Captain Serious: Jamie Benn’s focus a testament to his quiet, confident leadership

Jamie Benn tolerates my foolishness.

The Stars captain understands the role of the media in this entertainment business, and he accepts his responsibilities. And as I poke and prod him to get a laugh or bring out some personality from beneath his carbon fiber exterior, he generally rolls his eyes and doesn’t get too mad.

But something has hit me in these past few days – he really is this serious.

Like everyone else in the building at American Airlines Center after Game 2’s frenetic finish, I was fueled by the adrenaline and looking to convey that to you, the gentle reader, and I needed Benn to help me with that task. He took a deep sigh at the ridiculousness of my inquiry and then gave some pat answer he knew would satisfy his role in the interchange and send me on to the next player. And as I listen back to it, I can just see the inner monologue in his head.

“Settle down, already, it’s just Game 2 of the playoffs.”

“We know what we’re doing and we expect to win games like this.”

“There’s still a whole lot more work to go, so don’t get too excited.”

He was the same way after Game 3. He’s been at this for a while. Bottom line, Benn wants to win a championship, and this is part of the process. The stone-faced combatant is real, because it’s what he needs to do to survive this kind of journey, one that he’s been on a number of times before. He understands the frivolity, he accepts those who don’t carry the burden he does, but he’s going to do this his way – the only way he knows how.

And there is some comfort to that.

While we ride the roller coaster that is the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Benn is on a slow burn. He will keep this team centered, focused and driven. He will show the way, even if he doesn’t talk about it. He will “will” them there with every fiber of his being.

Benn has been really good in these playoffs so far, and that’s increased the visibility of what he means to this team. He’s 35, in the final year of an eight-year contract and second in pretty much every major franchise statistic behind only Mike Modano. He’s the last player to ever wear No. 14 in Victory Green, and yet he’s far from finished. That shows in the words of his bosses.

Asked what he has learned about Benn in his three seasons in Dallas, Pete DeBoer on Thursday said, “When you get around him, I think the biggest thing I realized is just how beloved he is by his teammates. You don’t get that by accident, you don’t get that by buying team dinner, you get that by how you treat people on a daily basis. That’s probably his best part – when he gets off the ice, he’s a really unselfish, good guy that is always taking care of everybody. His team loves him.”

Owner Tom Gaglardi was asked last week about Benn’s upcoming status as an unrestricted free agent and said, “With Jamie, there’s just been really no talk about a future deal. The two parties are going to sit down, and Jamie’s going to decide if he wants to play and how much longer. I don’t think it’s going to be a difficult, contentious process. We love him, and he loves us, so I think if he’s playing hockey, it’s going to be as a Dallas Star.”

That is part of the beauty of Benn: You don’t need all of the words. He wants to “enjoy the silence,” to quote Depeche Mode.

One of the most important pictures in Stars history is Benn sitting alone in an empty dressing room in Edmonton after Dallas lost Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay in 2020. The Stars somehow forced themselves to the end on the strength of the motto, “We’re Not Going Home,” and Benn was a huge factor in that. So when they plowed through Calgary and Colorado and Vegas, you really believed that was their chance. But after the Lightning won the Cup, you could see the hurt in Benn’s face – not only the disappointment that they didn’t win, but also perhaps the doubt if they ever would.

That could have broken another player, but Benn used it as fuel.

It sure feels like he’s still using it to this day.

He knows how hard it is just to get to the Final. He knows how hard it is to take that last step. You look at the playoffs last season and marvel at how Dallas was able to come back against Vegas and then frustrate the Avalanche. You throw roses at this team for its resilience and then realize it really, probably should have beat Edmonton in the Conference Final. That’s why they don’t get as excited as you or I. They know that the second you start listening to the media, you’re in a lot of trouble.

As a storyteller, I want all of these happenings to make a great book (movie rights can be negotiated, as well). I want to look at Miro Hesikanen’s injury and think that it has made Thomas Harley a much better defenseman, and that when Heiskanen returns, the team will be even better. I want Tyler Seguin’s surgery to give him both the physical health and mental health to make him the best Seguin he can possibly be. I want Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment and Esa Lindell to put exclamation marks on the fairy tales that have been in the works for years.

You can talk yourself into those types of happy endings when you’re not on the ice.

But the great thing about Benn is he knows that’s just talk, just white noise…just foolishness. This is an incredibly tough journey and it’s just getting started. Read the room, writerboy, we’ve got a long way to go.

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 X @MikeHeika.