Stars 'just kind of gravitate' toward Benn
/Shawn Horcoff, via Inside Edge, on what makes Stars captain Jamie Benn a good leader:
“How much time do you have? First off, he just plays the game the right way. He cares. He’s physical. He can bring anything to the game that is needed at any given time and there are not really that many guys in the game that can do that.
"If we need a spark physically, he’s there. He can create on his own, he really doesn’t need a lot of outside support to be a scorer. At the start he was new to it and a little quiet, but he’s really opened up and he says things when they need to be said now. He feels so much more comfortable now and you can see it. We just kind of gravitate towards that.”
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff:
“He has played through some stuff that you guys don’t even know he’s played through in the regular season and now,” Ruff said. “In the Olympics, he was given a lighter role and went out and earned a greater role. It’s a lesson for any player. The better you go, the more you get. I’ve really seen some great things that as a coach it puts a smile on your face.
“I didn’t know a lot about him, didn’t know much about character, didn’t know what his skill level was actually like, how his compete was going to be under the gun. But from Day 1, I’ve just been impressed with the whole package. It’s the whole package. It’s his compete, it’s his will to win. I think he showed on the Olympic stage, kept moving up, kept moving up and did a hell of a job there. He’s done the same thing here.”