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Number: 27
Position: Forward
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 185
Birthday: 6.8.84
Hometown: Buffalo, MN
Last team: Buffalo High School
Player Biography
Ben comes to Des Moines from Buffalo, Minn. He played for Buffalo High School last season, and tallied 39 goals and 20 assists. Ben, who first played hockey at the age of 3, says that the NHL player he admires most is Patrick Roy (Colorado), for “continuing his dominance in the net for so many years in hockey”.
Ben was traded to the Chicago Steel (USHL) in November of 2002.
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Kevin Kasel: Tell me about your family life, do you have any brothers or sisters?
Ben Geelan: I have one brother, one sister. One is 14 and one is nine.
Kevin: How old where you when you started playing hockey?
Ben: My dad got me in early, I was about three, three and a half.
Kevin: Why did you start?
Ben: Mainly because I wasn't old enough to know what hockey was. Mainly my Father had a lot to do with that.
Kevin: Why did you decide to play for the Bucs?
Ben: Really good hockey and this is pretty much the stepping-stone to college hockey. And it's in the best league in the United States.
Kevin: Have you always been a forward?
Ben: Yes, my whole life. I never played a game at defense.
Kevin: Tell me about the past teams you've played for.
Ben: I started my career out in Burnsville, Minnesota. I move to Buffalo, Minnesota the start of my high school career. I played my high school career at Buffalo.
Kevin: Do you have a favorite pro or college team?
Ben: I don't really have a favorite pro team. But I always admired the University of North Dakota. My parents went there, that has a lot to do with it.
Kevin: What about a favorite player?
Ben: I always admired Jay Panzer. He came out of North Dakota a couple of years ago.
Kevin: What is your favorite saying?
Ben: Pay the price.
Kevin: Tell me about some of your goals for the future.
Ben: My main goal right now, is just to work hard. I'm sure good things will happen. Everybody's goal in this league is to get to college hockey and if you're lucky you get further then that.
Kevin: Finish this sentence: The fans would be surprised to know that I...
Ben: I go hunting a lot.
Kevin: What is your favorite hockey memory?
Ben: Probably last year, our high school is not known for hockey, but we did really well in the play-offs. We won a big play-off game in double overtime against a well-known team in Minnesota. That was really fun.
Kevin: Best decision I ever made?
Ben: Probably to stick with hockey after I had a pretty bad shoulder injury my freshman year of high school.
Kevin: What would you being doing now if you weren't playing hockey?
Ben: I probably be going to the University of North Dakota and try to be an aviation major and eventually be a pilot.
Kevin: When did you first hear about the Bucs?
Ben: My Dad's room-mate, lives in Des Moines and he has always had season tickets. I thought it would be pretty cool to play down here. Cause I have known about it for a long time. And Minnesota players I have known, have gone to Des Moines.
Kevin: What do you like to do besides hockey?
Ben: I like to hunt, I like to fish, be outside. Play cards and hang out with friends.
Kevin: What's your most embarrassing moment?
Ben: Probably would be, one time in high school I scored on my own net. I've never done that before. Not on purpose, but I still did it.
Kevin: Finish this sentence. My team mates think I'm...
Ben: Pretty cool, cause I have long hair.
Kevin: Who is your favorite non-hockey athlete?
Ben: I like tennis, probably Andy Roddick, he's a really young kid and I think he is going to be really great. He has a really nice work ethic.
Kevin: If you could have lunch with one person, past or present, who would it be?
Ben: Probably Wayne Gretzky, cause I would like to know how he scored all those goals. That would be kinda cool to know how he did that.
Kevin: If you were a head coach of a team what would you do?
Ben: I probably make them, skate really hard after practice, make sure they were in shape. That's one thing you can do as a coach.
Kevin: When you're not playing hockey, where are we most likely to find you (in season or off season)?
Ben: In season, probably find me at home taking a nap. Off season, I like to golf, I like to fish, anything recreational or at work, one of the two.
Kevin: Do you have a specific pre-game meal? If so, what is it?
Ben: Nothing specific. But nothing really heavy. Pasta, salad, stuff like that.
Kevin: Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
Ben: By far, probably my Father. He has been my guide through life so far.
Kevin: If you started your own NHL franchise, and you could pick any player, who would you start with and why?
Ben: I probably start with Darby Hendrickson, cause he's from Minnesota.
Kevin: Who would you have on your hockey "Dream Team"?
Ben: Joe Sakic, I don't know, there is so many? Patrik Elias, I like him. Fedorov, pretty much the Detroit Red Wings.
Kevin: What are your superstitions?
Ben: I don't really have superstitions, unless things don't work. Then I try new things, like a different blades and stuff like that.
Kevin: If you were stranded on a desert island, whom would you want to be stranded with … Brittany Spears, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar or Tara Reid?
Ben: Brittany Spears by far.
Kevin: What is your favorite restaurant?
Ben: I like the Olive Garden a lot.
Kevin: Who would you rather be, Bugs Bunny or Road Runner?
Ben: Road Runner.
Kevin: Who would you rather be, Superman or Batman?
Ben: Superman.
Kevin: Any advice for younger hockey players?
Ben: Never quit. And if things don't go your way, just work hard, that's the only way. So never quit.
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