Get to Know... Ondrej Palat | ICEBREAKERS

All season long on the Devils Hockey Network, play-by-play man Matt Loughlin has been sitting down with your favorite New Jersey Devils to get to know them a little bit better off the ice in his Icebreakers segment.

Now we're bringing them to you in podcast and written form in case you missed it on the broadcast!

In this edition, Matt gets to know veteran forward Ondrej Palat, featuring a range of answers about his extensive bucket list ideas, spending time with his young daughter, and which Michelin Star restaurant he wants to make sure he gets to try!

Matt Loughlin: You ready for these questions as we get to know who you are a little bit more?

Ondrej Palat: Yeah, I think so! 

ML: Too late now, you already said yes! So here we go. Do you have any hidden talents?

OP: I might have to say I'm a pretty good cook. I'm cooking a lot for my family, I'm enjoying that a lot. 

ML: Very nice! What was the first concert you remember going to?

OP: I think it was in Tampa in our Development Camp, it was Blink 182. That was one of the biggest ones. The first, maybe back in the day in Czech I saw some smaller groups, but Blink 182 was the biggest one. 

ML: What was the best concert you've ever been to?

OP: Probably in Ibiza, David Guetta, the DJ. 

ML: Are you more a mountains guy or an oceans guy?

OP: Ocean. I spent a lot of time by the ocean (in Tampa), I just love every time you have a day off you can be on the beach, it was awesome. 

ML: What's your favorite thing you do when you have some time off, here in New Jersey?

OP: Probably hanging out with my family, my daughter. The schedule is so crazy that when I have a little bit of time I'm trying to do activities with my daughter. 

ML: What's your favorite breakfast food?

OP: It used to be, back in Czech, bread with ham and cheese. But here now, it's eggs any style. Probably eggs Benedict. 

ML: Was there ever a food that you didn't want to eat but finally you tried it and said, hey, this is pretty good! 

OP: It was mushrooms. In Czech it's picking up mushrooms in the woods, it's huge. I loved doing that but I hated to eat it. And we eat it a lot because we always pick them. But the last couple of years I love it. I love to buy it, I love to cook with it and I love to eat it.

ML: If you could be one animal, what animal would that be?

OP: I'm pretty chill, pretty calm, so dog is a great animal. Just chilling, likes people.

ML: What was your first job that wasn't a hockey job?

OP: Probably some garden work that my mom made me do! Cutting the lawn and make me do some work in our backyard.

ML: We asked you about a food you didn't try and eventually did, is there a restaurant that you haven't tried yet, in the Metropolitan area, that's kind of on your list that you want to get to one day?

OP: Yeah, one of the three-star Michelin restaurants, Le Bernardin in New York City. That's been a long time on my bucket list to check it out with my wife.

ML: Kind of on a similar line on something you haven't yet done, is there something you've wanted to do in your life but you haven't done yet?

OP: I have a lot of stuff on my bucket list. I don't really know from the top of my head, but I've really got everything I need, my family, they're healthy, that's all I need.

ML: Maybe because you told us about your hidden talent as a cook, this might be an obvious answer... would you rather be a superhero or the world's best chef?

OP: Probably both! Superheros can have some cool superpowers and the worlds best chef is a lot of work and time spent in the kitchen, so that would probably be too much.

ML: Would you rather go on a relaxing vacation or an adventurous hike?

OP: I'm doing a lot of hiking during my summer workouts but any time we have a chance during the season or after the season I'd rather just be by the beach, play in the sand, be in the ocean. So that's my type of vacation.

ML: Favorite kind of ice-cream? Favorite flavor?

OP: Right now it's probably, with my daughter, it's just chocolate with chocolate chips inside. Any kind of ice cream I love.

ML: So that might answer this question... Sweets guy or sour guy?

OP: Sweet, definitely sweet. I would rather eat chocolate than chips and stuff.

ML: And lastly, favorite pizza topping?

OP: I'm pretty easy. I like mozzarella cheese, some ham, that's it. You know, I don't hate the pinapple on the pizza either, that's sometimes good.

ML: Thanks for your time!

OP: Thank you!