December 1, 2025 • 7 mins
Meet The Kraken with Mike Benton, joined in an exclusive conversation with goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's time to meet the Krauking powered by Mechanics Bank,
Trusted Community first banking with deep Northwest roots and thirty
plus branches. Visit Mechanics Bank dot com Mechanics Bank where
relationships metter member FDI see here's nearside celebrating good side
bicker Flower O.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
My well, Phil, I just want to kind of just
go back with this as a refresher. And I remember
a while back you mentioned guys like Olaf Colsey, Marc
Andre Fleury, how influential that they've been. What is it
that you admire about how they kept their careers active,
the older they got in, the more years that they
put up in this league.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I think they're the older you get, the herder it
becomes right, like you see the shift in the league
now versus like when when those guys play or Flowers
just retired, but like when oldie Colesey played right, the
game game was a little bit different, a little bit
more north south, and like now you have all this skill.
So definitely, I think it's a little bit harder now
(01:01):
because the trend of the league is turning a little
bit younger. So I think it's even harder to stay
in this league. But yeah, you got to keep your
body and your mind going and make sure you're on
top of your game and be the best version of
yourself and the gym and off the ice, and make
sure you prepare yourself one hundred percent to give one
(01:22):
hundred percent out there on the ice.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
That's a great point because they often say that it
is getting faster, especially in the last few years. So
how much has that affected your conditioning and how much
you know yoga and stretching that you're going through adding
on here for a routine basis.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It's not so much like the yoga stuff and the conditioning.
It's more like, how can you change your game? Do
you need to play as aggressive as like is it?
What does the situation like give you can be a
little bit more patient? Can you back up? Can you
gain or like grab a little bit more ice? Sometimes
it's it's not so much like off the ice, it's
more so on the ice.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
What do people need to know about a goalie, coach
and a guy like on Zulianello that they can't usually
see on a usual basis.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, we watch a lot of film, right, we watch
a lot of like we go out, have goalie eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Every day we.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Work on small little details that make maybe a huge
difference in the game. So Zuli has been awesome. He's
been awesome at communicating and then us know we have
three goalies to see, it's a unique situation. So I
think like he's he's done an unbelievable job love communicating
with us with what's going on. And then it's it's
(02:31):
pretty interesting because you got to find time to get
like enough shots in practice if you're not playing right.
So he's done a great job for us.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
In what way has he been a good communicator?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well, just in terms of what's going on, like how
what the plan is for the next next game? Right,
like Matt is unfortunately injured, but like if you're three goalies,
like what the rotation would look like who's playing right?
So it's been been good.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
What's the best piece of advice that a coach ever
gave you about a game day routine?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Now you put me on the spot. It's just so
many different different Yeah, I don't know. I couldn't pin
point one. Every every coach has like different philosophy. So
lastly it was a little bit more do whatever you
need to do is to stop the puck. Uh they
see it's a little bit more detail oriented and uh yeah,
(03:19):
in the end, we're just playing a game. We're playing
a game to entertain in the end, like it's it's
not yes, it's our lives, but there's more to it
than than hockey.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
How much have you admired the fan base and how
much they have really gripped on through about five years
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
It's been amazing. I mean, like Seattle is known for
their sports, and even seeing the women's women's game here
last week or this week sold out, it's amazing. That
speaks for the fans and speaks for for Crack and
fans like how they supported us, and uh yeah, it's
it was seemed like in the playoffs we drew attention
and more and more people started to watch and enjoy hockey,
(03:58):
and it was amazing feeling like seeing that from the city.
It's being a.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Little busier these days now with the PWHL team. They're
real and they've got residents not too far away, just
down the hallway. What were your initial impressions of watching
them when they first started up.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, it's amazing, like speaks for Seattle, like it's what
we're missing. I think we're just missing an NBA team now,
but like you have almost every major sports in the
city and such amazing fan base and seeing the women's
move into the building and filling that place is like
(04:33):
it's crazy. It's super specially and gives girls in the
area around us like an opportunity that they can play
more than just like college hockey.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
If I can go further outside the glass on this one,
what's the craziest bus ride that you've ever taken in
the minor leagues coming up or back in the OHL
My first road trip.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And I got when I played in the East Coast
League when I was eighteen nineteen. It was a nineteen
day bus trip. I didn't know back then like what
and how the schedule and how everything would look like
I've never been down there. Nobody really said anything, but
I got down there. We left Charleston, South Carolina, eleven PM,
(05:11):
drove through the night, got to the next city at
like nine thirty in the morning, had a little breakfast
at the rings, skated for morning skate. And it was
a nineteen day. We did this almost like every day.
Drove through the night, slept on the bus, and then
played the next day and then left the city again.
So I think that was one of the most memorable moments.
I didn't I was a rookie back then, so I
(05:33):
didn't have my own bed on the bus, so I
was just sleeping on the front of us like setting
up the whole night. Not that I ever want to
do that again, but that was the most memorable part
for me.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think guys who tried to actually manufacture their own
cot to the very back of the bus back at
the EHL days, what's the most creative way that you've
seen the guy try to get a good nine sleep
on the bus.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I mean guys bring like their own like phone pads
and like pillows and stuff. There's some guys who played
like cards, and even our team, like we have like
a six hour flight from Tampa or somewhere in New
York back to Seattle, and guys are just playing like
cards all the time. So I don't know those guys
can do it, but yeah, you get creative, like definitely
with cardboards and phone pads and trying to fill the
(06:17):
space so I can get a little comfortable there.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Finally, I want to get onto this last part where
your heart is a lot off the ice. What's the
updates so far on safe these days? And the money
raise as well, it's been amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
They bought a new place, which is pretty cool. They
can call the new facility to own. They're not renting anymore.
They're moving up to Malpi, so that's that's amazing. A
little bit more space, a little bit more opportunity to
take on more horses if the need is there, and
it's it's been a pleasure helping and getting the word
(06:49):
out and just being there whenever I have a free
time and can be there and like help out and
talk to people there, and so it's been amazing that
you're
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Home for the krak and Sports Video ninety three point
three k j R FM
It's time to meet the Krauking powered by Mechanics Bank,
Trusted Community first banking with deep Northwest roots and thirty
plus branches. Visit Mechanics Bank dot com Mechanics Bank where
relationships metter member FDI see here's nearside celebrating good side
bicker Flower O.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
My well, Phil, I just want to kind of just
go back with this as a refresher. And I remember
a while back you mentioned guys like Olaf Colsey, Marc
Andre Fleury, how influential that they've been. What is it
that you admire about how they kept their careers active,
the older they got in, the more years that they
put up in this league.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I think they're the older you get, the herder it
becomes right, like you see the shift in the league
now versus like when when those guys play or Flowers
just retired, but like when oldie Colesey played right, the
game game was a little bit different, a little bit
more north south, and like now you have all this skill.
So definitely, I think it's a little bit harder now
(01:01):
because the trend of the league is turning a little
bit younger. So I think it's even harder to stay
in this league. But yeah, you got to keep your
body and your mind going and make sure you're on
top of your game and be the best version of
yourself and the gym and off the ice, and make
sure you prepare yourself one hundred percent to give one
(01:22):
hundred percent out there on the ice.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
That's a great point because they often say that it
is getting faster, especially in the last few years. So
how much has that affected your conditioning and how much
you know yoga and stretching that you're going through adding
on here for a routine basis.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It's not so much like the yoga stuff and the conditioning.
It's more like, how can you change your game? Do
you need to play as aggressive as like is it?
What does the situation like give you can be a
little bit more patient? Can you back up? Can you
gain or like grab a little bit more ice? Sometimes
it's it's not so much like off the ice, it's
more so on the ice.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
What do people need to know about a goalie, coach
and a guy like on Zulianello that they can't usually
see on a usual basis.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, we watch a lot of film, right, we watch
a lot of like we go out, have goalie eyes.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Every day we.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Work on small little details that make maybe a huge
difference in the game. So Zuli has been awesome. He's
been awesome at communicating and then us know we have
three goalies to see, it's a unique situation. So I
think like he's he's done an unbelievable job love communicating
with us with what's going on. And then it's it's
(02:31):
pretty interesting because you got to find time to get
like enough shots in practice if you're not playing right.
So he's done a great job for us.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
In what way has he been a good communicator?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Well, just in terms of what's going on, like how
what the plan is for the next next game? Right,
like Matt is unfortunately injured, but like if you're three goalies,
like what the rotation would look like who's playing right?
So it's been been good.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
What's the best piece of advice that a coach ever
gave you about a game day routine?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Now you put me on the spot. It's just so
many different different Yeah, I don't know. I couldn't pin
point one. Every every coach has like different philosophy. So
lastly it was a little bit more do whatever you
need to do is to stop the puck. Uh they
see it's a little bit more detail oriented and uh yeah,
(03:19):
in the end, we're just playing a game. We're playing
a game to entertain in the end, like it's it's
not yes, it's our lives, but there's more to it
than than hockey.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
How much have you admired the fan base and how
much they have really gripped on through about five years
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
It's been amazing. I mean, like Seattle is known for
their sports, and even seeing the women's women's game here
last week or this week sold out, it's amazing. That
speaks for the fans and speaks for for Crack and
fans like how they supported us, and uh yeah, it's
it was seemed like in the playoffs we drew attention
and more and more people started to watch and enjoy hockey,
(03:58):
and it was amazing feeling like seeing that from the city.
It's being a.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Little busier these days now with the PWHL team. They're
real and they've got residents not too far away, just
down the hallway. What were your initial impressions of watching
them when they first started up.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, it's amazing, like speaks for Seattle, like it's what
we're missing. I think we're just missing an NBA team now,
but like you have almost every major sports in the
city and such amazing fan base and seeing the women's
move into the building and filling that place is like
(04:33):
it's crazy. It's super specially and gives girls in the
area around us like an opportunity that they can play
more than just like college hockey.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
If I can go further outside the glass on this one,
what's the craziest bus ride that you've ever taken in
the minor leagues coming up or back in the OHL
My first road trip.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And I got when I played in the East Coast
League when I was eighteen nineteen. It was a nineteen
day bus trip. I didn't know back then like what
and how the schedule and how everything would look like
I've never been down there. Nobody really said anything, but
I got down there. We left Charleston, South Carolina, eleven PM,
(05:11):
drove through the night, got to the next city at
like nine thirty in the morning, had a little breakfast
at the rings, skated for morning skate. And it was
a nineteen day. We did this almost like every day.
Drove through the night, slept on the bus, and then
played the next day and then left the city again.
So I think that was one of the most memorable moments.
I didn't I was a rookie back then, so I
(05:33):
didn't have my own bed on the bus, so I
was just sleeping on the front of us like setting
up the whole night. Not that I ever want to
do that again, but that was the most memorable part
for me.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I think guys who tried to actually manufacture their own
cot to the very back of the bus back at
the EHL days, what's the most creative way that you've
seen the guy try to get a good nine sleep
on the bus.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I mean guys bring like their own like phone pads
and like pillows and stuff. There's some guys who played
like cards, and even our team, like we have like
a six hour flight from Tampa or somewhere in New
York back to Seattle, and guys are just playing like
cards all the time. So I don't know those guys
can do it, but yeah, you get creative, like definitely
with cardboards and phone pads and trying to fill the
(06:17):
space so I can get a little comfortable there.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Finally, I want to get onto this last part where
your heart is a lot off the ice. What's the
updates so far on safe these days? And the money
raise as well, it's been amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
They bought a new place, which is pretty cool. They
can call the new facility to own. They're not renting anymore.
They're moving up to Malpi, so that's that's amazing. A
little bit more space, a little bit more opportunity to
take on more horses if the need is there, and
it's it's been a pleasure helping and getting the word
(06:49):
out and just being there whenever I have a free
time and can be there and like help out and
talk to people there, and so it's been amazing that
you're
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Home for the krak and Sports Video ninety three point
three k j R FM
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