“It went quicker than I expected, to be honest,” Jamie Benn said as we wrapped up our interview.
He wasn’t talking about our conversation or the three hours he had just spent with four-to-twelve year olds at the Frisco Rookies Program, which teaches young girls how to play hockey. The NHL superstar was instead referring to his contract negotiations with the Dallas Stars, which rapidly resulted in an eight-year, $76 million extension with the only NHL team he’s ever played for.
“Both sides agreed to a number pretty quick, and it’s definitely nice to get that over with,” Benn said. “Now I’m going to be a part of the Dallas Stars for the rest of my career, and I’m totally excited about it.”
And he actually means it.
The 27-year old originally from Victoria, British Columbia, is one of the only Stars players who lives in North Texas year round. In other words, he considers Dallas more than just the location of the team for which he plays. Dallas is home.
“The weather is great, the people are nice, and I love the city,” Benn said. “This is where I like to spend my time. This is home for me now. It’s not hard to figure out why.
“I’m totally happy to be here the rest of my career.”
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It’s a career that has been filled with impressive individual achievements. Benn has an Art Ross Trophy (given to the NHL’s leading scorer), Sochi Olympics gold medal, and just concluded the best statistical season of his NHL career (89 points). His new $9.5 million-per-year salary also ranks fifth-highest in the league.
But Benn’s personal feats have far-surpassed the accomplishments of his team, a franchise that the hockey world almost universally believes is on the precipice of high-level success in the NHL. The Stars finished the 2015-16 regular season as the one-seed in the Western Conference, and won a playoff series for the first time since 2008.
When asked about the goals Benn has for the Stars next season, he has a quick list. “More consistency would definitely be nice, and obviously a longer playoff run,” he says. “It’s going to be hard to follow up the season that we had, but there’s no reason we can’t do that and be even better.”
His ultimate goal goes unsaid, but is obvious. It is the dream of every NHL player. Benn desperately wants to win a Stanley Cup for the city of Dallas, a franchise that has won the Cup only once in 23 seasons.
In other words, he wants to bring a championship home.
