Panthers' Sam Bennett talks about influence of Connor McDavid's dad on his hockey career

By ARJUN B

Modified Jun 05, 2024 19:10 GMT

On Wednesday, Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett discussed on "Spittin' Chiclets" the influence of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid's father on his hockey career.

Bennett and McDavid were teammates in Toronto from ages 9-16, with the elder McDavid serving as their coach for five seasons.

"I played with them when I was nine years old, right until I was 16. So we played together for a long time," Bennett said on the podcast.

"Yeah, his dad was our coach for like five years. I think we won five years in a row with him as our head coach, and he was awesome. He taught me so much. He was a really smart guy, obviously. But yeah, he was really helpful for my career, that's for sure.”

Bennett and McDavid played together on the Simcoe-York Express, winning five straight championships with Brian McDavid at the helm. Although they are now opponents in the Stanley Cup Final, they grew up just 10 minutes apart in Newmarket, Ontario.

Brian McDavid coached both his sons in their minor hockey days. He was Connor's coach for six years at the AAA level and played an instrumental role in developing his elite talents.

Sam Bennett on winning the Stanley Cup

Sam Bennett is focusing on winning the Stanley Cup this year. As the Panthers prepare to face the Edmonton Oilers in the final, Bennett clarified that anything short of hoisting the Cup would be unsatisfactory.

"We have one goal in mind," Sam Bennett emphasized after winning the Easter Conference title. "That's it. We're not going to be satisfied until we accomplish that."

Bennett noted that he started feeling more like himself as the Eastern Conference Final progressed, after dealing with a lower-body injury earlier in the playoffs.

"It felt good. I started to feel a little bit more like myself as the series went on," Bennett remarked. "It definitely was nice to be able to stick handle a little better than it was earlier. It feels good to be back to feeling right."

In 12 postseason games, Bennett has scored six goals and added four assists. He had 20 goals and 21 assists over 69 games in the regular season.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice praised Sam Bennett's performance.

"There isn’t any protectionist on the ice. He’s just playing the game. His effort level [is the same]. He just couldn’t do as much three weeks ago," Maurice said on Sunday .

"The compete and the effort never changes. He’s as consistent a driver as we have that his game looks pretty much the same in terms of how hard he plays every single night. It’s what he is.”

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.