Getting to Know Gophers Captain Zach Budish – Extensive Q&A

Besides being a standout Hockey player at Edina High School, Zach Budish played baseball, and was an all-conference linebacker in football. And despite a serious knee injury (requiring surgery) during a 2008 high school Football playoff game, he was selected in the second round of the 2009 NHL entry draft by the Nashville Predators. After joining the Gophers, he scored his first career goal in a 5-1 win over Alaska-Anchorage on October 30, 2009. His Sophomore season was cut short when he injured his knee in a moped accident in November 2010, once again requiring surgery. Still, he didn’t let the injury interrupt his studies, and was named to the WCHA All-Academic team. He was allowed to red shirt, and returned as a Sophomore for the 2011-12 season. He came into this season as the team Captain, in his Junior. The ‘C’ tells you a lot about his character and leadership skills. Oddly enough, he was the captain of the hockey team at Edina as a Junior, leading the Hornets to the State High School Tournament, and the Class AA Runner-Up. Zach was named to the All-State tournament team, and earned Associated Press first-team All-State honors.

 

GopherHole tracked Budish down Wednesday before he hit the ice at Mariucci to get to know the Captain, find out how he got here, and get an idea of what it’s like to be the Captain of the #2 team in the country.

 

 

GH:  Did you grow up a Gopher Hockey fan?

 

ZB:  “Yeah, I did. I grew up wanting to play for the Gophers, and coming to a couple of games every year with family and friends. I think when I was about ten or eleven years old was when they won the National Championships in 2002 and 2003. Watching those, and seeing the guys that had come through the program, made me always want to be a Gopher. It’s a dream come true that I play here now”

 

GH:  Did you have any favorite Gopher players growing up then?

 

ZB:  “Not anyone specifically, really. When I was five or six years old, I did have a Casey Hankinson jersey when he was a Captain here. He was an Edina guy, so that’s the connection there. And I idolized guys like Thomas Vanek, Paul Martin, and some of those guys from the 02 and 03 teams. That’s when I was finally old enough to put names together, realize who was who, know who the top players were, and stuff like that”

 

GH:  Is it true that they call you “Budish 5.0”, due to the fact you’re an improved version of your Brothers? Stronger, Faster and more talented?

 

ZB:  “(Laughing) Yeah. I got that nickname in high school. I think one of my cousins actually thought of it, because I’m the fourth brother, and the rumor was that each brother got better as their high school career went on. I think they made t-shirts or something too. They don’t call me that anymore, though, it was pretty much my nickname in high school. “Budish 5000″ I think is what they called me”

 

GH:  Do you have a nickname given to you by your Gopher teammates?

 

ZB:  “Yeah. Buda, Budi, Zach, I don’t know, whatever. Most of the guys call me Buda”

 

GH:  Take us through the life of a hockey prospect. Coming out of High School in Edina, was there any interest from the Gophers? How were you contacted by the Gophers, and who contacted you?

 

ZB:  “Oooh, that’s a good question. Let’s see. Between my Sophomore and Junior year of High School, I made a USA team that went overseas for a ten day tournament. I think there were seven or eight of us Minnesota guys on the team. Coach Hill (John Hill), who was Assistant Coach here at the time, came over and watched us play.  When I came back, I found out that they (the Gophers) were interested in me. So I took some visits prior to my Junior year of High School, and then committed here right after Christmas my Junior year at Edina”

 

GH:  So it’s not like in the movies? Don Lucia didn’t come over to your house, sit on your couch, and have cookies that your ma made?

 

ZB:  “(Laughing) Uh, no. Most of my recruiting was done by Coach Hill at the beginning, because I had built a relationship with him. Then I came to a camp here called “Model Camp” after my Sophomore year of High School. They bring in ten or twelve teams of High School kids to play at Mariucci and Ridder, and he (John Hill) was my coach for that. So I got to know him a little bit better, and built a relationship with him. When it came down to picking a school, I sat down in Coach Lucia’s office and talked to him more. I was pretty intimidated at first, actually, but it was good to get to know the coaching staff before I made my decision”

 

GH:  Speaking of Coach Lucia, he said in a recent interview that he believes you were putting too much pressure on yourself early in the season as Captain of the team, and once you relaxed a little, your game improved. Any truth to that?

 

ZB:   “Yeah, I think there’s some truth to that. I think coming into this year I had high expectations. And, obviously, being voted Captain puts added weight on your shoulders. It took me a little while to get adjusted to that, and start to play my game. I think I’ve been better the second half of the season, starting after winter break”

 

GH:  Do you have any superstitions?

 

ZB:  “Superstitions? Hmmm. I try to keep my day to day routine pretty similar on game day. I get up at the same time, eat pretty much the same meal for breakfast, and try and have a little relaxation time between two and five o’clock. I take a nap, watch TV, relax, and then get to the rink about five o’clock or so. When I get to the rink, I tend to go through the same routine, taping my sticks in a certain order, eating a bagel, and getting dressed at the same time. Nothing overly superstitious where I can’t make adjustments on the fly, but I like to keep the same routine”

 

GH:  What is the strength of your game?

 

ZB:  “I think my size and strength. Getting pucks out of the corner, winning the battles in front of the net, and just trying to make my teammates better is what I’m best at. I’m fortunate that I play with some skilled players, so I just try to get them the puck, and do the little things that maybe don’t show up on the scoring sheet. Just try to win little battles”

 

GH:  What is an area you need to improve on?

 

ZB:  “My foot speed. I’m a bigger guy, so getting going, I guess. Once I get going I think I’ve got some decent speed, but getting those first couple of steps, and getting my feet moving, is what I need to improve on”

 

GH:  You’re a big reason the power play has been so affective this year. What makes the power play successful?

 

ZB:  “It’s been more read & react versus drawing up plays. We’ve got skilled guys out there, and some guys in front of the net to take away the Goalies vision. I think that’s been a big part of our success”

 

GH:  Last year was a turnaround year for this team. What do you attribute that turnaround to?

 

ZB:  “It was a motivating factor watching UMD win it in St. Paul right in front of our eyes back in 2011. But our success starts with leadership. We worked out all summer as a team in the weight room and on the ice, and came into the season in great shape. Part of our goal was to take over the state of Minnesota, and we did that. Everyone on the team contributed”

 

GH:  What do you have to do to get back to the Frozen Four again this year?

 

ZB:  “We have to use our depth, and stay out of the penalty box. We’ve gotta use our heads and let our special teams do their thing. And we have to win on Friday. You’ve gotta win on Friday to put yourself in position for a good weekend. We have to come ready to play every night, because there are twelve teams in this league that can beat anyone on any given night”