Darragh: How did you spend your breaks on the four countries’ showdown?
Schmidt: There was a great break. I spent time in Florida. I love living here. I went to Disney for a few days and took my son there. He loved it, I loved it. We were all fired for that. Then my wife and I had our first small stay, just a few days to Miami. Grandma came down and saw the little man. We were soaking in the sun right next to us. I burned my forehead on the first day. It was a huge newcomer mistake that never happens again. It hurt so badly, almost ruining my ability to wear a hat throughout the rest, but I love it. We played a little golf and relaxed on the boat. It was the perfect time to feel the itching.
Darragh: How cool is your son around for practice or games?
Schmidt: Honestly, when I was younger (I didn’t think it would happen). You’ll see older players do that. It was like, “Yeah, that’s pretty cool for them to see him.” There’s something about (my son) looking at me after the game and in the link. He’s very jazzed up about hockey and already knows all the players. He’s only been in a year and a half. He has already given some nicknames. It deals with much more than I thought.
Darragh: Now, in the middle of the season, how much do we enjoy being a Panther?
Schmidt: I don’t think it’s easy to join a new team. It felt like it took me a little longer for me to get into the flow of how this team plays. I had to be confident in order to continue to know that you could contribute to the team. I think it just accumulated. I feel like I’ve been steadily climbing this year. I’m now confident about how I can play on this system and I can see myself continuing to grow. I love how this team plays and how it fits.
Darragh: D-core has many personalities. What did you like about this group?
Schmidt: Yes, that’s right. There are plenty of characters and jokes from some older people, so it’s easy to get in and mesh. I think that’s everything about hockey. That’s everything about the room. That’s what’s fun. Everyone loves to play games, don’t get me wrong. But those are things you miss when you’re away for 12 days. You miss that friendship. When the guys come back from four countries, there’s a hot stove in the gym for 35-40 minutes, catching up to everything, we’re only one week left for each other. That’s everything.
Darragh: What are the ideas you’re heading for the last two months of the regular season?
Schmidt: We found out there are a lot of games coming up against our division. It’s about deciding where you are and moving forward. It’s 25 games, not a small chunk, but a race to the finish. It was part of a year when the game began to move faster and points start to accumulate. Suddenly you blink and it’s April. When I was younger, someone told me this. This time we have, we just enjoy it. It’s a turbulent time. Hockey has great energy from four countries, and hopefully we can continue the topic.
