I would say this. Okay. We can edit some of this out, but I, I gotta tell you that, you know, The tough guys, the guys that, that go out there and drop the gloves and pound on somebody in my 19 years have ended up being some of the absolute best guys behind the scenes. Now Foligno is our guy now, but I'm going back to like Derek Bugaard, uh, Chris Stewart, um, players like that, that were hardnosed animals on the ice and just the sweetest guy like Derek Bugaard, one of the most incredibly kind human beings. You ever wanted to meet? He didn't really want to go out there and do that, but that was his job. That's how he had to survive. Um, and, and obviously we're all still, I think, shaken and saddened by the way it ended for boogie. But he was incredibly kind to me when I was first starting in this business. And he understood, like when I asked to talk to him. He understood his role and how it mattered to our viewers and how it mattered to have that personality on our shows, even though he didn't like a lot of that attention. Like he was very misunderstood. Yeah, no, absolutely. And we, Boogie would be, Boogie would be up there and he was, he was a very, uh, I mean, off the ice, very soft spoken, would do anything for you. I always made time for you. Um, I still remember when at the first, the day I met him. We were getting ready to go up north for a three week prospect camp up in Brainerd area up at a resort. And he showed up and here's this tall, gangly guy with glasses and, and real soft book. And I'm Derek Bluegard and I'm thinking to myself, I'm like, oh, he's tall, but this is going to be our fighter. He just seemed awkward and he so and but obviously through the years I got to know Derek real well and Sad how it all ended. I just saw some um, instagram real with him and him and it kind of it really It made me sad to see that because he left us too early But even going back matt johnson early on in those teams. Yeah, those guys they serve a role that You know, they're the big brother and they're protecting they're they're faced with having to protect all their you know Their teammates all their other brothers And it doesn't matter who they're, you know, who it is, they have to go in and enforce that. Um, so you kind of have to have that mentality to, to, to play that role. And they all have, and they all, like you said, they all have been just great guys, you know, and, and can't say a bad thing about them. And then, you know, the other, you start to hate the guys on the other team to play that role, but then you figure it out. It's like, okay, this guy's just as good a guy as my guy. Exactly. Beat each other's brains in. So, um. And it's fun when, when, when the fight is over, you see these guys, kind of checking each other, there's not usually this pent up anger that continues. It's sort of like the fight's done. We're going to move on. There's a structure to it. Yeah, there's a, there's a, there's a code, a strategy to it. It's a code, yeah. And, and they're, and they're also exhausted. Right. Um, and they've also let, you know, and they've also blown off that team. And, um, there, you know, there might still be some chirping in the, in the penalty box, um, back and forth. And that's when you know it was a real, like a heated, a real heated fight. Um, but, you know, you, you saw it happen just the other day, um, Jared Spurgeon. Yeah. Uh, got blue footed and you know, a trend and a guy that's not here to fight, but he Answer, he came, he was the first guy in and he dropped the gloves and, um, And I go, and again, that goes to, to the way the room is this year. It's, it's just everybody's looking out for each other. It's this Wolfpack mentality that we have and it's everybody all for one, one for all. You know, that kind of thing. Just curiously, do you interact ever with players from other teams? You know, I guess every once in a while you might be over in a, in a, uh, when we're on the road, it might be in the other team's room chatting with their equipment guys and you'll come into contact with them and it's, yeah, I mean, every room I feel like is the same, they all have this, it's nice, they all have this kind of respect for the training staff, I feel like, um, some guys you get to know, um, better than others, some kind of keep to themselves, but, um, you know, it's usually when I'm over talking to another staff or even if we've got another player, it's Oh, another guy that I forgot to put on that list would have been Andrew Burnett. Oh, yeah. For a good guy, you know. And he's coaching in Nashville, so. Um, But, uh, Yeah, I mean, yeah, you're over there and you'll see these guys and they know when to turn it on and that's when they hit the ice. And other than that, the rooms are all the same beforehand. It's guys that are That are, you know, taking it easy and stretching out and they might be goofing around with each other and, um, you know, or they're kicking a soccer ball around. It's the same routine, I think, probably league wide. So, Matt, couple questions that we always like to ask Kevin. do you have a favorite place to go to? Is there a favorite, arena that you love for whatever reason? Is there a favorite hotel that you stay at that's your favorite? And then, of course, we'll ask you about restaurants, because that's what we do here. Well, I've always, you know, I've always loved going to Vancouver. I love the city. Um, as far as arenas, um, you know, it's neat to go to Madison Square Garden. Sure. Because we only, and, and I'll say it like this, it's neat because we only go there once a year. Um, our setup downstairs at Madison Square Garden, it's the world renowned arena, a little bit, a little bit bare bones, um, on our end. So, it's kind of a Kind of a hassle. You never kind of, you can, a lot of times you can't get in the room right away. So we'll get, we'll get into New York and we have to wait till a basketball game's over before we can move this stuff in, but that's a, but that's a neat place to go. I, if we were in their division, I probably would hate that place. But it's a neat place to go just knowing, you know, you walk in and you see all the pictures of, you know, I mean, Muhammad Ali fought there and the Beatles played there. And, you know, it's just, you see all this history. Um, so that's, so that's a cool one. I mean, Chicago is a fun city and Chicago is a fun arena to go to also, especially during their, um, that buzzsaw that they had, that dynasty that they had, there was a neat place to go. And it's, uh, you know, the way that the anthem singer just bellows out that anthem and the, the crowd is clapping. Some, you Some of my friends don't like it. They say it's disrespectful to the anthem, but the crowd is like cheering throughout the anthem. It's kind of a unique experience. Um, and they were, they had their time when, when there was a, the building was just dead, they'd have seven or 8, 000 people in there. And then, um, Paves and Kane came in and Seabrook and Keith, you know, and they had these, this dynasty. And, um, then it was just crazy and a lot of playoff games in there. So, That building, I think, has a special place in it, you know, in my heart as well because of all those and there's a lot of loss, yeah. Is there a restaurant I'm going to this town, damn, I can't wait. I hope that we can get to such and such a place. KG, why don't you give us an example because, We know that you are the best at restaurant, uh, criticism. I am really good at that. It's one of my skills for sure. And the Angus Barn, uh, in Carolina, where we were about 10, 12 days ago, is an unbelievably sweet spot. Uh, it's, it's kind of like Mancini's on steroids. It's got three different levels. It seats up to 700 people. And it's old school, like steakhouse. Um, it's phenomenal. You know, Benzie, I, when he asked the question, I was, I, I think the, uh, the staff specifically is into sushi. A lot of players are too. And I just heard you mention Vancouver, there's gotta be a great sushi spot in Vancouver. There is. And you know, in Vancouver, the good sushi spots are the not real glamorous looking ones that are wall sushi spots. And we actually found one through Jake Middleton. We went with Jake Middleton in San Jose. to a strip mall sushi place, and it was awesome. It was, you know, yeah, and, um, you know how fancy that one is that's right next to our hotel there, Gorgie. Right. This one didn't have that, this one didn't have that fanciness, but it was, it was really good sushi. Um, So wait a second, you're a sushi guy? Oh yeah. Yeah, I don't, yeah, I enjoy, I enjoy sushi. Man, you're an east sider who loves sushi. That's a rare, uh, doesn't happen often. You I didn't know that you'd become so cultured. KG, you're not a sushi guy, are ya? I am not. My three daughters love it, and they just go crazy for sushi. It is not And I like, I like seafood, I just don't Love sushi. Um, yeah, I like, yeah, it's a big deal. I like fish sticks, you know? I like Jake. Uh, if, if you try sushi, maybe a nice filet of fish at McDonald's, but you try some sushi might have, oh, gimme that fish. Oh, sushi, your weak ankles are, yeah, you gotta try some sushi. It's a fantastic meal. Fantastic. Well, there, there is two restaurants that, you know, we like to kind of mix. I like to kind of mix it up and get out and about. Um, there is one in Dallas that, that, that I really enjoy a lot. The Mexican place called Les Palm. And it's gotta be one of the best Mexican restaurants I've been to. It's unbelievable, and if we can, any time we can get there. I tried to get there. Um, I think I was the first, I think Jonas Plum found it. He's one of our video coaches and I've been back there numerous times since. So, um, that's a, that's a really good one. And there was a really good one. We were going to, uh, we had a former defenseman we had, he just retired recently, Marco Scandella. And we were going to, we were about two weeks away from going into Montreal. And Marco is a guy who is, he's from Montreal, but his, the language he speaks at home is Italian. So, So he's trilingual, I guess, um, but I said, Marco, I said, I want to go to a restaurant in Montreal. Good. I want to go to a good Italian restaurant, but I don't want to go to the place where the concierge is going to send me. I want to go to the place where the Italians go. But he found this restaurant and, um, we went in, it was in a little, I believe it's called little Italy. We went in there and Marco of course called ahead and he took care of everything for us, but they were just bringing out plates. We never had, we never looked at a menu, we just kind of talked to the waiter. Full of people and they were just bringing out portion after portion after portion. And, um, I think I went there twice and then I got a phone call from Marco in the summertime, a few years later. I don't even know if he was still with us, but I got a phone call. He said, it was really, he said, I got bad news for you. He said, um, La Cantina, I think was the name of the, of the restaurant. Um, he said it, it burned to the ground last night. Oh no. Yeah. So, So that one's off the list now, but um, that was kind of a neat place to go to and just to be, you know, to have somebody from there send you to a good Italian place. I knew it was, it was, it was going to be a hit for sure. And it was, and it had, it was a lot like Tom Reed's where it had all the old Canadian pictures on the wall. Everybody, anybody who was anybody in Montreal had been there. Politicians and Canadians and, you know, Stanley Cup pictures and things like that. It's just really a cool place. Gorgie, you would have loved it. Wow. I would have loved that for sure. Yeah. So. Well, before we shut it down, I just want to ask, uh, one last, uh, one last little anecdote. Um, I understand that when your dad passed away. Uh, there were some wild guys that really paid special attention to you and, and is that something you're comfortable talking about? Yeah. Yeah. It, you know, I was overwhelmed by, everybody reaching out to me and it was, it was, uh, it really made me realize what, what a special gig I'm in and, and, you know, we, we, uh, I missed the playoff game. In, St. Louis because my dad had passed and, um, and I first came back and I knew my new dad, we hadn't buried him yet. So I knew dad would have wanted me to come out. He was, my dad was a big wild fan. Um, and, uh, so we won the game here at home. And after the game, of course, the guys, um, they usually get a lot of, right now we have a chain that guys give out to player of the game. Uh, this year they, I think they had a bucket that they were going to throw each game puck in. And it was going to be, we're going to collect all the, all the pucks through the, through the playoff run. And Marcus Plino stood up with the bucket and he says, I want to dedicate this, um, dedicate this game to Benzie's dad. Pretty cool. Yeah, I was, I mean, my throat welled up. I was like, thank God, thank God they didn't make me say anything because it was, uh, Pretty special. Yeah. So again, it's, it just kind of goes back to, I mean, I'm with these guys more than I'm with my family during the season and it, and it shows, you know what I mean? It's, it's everybody's, and we're like, you know, we're like brothers. You're kind of, you're getting, you're getting a little squabbles with them and stuff here and there. You get on each other's nerves sometimes, but at the same time, it is truly like your family away from your family. And that was where it really hit home with me. And it was, it got pretty emotional. I mean, I was getting phone calls from Billy Garrett and I was getting, you know, everybody was reaching out to me and it was, it was crazy. It was, um, but it really meant a lot to me. That these guys would take, even if just a few minutes out of their day, just to check on me and things like that. Well, your dad was one of those guys that, as a young person, you always kind of aspired to be like. He was just a guy. I mean, really, a guy's guy. And, uh, yeah, I was saddened when he passed, but he certainly put together a nice family. Uh, that's for sure. Even though he wasn't on the Schweitz side of the family, he was still a good person. Wow, look at Matty Benz, too. Beards don't come from apple trees. So, that's why he's here. As I've told Gorgie through the years, I, you know, John, you're only a few years older than me, but you were a guy that we knew. You know, we looked up to and keep talking. Well, let's talk more about this but I and I and as far, and, and your dad. I was, I was gonna shave, uh, before I did, I know this is a podcast on the phone here, but last time I saw, I ran into your dad one time down at the xl. He was doing his, uh, his, uh, retirement job. And I don't know what he was doing down there, but he, he ran into, or he sought me out. He said, I just wanna say hi. You know, he had some from the security, bring him down and, and he called me out and I had. A little bit of a five o'clock shadow going. He says, when are you going to, he goes, did your razor break? That sounds like my dad. So I thought, so I thought maybe I should shave for Jack, but, uh, you know, so likewise, John, I appreciate that though. Well, um, I just want to thank you, Matt, for taking the time, uh, KG and I have been talking about having you on for some time. Steve Brown sat here so patiently. He didn't know half of the names that we brought up, but he's such a great guy. I was going to ask, I was going to ask if you knew Willie Plett, but that goes back a little bit, really going back a ways. Yeah. Too far back. Dino Ciccarelli? I don't know, I'm just thinking hockey people. Yeah, those are two hockey names that you can come up with. That's fantastic. I'm sorry. No, I do like the wild, I'm just not up to speed on that, but honestly, I will say that I watch equipment people because I love that aspect of Music. It's really cool. And background. The people that do the stuff in the background are sometimes, uh, not seen as the champions, but they sometimes are the reason why things are so smooth and why those successes happen with his games and, and shows and stuff happen. So I appreciate that stuff. Thank you, Steve. Yeah. And that's not, you know, we don't do it for any of that. I was telling, I was saying on my team that they honored me for my 1500th. I said, I don't, I don't, I don't want to, I don't do this for the spotlight. I don't do this for the, um, you know, I'm podcast one here. I'm racking up the podcast. Maybe I'm going to start getting ego. It's finally coming together for you, Matt. It's finally coming together for you. Hey, uh, one last question. I heard you refer to repairing a jersey. I thought that the proper terminology in hockey was sweater. What's that all about? Well, we still use sweater, yeah. But it's, uh, I figure this is probably being, you know, This is for the regular people. The layman. Well, not a lot of insiders here. And the one thing I'm getting away, I still will use sweater, but the one thing I'm getting away from as a, as a Minnesotan We don't call them breezers anymore in the, uh, in the NHL, you know, like, yeah, you'll really show your, uh, you'll really show your colors if you call them breezers. What are they? What are they? What do you call them? Hockey pants. They're just pants. Hockey pants. Cause we are the only, we are the only region that calls them breezers and I get looked at really funny. What do you call them breezers? And they just know you're a Minnesotan, but that's hilarious. I got to research that. I got to research that, uh, why they ever were called breezers. And maybe we need to put our, you know. Hey, that sounds like a topic for Wooden Sticks. Yeah, interesting. I haven't called them breezers all my life. Yeah, no, it, it, I was called them early on. Back in the early 2000s. And it was, no, you can't call them breezers. I was just basically made to look like a fool. Okay, well, I'm not done calling them breezers now. What were those, what were those pants that they wore like in the mid 80s? Cooperalls. That didn't last long. Hill Murray warm in 85. Hill Murray In the championship game. Hill Murray had him on. Yes. Mike Roth was warm. How long is that championship game, Gorgie? Oh, here we go. Now you sound like Dustin. Here we go. All right, we gotta wrap up. We're out of time. All right, hey. This has been great. Hey, and, uh, thanks again, Matt. Uh, we, I have a question for you after we, uh, hit stop, because, uh. Sure. Because I just do. And, uh, ladies and gentlemen, this was Kindness Chronicles. Thank you, Matt Benz. Thanks, Matt. Steve Brown, Kevin Gorg, and off we go.