Get to know defenseman Nathan Clurman, who was signed to a one-year deal this summer and recently called up from the AHL
On Fridays during the 2024-25 season, The Hockey News - Pittsburgh will spotlight a Penguins' player through a rapid-fire Q&A session using "get-to-know" questions.
This week, I sat down with Penguins' defenseman Nathan Clurman, who was recently promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason.
Well, first of all, how were your holidays? Did you go back home? It was great. I went back to Colorado, up in the mountains, and I got to spend a day, maybe two days total there. But, I'll go home whenever I can. It's a long season, so just trying to get some family time.
Did you have a favorite hockey idol growing up? Yeah, I loved the Avs. Came from Colorado. So, Joe Sakic was my guy for a long time. I think I had a Fat Head of him when I was really little, too.
Ah, Fat Heads. I remember those. Had a few of them. Yeah, I know. Everyone had some of those. But, yeah, I just loved Colorado hockey, so he was, kind of, my guy.
Favorite movie? Moneyball, for sure.
Is there a TV show that you're binging right now? Started the new Squid Game yesterday. Gotta get back into that. I just finished Day of the Jackal. It's, like, kind of an assassination, action show... I like those. I was into Game of Thrones, too, but, right now, I'm watching Squid Game.
Glasser said he's trying to get Phil Tomasino and Owen Pickering into Game of Thrones, but he hasn't been successful so far. Oh yeah, it's a tough watch. You gotta really sit down and get yourself into it.
Do you have a favorite book? Do you read at all? I do read. I read a lot of motivational sport books, too. I like Phil Knight's book, Shoe Dog, a lot. I read that a couple years ago, and a lot of those biographies of just business leaders, I like reading those.
What is your go-to karaoke song? Karaoke song? Probably "Shallow" from A Star is Born.
That's a really good one. Do you sing both parts? Usually, I have a duet. Usually.
Do you have a go-to duet partner? Usually my girlfriend. But, if I've got to find you there, I'll rope anyone in.
I've told other guys this, too, but Gravy picked "Party For Two. Another duet. Maybe he'll be your partner. Oh, okay. Yeah. I'm not afraid.
Zombie Apocalypse. One teammate, one item. Who and what are you bringing? I'd probably bring a family guy who's pretty resourceful. I know Cookie just had a kid, so maybe him. An item other than my phone... Maybe I'll just bring a deck of cards to keep us busy. Or a stove top, probably something more useful.
Hey, a deck of cards can be useful to distract yourself from the doom. You can always find the "useful" supplies along the way. Yeah. You need to pass the time.
How do you get your steak done? Medium rare.
Is there something - that you're willing to share, of course - that you got in trouble for as a kid that still bothers you to this day? Ugh. We would get caught sneaking out all the time at my buddies' houses trying to go hang out in the neighborhood after hours. But, nothing crazy. Some other buddies were getting in more trouble, I was just playing hockey. I wasn't even there for it.
When you're not playing hockey, what's your favorite off-ice hobby? I love to golf. I probably don't want to admit golf's my hobby because everyone does it, but, for sure. I just play in the summers. We have a lot of time for it, and a lot of guys like to do it. So, it's a fun pastime.
Are you a good golfer? Pretty good, yeah. I'm definitely not gonna be the best on any of the teams I play on, but I'll be in the mix.
Street hockey or mini sticks? Mini sticks.
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Fruits or veggies? Veggies.
You're the first person that said veggies. Really? Nice.
