Who Are You: Benoit Pouliot

Jason Gregor had another installment of Who Are You on his TSN 1260 radio show last week. His guest was Benoit Pouliot.

I enjoy these interviews, because Gregor gets them to talk about themselves and not hockey. We get an insight to who they are as people, not just players.

It is obvious the players respect and feel comfortable with Gregor, because they usually give really honest answers.

I was very surprised about Pouliot’s favourite genre of music.

Enjoy the sixth installment of Who Are You.

Benoit Pouliot: Ah, to be honest, I’m not a big chirper out there, but when I do get frustrated I think that I mostly go in English so that they really hear it. That rarely happens. I have to be really, really mad.

Pouliot: Oh boy, better than it was, still not very good. My girlfriend is very good, but I’m not very good at it. Getting better, I’m learning more things for it but it’s not on point yet, at all.

Pouliot: They’re too young for it right now. The oldest one is three and the baby is one so I don’t think that they really know what is going on. So far I think that it’s dad and probably later they’ll change their minds.

Pouliot: At one point I’m pretty sure it will be, yeah. He’s most of our team’s favourite player (laughs).

Pouliot: Oh, I’m a sports guy so I do a lot in the summer time — baseball, golf and basketball. I’ve played basketball my whole life. I’m into everything about sports. I’m not really into anything else. The kids right now are taking up most of my time, but hobby-wise, it’s mainly baseball and basketball for summer.

Pouliot: I was actually the tallest guy on my team in high school so I had to play centre. Baseball was mostly pitcher and third baseman if I didn’t pitch that night, so it was a mix of everything. It was good.

Pouliot: Ah, a couple of them. I had a nice curve ball. I could throw a tiny little sinker, my fast ball was good I guess. I didn’t learn that many pitches, but I think that I had three pretty good ones.

Pouliot: It was tough because basketball was my favourite when I was younger. I loved it maybe a little bit more and my parents didn’t let me play hockey in the summer. It was mainly things outside that we had to do. So I played baseball and basketball and I fell in love with baseball. So it was a mix of everything. It was tough to really choose one, but hockey in Canada is so big that it’s tough to get away from it. I had a fun time too so it was good.

Pouliot: I was a Blue Jays fan mostly. When the Expos were there I would go to the games in Montreal but the Joe Carters and everyone like that back when they were in the World Series, I was a big fan of them. After that they didn’t really have success until recently again, but I didn’t really have one specific favourite player, I was just a fan of the team.

Pouliot: I liked batting, it was my main thing. Pitching, pretty much everything. If I didn’t pitch that night I would play third or centre field or whatever, wherever I could play, and I didn’t really watch one positon in particular. I got to play everywhere and I got to learn every position so it was good.

Pouliot: Oh my God, I’m not sure. I think the Toronto boys maybe because they love their Blue Jays. I would have to say Cons (McDavid) and Darnell [Nurse] and those guys maybe. I’m not too sure at all, we don’t talk about it that much. Oh Nuge [Ryan Nugent-Hopkins], I heard Nuge was a really good ball player back in BC.

Pouliot: Yes. A lot (laughs). When the kids sleep, that’s my time to play but that’s about it. I get an hour and a half at night and I love video games. I grew up on it and I still play it to this day.

Pouliot: A mix, everything. I switch regularly. I get bored really quickly with one game, and then I switch to another and another and then I switch back and forth, so I like all genres and anything.

Pouliot: No, I sometimes play the guys on the team. Darnell, I played him last night and Ebs [Jordan Eberle] is always on there, Nuge and there are a bunch of guys. Connor plays soccer all of the time. I haven’t gotten into soccer yet, so I don’t know how good he is.

Pouliot: Not very good. Online the guys are so good now a days. When I was little maybe I would have had more of a chance, but now they are too good. Darnell beat me up yesterday and I don’t think that I ranked very high in that at all.

Pouliot: Yes, I do, but mostly on the plane and mostly on the road in my bed, but besides that at home I don’t really do it, no.

Pouliot: That’s a tough one. I really liked the Batman ones that they came out recently. I couldn’t think of one specifically.

Pouliot: I’m a big EDM fan, electronic dance music. So I don’t know, Avicii, those kind of guys, David Guetta. I don’t really have a particular one single guy, I just listen to a type.

Pouliot: No, I cannot. My girlfriend gets mad at me all of the time about it, but even if I try I kind of feel like I look…not very good at it.

Pouliot: I know, but at one point I’ll have to because my daughters willl want to when they grow up and I’ll have to put on the moves and stuff, so I’ll have to figure it out.

Pouliot: Ah, yeah, I would have to. I think it’s a team thing. I hope we don’t have a dance party, but I hope that we pass the first round for sure (laughs).

Pouliot: Yeah, not biting my nails, but like you said road rage sometimes but it depends. If the guy in the left lane is not moving (laughs), but I get a little anxious about it. I’m fairly calm, but drivers who are inattentive bother me.

Pouliot: Pretty calm to be honest. I try not to stress too much or think too much. I just go about my day and I have some fun and just enjoy whatever happens. I don’t think that I get too worked up about it even though things go bad, I do get down on myself but I don’t try to make it public or anything.

Pouliot: Oh man, I have never been overseas. I’ve only been up and down so I think that overseas would be nice, anywhere. Europe, or anywhere overseas for sure because I’ve never been.

Pouliot: Ah, there are so many good ones. I’ve played in very good cities and on very good teams. New York just for the fact that the atmosphere, the way that the city is, the way, what we accomplished when I was there was a bonus, but for the city wise it was great. Boston was beautiful, but New York was a great time.

Pouliot has played much better lately and he could be a boost in the playoffs. It sounds like he’d be pretty decent in a game of Horse on the basketball course. But now more than ever I hope the Oilers win a playoff round and have a dance party at a bar so we can see his dance moves.