Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt says it’s been “tough” since the National Hockey League suspended its season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but he’s still holding out hope that play will resume sooner than later.
“We’ve got a great group and we were playing really well,” the 28-year-old explains during an appearance on Mix 94.1’s Mercedes in the Morning, adding that he hopes the time off will give teammates a chance to heal from injuries.
As for Schmidt, he’s been trying to keep busy with DIY projects around the house, including a paint job that he’s been comically chronicling on his Instagram feed, and he’s enjoying an extra layer of celebrity from his recent appearance on Bar Rescue.
Schmidt and teammate Ryan Reaves guest starred in the March 15 episode titled “Breaking Brandon,” playing undercover patrons at Linda Lou’s Time for Two, a bar in Layton, Utah.
“Think of your favorite dive bar, and that’s like going to the Taj Mahal compared to this place,” Schmidt says.
In a clip posted on YouTube, Schmidt and Reaves are seen attempting to play averages Joes, ordering from the bar’s specialty drink menu. In the clip, the players take a seat and place their orders, while host Jon Taffer, watching from afar, chastises the bar’s owner for not having enough whipped cream in the fridge.
“They needed Jon, he came in guns blazing,” Schmidt says. “They show him being ‘Mr. Tough Guy’ but he really wanted to help these people.”
The experience of sampling poorly constructed cocktails with names like “Huckleberry Lime-Aide” and “Kiss Me” was definitely “outside my comfort zone,” he adds.
It turns out, so is reality television. As neither athlete is a trained thespian, some of their joint appearance ended up on the cutting room floor.
“There’s a couple of times they cut out Ryan and I with our hands on our mouths,” Schmidt says.