Sometimes, silence is golden — other times, it's heartbreaking.
It's never easy to watch athletes who were a few games away from championship glory conduct their post-series interviews, and such was the case for Stars winger Jamie Benn on Monday night.
MORE: Tampa Bay sports community reacts to Lightning's championship
After the Lightning's 4-2 Stanley Cup Final win over the Dallas Stars, Benn took to the podium to answer — or not answer — a few questions from the media.
Oh man, this Jamie Benn interview. pic.twitter.com/b7HosvIKkm
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) September 29, 2020
"It sucks," Benn starts. "I go through a lot with that group."
He would field a few more questions from reporters, but clearly Benn wasn't in the right headspace to answer questions. The full transcript from the interview:
Question: What's this feeling like right now?
Jamie Benn: Uh, it sucks. I go through a lot with that group, and … *10 seconds of silence.*
Q: I know it was tough right now, but what will you remember about this group of guys?
JB: *15 seconds of silence*
Q: Are you able to think about the run you guys had or is it just too much for you right now, at this moment?
JB: *15 seconds of silence.* It was a good run. It's tough — you're two games away from the Stanley Cup, so …
End of interview.
The veteran winger made his fourth appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs as a member of the Stars this year, reaching his first Stanley Cup Final with Dallas.
Unfortunately for Benn, his Stanley Cup appearance will be marred by a controversial penalty he incurred in overtime of Game 4, which led to a Lightning power play, game-winning goal.
It's no matter, though: The Stars put together a miraculous run in a season during which they started horribly, head coach Jim Montgomery was fired for unprofessional conduct and were generally considered to be overmatched in every series they played. No matter. While Benn was clearly at a loss for words, maybe he and the Stars can take a small moral victory from the series.
