Jamie Benn has evolved from a Dallas Stars draft pick, to a team captain, to a go-to guy for scoring and leadership on the West's top-seeded team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In a recent article Benn wrote for The Players' Tribune, Benn give an idea of how that leadership was instilled in him by a couple stars greats, Brenden Morrow and Mike Modano.
"That first day, I was introduced to a guy who would eventually show me what it really meant to be a Dallas Star: Brenden Morrow. He came in and gave all the rookies a little speech welcoming us to the club. It’s funny looking back on it because now it’s my job to give that speech. Go figure. But Brenden always had a sense for the right things to say. He kept it short, threw a couple of jokes in there, and before he left he said, 'Alright, you guys have fun working your asses off, I’m gonna go play some golf.'
"Beauty.
"Like every kid who loves hockey, I grew up worshipping Mike Modano. So when I stepped onto the ice with him for the first time, I was basically in awe. ... _But when I made the team out of training camp, he was quick to snap the "aw-shucks" attitude out of me. He chirped at me just about every day because I was a chubby teenager._
"'Yo kid, might want to hop on that bike over there. Gotta keep up if you want to play with me.'
"Mike mentored me, he developed my game, but he also busted my balls, which is what really made us close. That’s how you know you’re in. And I definitely listened to him, that’s for sure."
Benn also talks about the Stars' transition phase from earlier in the decade. He credits Stars owner Tom Gaglardi and general manager Jim Nill for reviving the Stars, giving the team a clean slate.
But he admits the biggest move the team made was bringing in linemate Tyler Seguin.
Benn said his differences with Seguin could be overlooked by one strong trait they shared.
"On the surface, Tyler and I are very different people. I’m more on the quiet side, while Tyler is all personality. He thinks he’s a pretty good looking dude and isn’t afraid to say so. I’m a little more reserved than that.
"But we immediately clicked because we have a common denominator: Before everything else, we’re hockey players."
Benn writes that this year's team is heavily motivated by the disappointment of missing the playoffs last season. He even gives a sense of the pranksmen nature of the locker room, noting that at one point Jon Klingberg couldn't find his shoes for multiple weeks. And the culprit is still at large.
This Stars team is pretty proud of its division title, but they're not going to be happy with that.
"We want to win something bigger than that. Something shinier, with a little more heft to it.
Benn writes.Benn also lets the reader come along on his drive to American Airlines Center.
"On the drive in, I’ve got to have the music on a little bit louder as I roll the windows down on the highway. The warm Texas air starts breezing through the car all while the Dallas skyline gets closer and closer. The adrenaline starts to pick up and the music gets turned up even louder."
Then he closes out by predicting how Thursday's Game 1 will go.
"When I make my drive to the arena for Game 1, the techno will be blasting, the Dallas skyline will be in my sights, and I know my adrenaline level is going to be through the roof.
"This is the best time. This is playoff time.
"And this is a hockey town."
