Matty Beniers provided two prime examples on Tuesday – one during the game, one after it – of why he’ll one day make a fine captain for the Seattle Kraken.
Beniers On-Ice Leadership
Trailing 4-1 to the Florida Panthers with six minutes to play, it would have been understandable for Beniers to run out the clock on another post-Olympics Kraken loss. Instead, he took matters into his own hands. The finish to his spectacular solo effort kindled memories of Bobby Orr’s Cup-clinching goal for the Boston Bruins in 1970.
Say what? A goal in a regular-season weeknight game between two teams likely to miss the playoffs can’t possibly be compared to an overtime, Stanley Cup Final, championship-winning goal. After all, that’s why the photo of Orr celebrating while he’s flying through the air is widely considered the most iconic image in NHL history.
Agreed. The goals shouldn’t be compared. The Beniers effort was better.
Not more meaningful; more skillful. Orr wasn’t tripped by Noel Picard of the St. Louis Blues until after he’d scored. The trip is what sent him flying, parallel to the ground, arms outstretched, looking for all the world like the superhero he turned out to be. (You can see the immortal photo by Ray Lussier of the Boston Herald American here.)
Beniers, at 23, one year older than Orr was in 1970, bulled his way toward the crease of Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The #1 netminder on back-to-back Stanley Cup winners attempted a poke check, but sent Beniers airborne instead. While on his way down, Beniers had the presence of mind to sweep the puck between Bobrovsky’s pad and the far post.
That’s the kind of goal that inspires teammates. Sure enough, Jordan Eberle and Bobby McMann each scored on breakaways soon after. Beniers had ignited a three-goal rally out of nowhere, gaining his team an overtime point in an eventual 5-4 shootout loss. That’s future captain stuff.
Beniers Off-Ice Leadership
Beniers displayed the mettle of a future captain after the loss, too.
For self-protection, athletes don’t allow themselves the extreme highs and lows fans indulge in. Once a game’s over, win or lose, attention must turn to the next one.
Only the 2023 Calder Trophy winner wasn’t immediately able to get past this loss. A dramatic rally without a victory hurt. The extended Kraken tailspin since the Olympic break hurts. The fall from a comfy 3rd place in the Pacific Division to five points in arrears of the final wild card spot hurts most of all.
To his great credit, Beniers faced assembled reporters. It took a couple of seconds for the normally cheerful center to mentally compose his answers. He spoke in dejected tones; it was easy to believe he was also confused how the season could have crumbled so quickly.
When he was asked about the emotional pain of a teammate, Beniers rose to the occasion. During the 3rd period, Shane Wright was hustling on a backcheck. Trying to prevent a centering pass, Wright accidentally swept the puck into his own net. He stood stunned, motionless except for directing his gaze up to the Amerant Bank Arena ceiling.
“Everybody has things like that happen,” Beniers said about the play. “I can think of five or six off the top of my head that I remember pretty clearly of my mistakes. It’s a game of mistakes. He did a good job brushing it off and going back out there the next shift. That’s a really hard thing to do. It sucks. He knows we’ve got him.”
That’s future captain stuff.
“His leadership qualities, they’re coming through,” Seattle head coach Lane Lambert said after practice on Wednesday. “They’re coming through on the bench. There’s different things that he’s doing, maybe people don’t see, from that standpoint, and he’s bringing his A-game, he’s bringing his desperation level, I thought he played a good game last night.”
Current Kraken captain Eberle just signed for two more years. Should Eberle complete that contract, the “C” wouldn’t be available until at least the 2028-29 season. If Beniers is still a Kraken then, that letter would be mighty appropriate stitched to his sweater.
Recent Kraken:
Recent Canucks:
— Canucks – Kraken; Sherwood’s Empty-Net Slapper Draws Crickets
