Five Questions With Ben Pataki

Ben Pataki is a 21-year-old hockey player from Wallaceburg, Ontario, who is currently playing for the Blenheim Blades of the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League.

A graduate of Wallaceburg District Secondary School, Pataki is studying at the University of Windsor, while he plays for the Blades.

In his first full season with the Blenheim Blades, Pataki is a Chatham-Kent Cyclones alumni. He started his Junior hockey career in 2009-2010 with the Wallaceburg Lakers, and spent three seasons patrolling the blueline of the Chatham Maroons from 2011 to 2014.

Below are Ben Pataki’s answers to CKSN’s Five Questions:

1. What is your career sports highlight/top memory?
My favourite sports memory would be playing for the Chatham Maroons and going from last place in the standings my first year of Jr. B to first place the following year along with a solid playoff run.

2. Who is your favourite professional sports team and athlete?

My favourite sports team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, but my favourite athlete oddly comes from the Habs in P.K. Subban.

3. If you could achieve one thing/goal in sports, what would it be?

I think I have achieved as much as I can individually through sports but this being my last year of Junior hockey it would be nice to win my first hockey championship with the Blenheim Blades.

4. Who has been your biggest sports influence and why?

My biggest sports influence would have to be my mom and dad. If it wasn’t for them I would have quit hockey when I first started. I’m glad they made me stick with it or I wouldn’t have the memories I have today.

5. What do you love most about playing sports?

I love the competitiveness of sports and having a good time along the way. It’s also a good way to relieve the stress of school.

Five Questions is a weekly feature on the Chatham-Kent Sports Network. We’ll ask athletes from across Chatham-Kent Five Questions, and post their answers every week. If you know an athlete or coach we should question, or you’re an athlete or coach who would like to participate in “Five Questions,” please email us at ian@cksn.ca.