On the Fly with captain Jamie Benn

The "On The Fly" articles were so popular last season, we'll continue them into the new campaign on DallasStars.com. Here, senior staff writer Mike Heika asks Jamie Benn about summer concerts, Snoop Dogg and trips back home:

Mike Heika: You recently presented Snoop Dogg with a Stars jersey at a show in The Colony, how did that come about?
Jamie Benn: My girlfriend set it all up. She works in the music industry. We went in and met him before the show and then watched the concert from pretty much right beside the DJ booth. It was great.
Benn's girlfriend, Katie Hoaldridge, is a University of Texas product who has worked in promotions and marketing in the music industry. Snoop Dogg is a hockey fan who helps promote the sport via his Snoop Dogg Hockey Club merchandise, as well as promotions for the NHL.

Heika: Are you a big fan?
Benn: Yeah, definitely. Snoop is a legend in the rap game, and I am a big fan.
Heika: Do you go to a lot of concerts in the summertime?
Benn:I'm lucky enough to have a pretty good connection, so yes.

Heika: Anything stand out?
Benn:Snoop was cool, and we went to Coachella too, so that was probably the best.
Coachella is one of the biggest music and arts festivals of the year. Beyonce' was the headliner this year.
Heika: What kind of music do you listen to?
Benn: A little bit of everything, really. I'm a big Drake fan, I like my country, I'm kind of all over the map. I like a lot of genres, and it depends on the day and what kind of mood you're in. I mix it up a lot, fire myself up for workouts or hockey games and then kind of chill out on off days.

Heika: Do you have any hand in deciding locker room music or warm-up music?
Benn:No, Seggy (Tyler Seguin) takes care of warm-up music and Stephen Johns does our locker room stuff. I try to stay out of the music game when it comes to the team, so I can focus on other things that need to be done.
Heika: Do your teammates mostly agree on the choices in music?
Benn: Yeah, we all listen to similar stuff these days, so we're an easy group to please.

Heika: What have you been doing this summer?
Benn:Well, I traveled to start, but now as the season gets closer, I'm back in town and working out. I'm skating four or five times a week now. I made three trips back home (to British Columbia), but I don't really have long trips back there any more.
Heika: Do you still have a cottage or apartment there?
Benn: No, I sold my house and now when I go back, I stay with my parents. Home cooked meals, it's like staying at a Five-Star hotel.

Heika: Same room you were in growing up?
Benn: It's there, but it doesn't have a bed anymore. It's sort of like a hockey shrine now, so I just crash in one of the other bedrooms. I love being back there and just talking about the old times. My parents did a lot to help me and Jordie (former Stars defenseman who now plays with Montreal) and my sister (Jenny), so there are always great stories to tell.
Heika: A lot of card games or gatherings?
Benn: A lot of golf and we'll cook dinners together. I love to cook and me and Jordie and my sister's boyfriend will fight over the barbecue.

Heika: If you were having new head coach Jim Montgomery over for dinner, what would you cook him?
Benn: Steak, Caesar salad, and maybe some rice or sweet potatoes.
Heika: How do you feel about getting your third head coach in three seasons?
Benn: I've said it before, hopefully Monty is my last head coach. That would be a sign that everything is working, and we're moving forward in a positive way. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do. We're looking at it as another fresh start and we really want to embrace that and take energy from it. We've got a heck of a core group, and I think we're in a really good place. We have young players, but the young players, most of them have good experience, so we're at a place where we really should be able to put it together and gel.

Heika: If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
Benn: I don't really want to be a tree.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
Read more: Jamie Benn, On the Fly, Dallas Stars