OverDrive - Duchene on his notable season in Dallas, the Stars' overall roster and the role with the team

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

Dallas Stars Forward Matt Duchene joined OverDrive to discuss his season with the Stars, the talent of emerging players and veterans on the team, the Eastern road trip in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, the meaning of buyout from the Predators, his impressive season with the Stars in Dallas and more.

Given five days or less to accept a severance offer, you need EmploymentLawyer.ca. You actually have two years to file a claim for a severance package, which can total as much as 24 months pay. Call Leor Samfiru and get what you're owed, EmploymentLawyer.ca. Here's Matt Duchenne. What's happening, Matt? Hey guys, how you doing? We're doing well.

What's, I guess let's get to the Cowboys, if you don't mind, before we get to the game tomorrow night. What's I guess let's get to the Cowboys if you don't mind before we get to the game tonight What's it like in doubt like you guys can be red hot and Jerry Jones might say something on a radio interview And I'm guessing the whole market just kind of goes crazy about that or what? You know what it's actually not like that really our fan base. Yeah, I mean everyone's got their you know everybody's Down there knows about the Cowboys but our fan base is is really sneaky and in a good way I mean like people don't really realize it

we didn't realize it until we got there it's really passionate they're kind of two separate entities it's it's a stars are a big deal down there it was some that that caught me off guard. I mean, my first preseason game down there, I remember it felt like a, you know, the attendance is like a regular season game. People are there for warmup and yeah, there's a, there's a really big following of us down there. And it, it doesn't feel like your typical kind of Southern US city where, you know, you have a big football uh... team in town so uh... yeah and the other thing too is i think that

i think is that the stadium so far out it's out in arlington i think it kind of keeps them to two separate things so uh... yeah that i thought i was going to feel that like how you guys are about i thought that was going to have to add it was gonna have that feel but it it doesn't at all it's uh... it's pretty cool that we were talking before you came on about how you have a good mix of veteran players in that dressing room and then you've got a layer of really good young players coming

in. Just maybe talk about that dynamic and maybe that bodes well for the depth of your team. Yeah, absolutely. We have, like you said, we got some really young guys, we got some guys that are kind of mid-20s and then there's a bunch of us kind of in our early 30s. So yeah, it's an interesting mix. There's some big age gap and we definitely at the back of the bus have some chuckles about it every now and then, as you guys can imagine, that have been back there before.

But yeah, I mean, it's good. The young guys are awesome. I mean, they love the game. And, you know, they're... They sure roll a different way, though, don't they, Matt? Like, they love their phones. Oh, man, they roll different. We have some good laughs about that.

And it's actually, it's funny you ask about that, because on this road trip in particular, we had a dinner. It was a bunch of the 30-somethings. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. And we had a bunch of people that were like, oh, man, they're going to be great. particular we had a dinner, it was a bunch of the 30 somethings and we were laughing a little bit about what it was like when we were younger.

But the older guys have changed too. It's a very different dynamic, especially out on the road than it used to be. So yeah, it's different for sure. So is that basically guys don't party anymore on the road? Like how is it different for vets today compared to maybe 12, 13 years ago? Yeah, I mean, definitely a little bit less. I think the difference is now is it's like, it's not happening as often and you gotta keep yourself physically kind of there, right? You've got to keep yourself physically kind of there. For me, I think you try and balance both.

If it's a green light, so to speak, I think you've got to be going as a group. I think it's so important for your locker room and for your guys to get together. But also, too, those young guys look to us to set the tempo and set the kind of the rules that way, right? So, and hey, if you know, guys will say, hey, if this guy's going, it's okay to go or if he's not going to go, I'm not going to go type thing. So, you've got to be cognizant of that. I think our group is and we've definitely had a ton of fun together this year when it's

been time and then when it's time to kind of get ready for games and be good crows we got that mix as well. So I definitely though I will say like you know the the road dinners are definitely still going strong so those are important times together and obviously a big part of it. With Matt Duchenne and the Dallas Stars Dallas and town tomorrow night you know we're obviously in Toronto we're always talking kind of about the Leafs and we were discussing earlier this afternoon I'm going through Western Canada where you know you're gonna play all three teams and eventually you go through California you're gonna play the three California teams it's the opposite for Western teams you're gonna come through Eastern Canada and you're gonna play the Habs

you're gonna play Ottawa you're gonna play Toronto you guys are in the midst of that Bell Center Saturday night Ottawa yesterday Toronto tomorrow you're from you're an Ontario guy you're an Eastern Canadian guy what's this experience been like though when you've been in the West when you've been in Nashville now in Dallas like how would you compare and contrast this three-game swing through Eastern Canada compared to maybe anywhere else you might go in the NHL yeah it's my absolute favorite it's really special to me my actually my wife brought my my six-year-old son up he turned six on the ninth and he was born in Ottawa right he was six weeks old when we had

when we left there to go to Columbus and she brought him up for a birthday trip and it was his first time back to Ottawa since and bring him get him to bring him to the Bell Center and have like a Montreal Canadiens family growing up. The history meant a lot to us. I wore number nine because of Maurice Richard. There's a lot of big stuff there. So I brought them down to pregame skate. I had them come in the room with me after.

And then I remember just obviously coming out for games there is really special and they do an unbelievable job. That ring feels like a kind of a cathedral of hockey, right? And before the game started, I was like, geez, I'm kind of emotional here, having my kid here watching this game. So it's really special. And then Toronto, Ottawa, for me,

I got a ton of family there. My mom's side is all from Eastern Ontario and I had a ton of people there last night and my grandparents on my dad's side. And then tomorrow, I have a ton of people there last night, and my grandparents on my dad's side. And then tomorrow, I have a bunch of friends and my sister's coming, and you get to play in kind of the fishbowl of hockey. It's special.

And obviously, we have a heck of a team in Dallas, and we're kind of hidden a little bit from the big media markets, and this is our chance to kind of show what we got on that stage. And everyone knows knows that and it's exciting. Every year when the schedule comes out, I definitely look to see when we're going through Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto. So can you speak to the difference of the travel too? Being out east, you've been in Ottawa, you've been in Columbus, but then you've been in Colorado, in Nashville, and now Dallas. Those are a lot longer road trips.

As far as just flight time and time zone changes, is there a big difference from it? Because we do speak to it. Like, O played in Toronto, O played in Carolina. I played out West as well. It does wear and tear on you as far as getting on you a little bit as far as the body. Yeah, no I can for sure. I think the easiest travel I had was when I was in Columbus. I was only there for a bit though, and I was there kind of in the spring when the weather

gets better. The big thing is I found in Ottawa is when you're going to the States, you're going through normal airport, which takes a little bit longer. Then you get on the plane and you've got to de-ice, which can take 30 to an hour extra. You end up with a two-hour flight time anyway. It's kind of like you're sitting on a plane for the same amount of time. I haven't really found a plane in the West. It's never really bothered me too much.

The one that always kind of gets to me is when we go out West to the Pacific Times Zone, I have a really hard time adjusting when we come back. I don't know what it is. Even when I was in Colorado and it was only an hour, it just always threw me off. But it's not as much when we're out there, it's when we come back. But yeah, I mean, I don't mind going out on the road

for a little while and then coming home and having those home stands and kind of being able to set up shop a little bit and kind of get into a groove. It's all I know, right? Because I was in Colorado so long to start my career and I've only been in the East a little bit. I've never found it too bad.

Too long of a home stand and too long of a road trip always gets to you no matter who or where you're planning. What about the quality of your division, Matt? We always talk about the Atlanta, I mean, or the Atlantic with Tampa and Florida and the Boston Bruins, but if you guys went on a divisional trip in your division, man, that's murderers' row, man. That's a tough division for quality teams. Yeah, I mean, you look at it right now.

I looked at it like a week ago. I remember I was sitting, Jamie, Ben and I sit right by each other on the plane and we're always kind of at the back talking about stuff. And I was showing them the standings and where like the fifth place team in our division stands versus fifth place team or fourth place teams in other divisions. And it's like, you know, I think it was Utah we're looking at and they're a heck of a team. I mean, they've given us as much as much trouble as anyone we've played this year. They're young, they're fast, they're offensive, they're stingy. I

mean, they are division is not is definitely no walk in the park. And you know, it's been really competitive. I've been in the central division most of my career and it's been, you know, every year you're just like, wow, like wow like you know it's an arms race it feels like in the summer and teams are getting good draft picks and and everybody's just so competitive all the time and you got to go through those you know those rounds in the playoffs and yeah it's it's tough it's not it there's no easy nights when you're playing in that division that's for sure. But Matt Duchenne, Lee Starris, tomorrow night you're leading your team in points and like you're having a great season, you

obviously had a great, great career, but you know when you got bought out in Nashville, that was a shock like everyone in the league. We were all working that day, we're like what is going on down there? Then you sign in Dallas and you've been great ever since you arrived and this year everything's working for you. Leaving Nashville, was that like an inspiration? Do you feel like it had any effect on the way you played? And can you speak to just you know why it's connected so well for you down there and obviously you're having another great season?

I appreciate it, thank you. Yeah I mean I I there was a shock you can't I'm sure if it was a shock to you guys you can't, I'm sure if it was a shock to you guys, you can imagine what it was to me and my family and, um, total, total upheaval and uprooting of somewhere that we were ready to be the rest of our career and, uh, rest of my career, I should say. And, um, yeah. And I, you know what, I think the biggest thing

with getting to Dallas was, um, the people. Um, I think Jim Nell, Pete DeBoer, Steve Spot, Bisha Donska, our coaching staff there, Blaine Azzardine, all those people, the people within the organization, the way they brought me in and welcomed me and obviously my teammates, they just like, it was such a soft place to land after everything went down. And even coming back this year, we had no money on July 1. I didn't care. Obviously, doing another one-year deal wasn't ideal, but I just wanted to come back and I wanted to be part of this.

The people involved have really made a big difference. When it all went down, I never doubted myself as a hockey player. When we traded everybody away, my last year in Nashville, when we completely uprooted, I was about a point per game that year. The year before, I had my best year in the league. I feel like I've gotten better as a player as I've gotten older and right now, I still feel like I still have another gear to get to and it excites me, it gets me up every day and to play for a team like this that's such a contender and be part of that and just have that

as part of your everyday drive, it's really special and I think I appreciate it more now in my 30s and Jamie and O, I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. You get a little bit older and you start to see the clock ticking on you a little bit and I still have quite a bit of runway left I feel like, but at the same time I got way more behind me than ahead of me and I think just like, but at the same time, I got way more behind me than ahead of me.

I think just that, just coming into this organization, seeing how they do things and having a chance to win right off the bat, I mean, we could have won last year, I think if we had had a little bit easier route to the, through, I think we basically played three conference final caliber teams and took, it just kicked the crap out of us, so we had nothing left by the end. And this year, we're right there we're you know we've won seven of our last eight and you know it's just really exciting to be part of this this

franchise and it's hopefully somewhere I can you know I would love to finish out here if if everything aligns. Matt thanks for doing this I want to leave you with one thing both of your coaches Spotter and Pete DeBoer they're aware I like to comment on other coaches' hair. And you speak about runway. Both of those two gentlemen are running out of runway. So you tell them to get the clippers out soon and they're going to have to go messier because I'm done seeing that on the bench. So you can let them know. I'm going to have to tell them that tomorrow, that's pretty funny.

Make sure they know it. Thanks Matt, appreciate it man. Good luck tomorrow night. Take care guys. Thanks guys, thanks for having me. You got it, there's Matt Duchenne.