A day after knocking Anthony Stolarz out of Game 1, Sam Bennett discussed the incident, his perception of the play after reviewing the replay, and the injury to Stolarz.
You and Anthony Stolarz are good friends. What was your reaction to how the incident unfolded from your perspective?
Bennett: I heard that he went to the hospital last night. Stoly is a good friend of mine. I reached out to him, and he responded. You never want to see an injury like that.
From my point of view, I am just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we made contact until after. I am on the power play. I am trying to score. I am taking the puck to the net. That is really all there was to it.
Have you watched the replay? Can you understand why the Leafs and their fans may have reacted the way they did to it?
Bennett: I can understand why people reacted that way because Stoly is injured. Whenever your starting goalie is injured, people are going to be upset.
Looking back at the video, really, the contact that was made was, in my opinion, really just a bump. There was no forceful action. I am trying to score. The last thing on my mind is thinking about elbowing him in the head. When it happened, I didn’t even realize I made contact. There wasn’t a ton of force in it.
With the outside perception of all of the incidents in the last few years, including the Brad Marchand and Matthew Knies incidents in the past few playoffs, how do you manage it?
Bennett: That is part of the game. I play a hard style of hockey. People get upset by things and worked up about it, but I try to tune it out. I am just trying to play my game and help our team win. I try to push all of the noise away. That’s pretty much it.
Do you look back at any of the incidents over the years and feel any regret?
Bennett: Obviously, when guys are injured, I feel bad, of course. That is never my intent. At the same time, hockey is a physical game. It is part of the game.
There is no intent. Obviously, Stoly is a great friend of mine. When I heard he went to the hospital, of course, I feel bad. That is why I reached out. That is all I have to say about that.
Where did this style of game come from over the years? How did you become the player you’ve become?
Bennett: Over the years, I have developed into the player I am. I play the game hard. It needs to be played hard in the playoffs. Sometimes, it is what it takes to win: playing hard. I guess that is where it comes from.
Part of it is playing on the edge. I try not to cross that line. I play on the edge and play hard, but I never try to cross the line.
What do you hope the team can learn from the Game 1 loss?
Bennett: Our start is big. We came out slowly. They came out with a lot of jump. It is going to be huge, getting back to our game. As the game went on, we got better and better, but we have to come out a lot quicker and a lot more prepared.
