Dierks Bentley Hits the Ice

Dierks Bentley photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

March 19, 2009 — In the recording studio and onstage, Dierks Bentley has established himself as an ace. When it comes to sports, he puts himself on the ice.

Dierks has been playing in an amateur hockey league in Nashville when he’s not on tour. Hitting the rink is a great way to get out any aggression he’s feeling — although he definitely feels the effects later!

"If you’ve ever played it, you get done and you lie in the house at night and your ribcage hurts from overexpanding it," he told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "You breathe so hard, ‘cause you’re having so much fun. You think that you’re dying, but you keep going ‘cause you’re having so much fun. So literally the bones ache from being stretched out because you breathe so deeply. It’s just fun, man. It’s just that camaraderie of the guys."

The camaraderie extends beyond the game’s three regulation 20-minute periods.

"I really excel in the fourth period," he winked. "I do good work in periods one, two and three, but the fourth period over at the Brewhouse or Sam’s Club, I’m a good team player there. It’s one of my favorite parts of the game."

Dierks opened for Brad Paisley on the Paisley Party Tour, which came to a close last weekend in Nashville. But Dierks will hit the road again with Brad this summer on the American Saturday Night Tour. Also along on the dates, which kick off in June, will be Jimmy Wayne.