David Kämpf on Coming to Vancouver, Evolving his Game, and More | Canucks Insider Podcast Episode 45

David Kämpf on Coming to Vancouver, Evolving his Game, and More | Canucks Insider Podcast Episode 45

Hello Kucks fans. Welcome back to another episode of the Kucks Insider podcast. My name is Chris Faber and this week we are joined by the newest Vancouver Kuck who made his debut with the team this past Monday. He has played over 500 games in the NHL and won the 2024 World Championships with Czecha. David Camp is our guest today on the pod. Welcome to the podcast. Your first English podcast, you said before we started recording here. Yeah, it is. It is in my first English podcast. So, thank you for having me. Yeah. Well, we’re excited to get you on here. It’s probably been a couple crazy weeks for you. Can you put into words what uh the last few weeks have been like for you? Oh, it’s been it’s been last couple of weeks it’s been crazy. So, I’m happy to to be here and I’m happy to calm down a little bit. Enjoy enjoy the the time here at the rink. Like good skate today. So, yeah, like you said, been crazy couple of weeks, but time to move on. I was thinking today like this is your first day kind of hanging out in Vancouver and how sunny it was. You’re probably thinking, man, Vancouver looks pretty nice right about now, eh? Oh, hey. I woke up in the morning and I saw the sun. I was like, “Wow, this is this is this is cool.” So, but I heard there’s lot of lot of raining days. So, hopefully we will see the sun couple more days. Yeah, I hope so as well. You got a good start here so far with Vancouver. So, that’s good. But what was it like? Um, you know, you hit free agency for a little bit there and and pretty quickly you signed with Vancouver. Um, what was it about this team that drew you to want to be a Canuck? Yeah, like probably everyone knows I I just tried to like terminate my contract with Toronto and there was a little bit little bit problem with that with the the league and everything involved. So everyone was involved PA league. So it took took a little bit little bit of time. So I was just sitting at home and waiting what will happen and I don’t know after like 10 days we finally like they finally find a decision and we terminate the contract and I was free agent. So after that couple teams like called and I just I was just deciding what what will be the best fit for me and best team. So I had great conversation with Patrick and and the coach. So that was that was like big big factor in my in my decision. So I’m happy I I joined this team and I’m I can be here. Yeah. What about uh going to another Canadian market? Like you experienced that in Toronto and that’s all about and and you’re going to do this all over again here in Vancouver. Actually, to be honest, I said to my wife, “Oh, we are not going to Canadian anymore.” But yeah, like I said, I I had great conversation with with the with the guys and that that was it. So, here we are. It’s hard to beat like playoff hockey when you get a Canadian market behind. And you know what, like Chicago’s one of the better markets I think in America, too. Like you’ve experienced some pretty heavy hockey markets so far in your career. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Chicago and Toronto was Yeah. Of course, there are great teams, but a lot of lot of pressure from from the fans and from the media, but I think I’m already used to it. So, yeah, it’s not a big deal for me. Yeah, that’s exciting. I think getting here with this Vancouver team and and seeing that you had a chance to to get a pretty good opportunity to play pretty prolific part here in the lineup. Um, what are your thoughts just jumping in here and how you want to help this team, where you want to fit, like what do you want to bring to this lineup now with the Conucks? Yeah, I want to bring my my game. you know, I I played I would say a lot of lot of games already in the NHL. So, I don’t want to change my game. I just want to bring what I always had like so be good on the PK winning the face off and you know I think I can contribute in the offense too. So, like overall I just just want to play play my game and help the help the team win. That’s that’s my that’s my goal. Yeah. And obviously like you were a guy who was undrafted but then you end up signing with Chicago and coming over here. I’m curious if you can take us back there a little bit and let me know like how it started to happen in your mind. You’re like, I’m going to come over to the NHL. Like when did it first start? When did you start to realize that that was going to be a possibility? And how did it all happen for you? Cuz a lot of guys get drafted and they come here and then I’m always curious how some of the undrafted guys get here. Yeah, that was actually funny. Like my drafters, my agent always told me, “Oh, you will be drafted for sure.” So I wasn’t drafted that year and the next year, same thing. He told me, “You will be drafted for sure.” And nothing happened. So I don’t know but after that like I had very good season I think in the back home in the check and after that I was actually happy that I’m like free agent because I could I could pick what what team what what team I can go because if you are drafted you have to go you have to go to the team. So I had couple teams and I I choose choose Chicago and I think I I did I did like good good decision because I after I don’t know half year I I play I played in miners and after after half years I was called up to the Chicago. So that’s how started my NHL career. Yeah. Like to do that in your rookie season did you have a feeling like in your game that you were ready for NHL games? Like even in your first year coming over here, a lot of guys it’s enough just to like get understanding what it’s like to live in North America and change your life so much. But for you, like were you were you NHL ready? Do you think when you were coming over? Like you felt pretty good about your game coming over from Czecha? Yeah, I already played a couple years in pro hockey back home. So I I don’t know. I played probably three, four years. So yeah, I was that was probably my advantage a little bit compared to the young guys because I was already I don’t know 22 or something like that. 22 years old. So yeah, but it was it was big difference, right, to come into the to to the US like without the family and everything. So that was that was a big change for me. But yeah, I think I think I did a I’m a little bit proud of myself, you know, did a did a good job like take care of myself and take my my girlfriend actually right now my wife came so we I handle everything like to find find a find a place to live and everything around it. So yeah, it was it was tough time but we made it. So yeah, now you’re here. I think it’s it’s interesting like I watch a lot of Europe a lot of our prospects play in Europe and I love watching some of the leagues cuz like I love seeing the chance. I love seeing sometimes like they got fireworks when the goals are going off. What did you like most about playing pro and Czecha? Like I I haven’t watched a ton of games in that pro league. What’s what’s something cool about the game atmosphere over there? Yeah, that atmosphere. It’s it’s I would say big difference compared to to here because like fans they chanting there you know like so that’s that’s maybe one thing what I what I’m missing a little bit you know when the people they saying your name after after when when you score they saying your name so that’s pretty cool so but yeah the atmosphere here here is a little bit different but still still pretty cool right yeah it gets rocking in the playoffs here in Vancouver it’s a lot of fun um for you like the the way that you play and your biggest strength? Like it’s it’s what you do in the defensive zone, shutting guys down and being one of these shut down centers, but also having a little bit offense that you can add when you get the chance. Uh I’m curious when you started to develop that cuz I feel like every kid wants to be like the goal scorer and wants to be that, but it seems like and I’ve noticed this from players a lot in the last few years of like I really want to make sure that I’m a two-way guy, that I’m good at both offense and defensive when like myself growing up, I just wanted to score goals. Like that’s that was the fun part to do. When did you know that you wanted to be like a two-way guy? Did you develop that pretty young? No, of course I wanted to score goals too, right? We we playing hockey for for that like to scoring goals and having some points and that. So, no, but if you probably like if you if you want to play in NHL, you have to find your your role in the team. So you cannot you cannot come to the NHL and you think you will be in the I don’t know beat McDavid or those guys you know like those teams already have or already have their their stars so you have to find your role. So when I came to Chicago, there was, you know, a lot of lot of great players like first two centers, right? Great players. So I I told myself I need to to bring something else. So I I try to focus on that like winning the face off and bring bring something different what what the team needs. So that’s probably what when I when I happened like to be a little bit more defensive guy. So, but back home I I think I never focused on the defense too much, you know. It came like when I when I when I came to to the to the US. Yeah. So, you’re the Chucky and McDavid then. No, no, no. I I wasn’t like that. But, you know, my my mindset changed a little bit right after after I came here. So that’s probably like when I see the the young kids here in NHL sometimes, you know, they they don’t they don’t understand what what they need to do like in this league, you know, because not everyone can can score 50 goals, you know, you cannot have on the team like 20 guys who who scored 50 goals. So that’s what sometimes I can see in those those young guys. They like don’t understand what’s what’s you need to do. Yeah. I think like for you now having over 500 games in the NHL, man, you must have learned quite a bit of lessons just about that and kind of what you just mentioned there of like how you have to what you got to do to stay in this league for you like is it kind of crazy to think you’ve got over 500 games now in this league? It is. It is. It’s it’s going like it’s going quick like I remember my first game my first season and now it’s it’s season number nine. So yeah, sometimes you’re losing track of the time like you think it’s it’s forever but it’s it’s not right. I saw it like this season I I lost the my spot on the team like like that. So, it’s actually good good for me that right now I can like enjoy more every every game and every every second to be to be back in the NHL. Yeah, that’s awesome. What was it like u meeting the coaching staff, meeting the players. Like I heard you showed up in in Florida I think there for that first game and just kind of saw them get a win out of it and then you’re you’re riding with the team for a little bit. What was it like just jumping in here? Like did you know many guys? Was the what was it like just coming here to a new team in the middle of the season? Yeah, I know I know a couple guys. I played with with some guys and obviously I know the check guys. So yeah, but it was it was a little bit crazy. I I came like after the morning skate. So I I didn’t see any any guys and I came for the game and so I saw I saw everyone after after a game. So I was giving the high five the guys and saying, “Hey, nice to meet you.” So yeah, it was it was a little bit funny, but yeah. Yeah, it is what it is, right? And how’s how’s the wife doing? I know she’s got a a big move, I guess, coming up here. How’s she doing the last little bit? Yeah, I hope she she’s she’s doing good. She’s still still in Toronto, so trying to figure figure out everything with the with the apartment there and with the with our kid. And so, yeah, she has a lot of a lot of to do right now. Yeah. How much do you enjoy having a little three-year-old? I think you said before like uh I was telling you before I got a three-month-old so we’re in very different stages but you said it’s pretty cool watching them kind of grow up in front of you here. Yeah, for sure. It’s your life is changing a little bit right after after you have kids. So before it was just focusing on I would say on myself you know play hockey and everything but right now it’s yeah it’s nice when when you have when you have kid and you can you can come home and be be with him and play with him. So yeah, obviously a big change in in our life. But we are enjoying it. Yeah, it’s my favorite thing right now. Like I’ll go home every day at lunch and even like at 3 months you just like see you can hear my voice and he just like you see the kid for the f like I there’s nothing better than the feeling right now of seeing it. It’s just incredible to see. Um something I saw that you and your wife did a lot of was a lot of CrossFit in the past and and I saw a quote from Mitch Martner saying that you’re the most jack guy in the NHL. Um so what was this uh what’s the the love that you guys had for CrossFit and kind of working out together, you and your wife? Uh maybe not so much now that you have a kid, but what was it like before then? Yeah, it’s a it’s a big hobby. Like I always like to working out and be in the gym. So So when I was young, I I always enjoy my time to be to be in the gym and trying to get better. So I always always love to do that. And after after some time, we start doing the the CrossFit. It’s it’s it’s big thing in USA, right? So it’s a big sport, but it wasn’t too big back back home in Czech. So we there there is not too many like CrossFit gyms. So it was a little bit harder to do it. But but we found like great gym back back home in our hometown. So we we started doing doing it a little bit more. And after I don’t know a couple of years we did we did a couple competitions during the summer. So that was that was a lot of fun. But actually like you said right now it’s not too much time to to do it. And actually my wife is pregnant right now. So it’s a little bit harder for her to still do CrossFit. So uh hopefully after after NHL career or after hockey career I still still go back there go back and do do more crossfit be a veteran the kids might be getting into it at that point then e like have them running around that’ll be a lot of fun. I I did I did see a a photo of your guys’ Halloween costume last year uh with your son and your dog uh Harry Potter was it was quite the costume coming together and you’ve said you’ve done some pretty good Halloween costumes in the past as well but what was it about this past year do you think was the best? So yeah, that that Harry Potter was probably the the best one we did in in the last couple years. But yeah, it’s all all my wife, she always chosing those those costumes. So I just come home and they take on me what what she she gave me. So yeah, so she she did a good job. That’s cool. Is your son getting into that now? Like I guess at three, does he start to is he starting to watch? Oh yeah, this this this year he was he was happy about it and he was like, “Oh, what is it?” like give me give me my costume so he he wanted to wear it like a couple days in a row. So that’s awesome. So you won uh gold medal at the 2024 World Championships and that’s one thing but to do it on home soil in Czecha. How cool was that? Like the whole not even winning it but like from start to finish I imagine those games were a lot of fun for you in 2024. Yeah, it was probably my best experience in my life. like that was that was preco like win the world champions when we win the world championship and like you said in home it’s something something unbelievable so yeah we enjoyed like every game was was full house at at the ring like the atmosphere was was unbelievable so yeah that was it was pretty cool yeah what sticks out for you for how doing it on home soil and watching a team come together like that like that must be pretty cool just for all you check guys to be playing together like on home soil and get that that chance to even like compete and win a gold medal to do all that like it must be such a cool feeling coming together. Yeah, I have to I have to feel like I I felt that team was was like come together and I felt like after I don’t know a couple games, oh I was telling my friend like maybe we will win it like I I felt the the strength from from the team and from from the fans like all the like the country came together, right? So that was pretty cool. Yeah. What was it like? Uh celebration must have been pretty cool. I saw Lapia’s like when Lapia had theirs like they were they were rolling and and I you know for you guys to get in check it must have been quite a fun time after for probably what a couple weeks after that or what? No, I’m I’m not like big big party guys. So I Yeah, but it was it was insane like the day after and next day we went to the to the student square in Prague. So that was like so many people. So that was that was great time and spending this time with with my family and with with everyone on the team. So it was it was special. Yeah. So, but I know I know some guys they they went pretty hard couple days. So, but no, I I just spent like two days celebrating and after that I I just wanted to to go home because I came right after NHL season. So, I wanted just I said like that’s it for me. I’m going home. Couple days of partying. It’s pretty good. You don’t need much more than that after season. Um you’re you wear number 64. I’m curious, was that just given to you or is that a number that you like? Is there a reason behind it or was someone just like, “Hey, you’re you’re 64 now.” I would love to give you some nice story but there is not. I just came my first year and they gave me 64. Yeah. But actually I always used number 10. Mhm. So it’s like six and four is 10. So actually I I like a 64. You do have a good story behind it. That’s not bad. All right. Some rapid fire ones as we uh start to wrap up here. Dave. Um you go home, you got morning skate, you go home after that. What is the perfect amount of time for a nap? 90 minutes. 90 minutes. And do you do you abide by that? You do that every single time? No. But no, but it’s like one sleep cycle, right? So that’s probably the best. Okay. I like that’s a really good answer actually with the whole sleep cycle thing. You’ve uh I’ve seen some photos of you on Instagram. Matt, you’ve done a little bit of traveling. Like what’s been one of your favorite places that you’ve traveled for a vacation or or is there somewhere that you go consistently? Like do you have a favorite spot that you’ve traveled? Yeah, I would say a Austria for the hiking and like the nature is pretty cool. So we all almost every year we go there. So I would say really. So keep going back to Austria. Yeah. Yeah. Have you traveled anywhere else? That was pretty exciting too. Yeah. I would say probably our best vacation was like on the cruise like Bahamas and those those like islands. Yeah. So that was that was pretty cool too. That’s awesome. That’s what we did for a honeymoon. We did a cruise through the Mediterranean and it was like four different stops in Italy and Greece. It’s actually pretty good like to to change the the spot every every day, you know. Yeah. I wasn’t so sure I would like Yeah, I wasn’t so sure too. Bad vibes about the cruise, right? But I had a good time on it. I’m always saying like that was probably my best vacation. Yeah. Yeah. I think it was our favorite, too. It’ll be different with the kid now. We’ll have to see what that’s all about. Um, what about aside from hockey players, like do you have a favorite athlete growing up? Did you have a favorite just non-hockey player? Yeah, probably I would say Lionel Messi. I like soccer. So soccer is a big big sport back home. So I watch soccer a lot. Actually I played a little bit too. Yeah. So I would say him. Yeah. No, I saw some photos of you. Was it with the same hockey team that you played with? Like I I feel like it was the same logo. Like I saw you playing. What was that all about? Yeah, we usually like those teams back home like during the during the summer they play like some some like friendly matches with other other teams. Yeah. So yeah, I played play a couple couple of those games with my with my home team. Yeah, that’s cool. any of the other hockey guys come out and play for that or is that like are you It’s just hockey team like it’s all all the boys from the from the team they playing like soccer soccer against like another against their other other hockey team sometimes against their like the old old like guys from the from the city or Yeah, you know how different do you think it is when hockey players go play soccer compared to when soccer players play soccer? It’s so much different. Like when we playing against the like real soccer team, like we almost don’t don’t touch the ball, right? Yeah. Because it’s it’s so much different. I I think I saw like a clip of Ovetchkin playing a couple years ago and guys are like bouncing off. But he actually scored. Yeah. Like it was it was a pretty good goal. Uh what about a favorite hockey player growing up? Was there anyone that stuck out when you were a kid that you were a big fan of or or anything like that? I would say. Yeah. Like because he’s the best player. So that’s probably easy one. Yeah, I think that one sticks up pretty good. One of my favorites, too. And and like still playing sometimes. Like how crazy is that? I think he played one game this season, but yeah, he’s still on the ice. Just the fact to get the gear on and get out there for one’s got to be pretty. You just love the hockey. Yeah. Can’t get away from it. Um so let’s say Sunday morning, day off, you got nothing on your plate. Build me your perfect breakfast plate. Like a good brunch Sunday. What is What’s the perfect thing you want to wake up to and eat? What’s the first thing you want? If you can build a perfect breakfast plate. Perfect breakfast plate I would say I would go with with eggs like I I don’t eat too or I I don’t like too much like the sweet like or pancakes or something like that. So I would go with eggs and some bread like nothing nothing special. I’m just eating pretty pretty like simple I would say. Okay. Keep it simple then. And we’ll wrap up on this uh final question which we’ve done for the last couple guys on the show. And the answers so far have been popcorn when you’re coming into the rink. And the other one is meat when it’s cooking on the grill. So the question is, what’s your favorite smell in the world? My favorite smell? Yeah. What’s the best thing that you’ve smelled and you’re like, “Oh, I love that smell of something.” So we’ve had popcorn at the rink and we’ve had meat cooking on the grill from our last two guests. Oh yeah. It’s the hardest question we got here on this podcast. Probably the the the locker room in hockey, right? Oh, I don’t know. It might be the first time for that that much. No, it’s actually it’s gross. No, I don’t know. I would say Yeah, probably some some food. So, yeah, we’ve had a lot of food answers so far. Yeah, I said fried onions. Like if you go to a baseball game and you have like the fried onions in the air. Yeah, I would say some like grilled meat is pretty good good answer. So, but yeah, I don’t know. So, see, nobody’s gone with like a, you know, vanilla candy. I was never thinking about this, you know. So, just right to food. All right. Well, Dave, appreciate you jumping on the pod here. It was great for Kucks fans to get to know you a little bit better and uh we’re excited to see what you can bring for the roster for the rest of the year. So, thanks so much for hopping on the pod and maybe we’ll do this again down the road. Perfect. Thank you so much.

Vancouver Canucks forward David Kämpf joins the podcast to discuss his journey into the NHL, becoming a part of the Canucks’ organization, his 2024 World Championships win, and much more!

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