Hold Up, Artemi Panarin - Matty's The NHL's REAL Bread Man
At the NHL Awards in June, Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers recorded an interview with the famous (infamous?) Spittin' Chiclets podcast hosts, former NHL players Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney.
Episode 458 just, as the kids like to say, dropped. Over the next two days, we'll share 20 items of, as the kids like to say, tea-spilling chinwag from the reigning NHL Calder Trophy winner.
20. Memories Of Family Life In Hingham, MA?
"We're really Italian, so we would have everyone over when I was growing up. My mom and grandma and grandpa, they're all really good cooks. They would be cooking everything for dinners, like a 10-course meal. I would figure, 'Oh, I'll get something,' so I was the garlic bread guy. I would make garlic bread for everyone."
19. Hockey Idols Growing Up?
"The younger kids now, like younger than us, they're growing up with McDavid and Matthews. Us growing up, our age group was always like Sid and Ovie."
18. Always Dream Of Playing In The NHL?
"It was always like school (number one) and hockey (number two). My parents and sister went to Cornell. I was playing hockey to get to college. You can ask my parents. We never were really like, 'He's going to be playing in the NHL.'"
17. When Did That Change?
"When I entered the (US National Team Development) Program, that's when it changed, like, 'I might be able to play hockey to earn a living.'"
16. Pre-Pandemic, Weren't You Headed To Harvard?
"Two or three weeks before school started, I was doing my pre-test for Harvard, writing my essay for the English class I had to get in. Then they sent out a note, 'Hockey season's cancelled.'"
15. What Made You Switch To Michigan?
"I had never looked outside of Boston. I wanted to be in college. I went and looked at Michigan and was like, 'This is pretty great.'
"I didn't go in the rink, just walked around campus with my parents. We knew they had a great class coming in (to the hockey program), so that helped, too."
14. Why Did You Spend A Second Year In College?
"A lot of guys do it (turn pro) too early. I wanted to go back. We were in COVID, too. Our freshman year we played like 24 games, didn't have any fans.
"I was small, littler than I am now, so it really wasn't a question for me. I wanted to go back. It was great for me, development-wise."
13. How Did You Celebrate Your NHL Contract?
"My first purchase was an Xbox (laughing). I didn't buy barely anything. I bought some new clothes and stuff. I got a couch; that was probably my biggest purchase. Couches are expensive."
12. Biggest Adjustment Between College & Pro?
Answer: the travel. "We had eight games on the road. That's a grind. You're living out of a hotel for two-and-a-half weeks. We got back, played one game at home, Tampa, then back-to-back in Edmonton the next day."
11. Challenge Of Top-Line Minutes Against NHL Stars?
"It's definitely a learning curve. There's some nights where it goes well and (if opponents get too aggressive in the offensive zone) you can turn it back on them.
"But there are some nights where I got back to the bench and was like, 'Holy cow, it's going to be a long night.'"
Editor's Note: Tomorrow, Matty Beniers answers 10 more questions, including what last year's trash talk with Sidney Crosby was really all about.