World Series Blog: Matt Benning

Matt Benning wrote a blog for NHL.com with the San Jose Sharks in Europe this week. The Sharks defeated Eisbaren Berlin 3-1 in an exhibition game at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on Tuesday as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge. They will open the regular season with back-to-back games against the Nashville Predators in Prague Friday and Saturday as part of the 2022 NHL World Series.

Today, in his second episode, the defender writes about keeping to his routine even when traveling, going out in the city of Berlin and the boisterous crowds of the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

I was able to get back to my routine, even if it was a bit different today. There were so many distractions everywhere, everything is brand new. But you wake up and you think it’s still preseason, there’s still jobs to be done, there’s still jobs to be won, and the guys have to polish their game because it’s gonna be a few games difficult against Nashville. So I think, for my part, I really have to enjoy the landscape, the different life that is here, but at the same time you have to find a good balance and make sure that you are focused for the game.

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My routine today was pretty much the same as usual, wake up, breakfast, bus to the rink. I’m getting older now (28) so I have a bit longer routine. When I was a little younger, I could just stretch here and there for two minutes and be fine. But I have to warm up my back, use the Theraguns, run my lower body with the Theragun for a while. We also held meetings this morning. For me, it was pretty normal. I’ve had the same routine for five, six years now, so you’d think after so many years it would be automatic, but a lot of us haven’t played hockey in four months. We have to get into that mindset.

I was able to briefly explore Berlin. I think we will have a good opportunity to explore Prague tomorrow after we land. For us, one of the best parts of our job is getting you to these amazing cities, exploring and enjoying the food. Last night we went to a nice Italian place which Nick Bonino selected. Bonino is a foodie, so we gave him our full trust, and it was really good. Four years ago when I was in Cologne for the 2018 NHL World Series with the Edmonton Oilers, we had so many schnitzels I probably gained seven or eight pounds. This time I try to keep it tight.

On top of that, I walked around. There was an art gallery that almost looked like a farmers market. It was a few blocks from our hotel. It was German Unity Day yesterday for them, so everyone was busy running. So just to enjoy seeing people in their day-to-day lives and what they’re doing, that’s awesome. It’s cool to be in a place where people speak different languages ​​and you have to find your way around. People have been super nice. It seems like everyone loves hockey in Berlin. Obviously, Eisbaren Berlin has been really successful in the last two years, so I’m sure that plays a small part in that.

The game against Eisbaren Berlin was really cool. There’s so much ice, and it’s a completely different game. The teams kind of play a trapper style. You think you have a good shooting lane but in reality you are quite far from the net. I thought there was a bit of that in the first half, but once we adjusted we were much better. We had good chances in the first half around the net. I thought the game was good — they were good, they were fast, they were skating well, they were supporting well. I thought the fans got to see some exciting plays.

The fans took me back to my college days at Northeastern, with the crowd singing and the drums playing. I wish I knew what they were saying, and talking to a few of the guys, it’s a song that’s specific to here, which is really cool. We were at the football game seeing them singing like that. See bits and pieces of this SC Bern-Nashville game [on Monday] was really cool with the crowd singing. It’s an experience we’ve never really had, which was pretty special.

I think we could bring some of that back to the SAP Center in San Jose. It involves everyone, it makes everyone move forward. You look in the crowd and people have their flags, their shirts, they’re decked out, they’re drinking beers, they’re having fun. This home spirit would be pretty cool. In the playoffs you get a bit of that, people get rowdy and make noise. It was a great experience today.