Barkovin uudesta mielentilasta, killer instinctistä, ja muista asioista juttua Friedmanin 31 Thoughtsissa:
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17. Sometimes you’re told a story. You really hope it’s accurate, but you’re so convinced it’s too good to be true — you’re afraid to ask. So: Aleksander Barkov, is it correct that, in an effort to get to know each other a little better, you and Joel Quenneville went head to head on the tennis court?
“Yes,” he answered. “We both love tennis. I’ve been playing since I was four.”
All right. Is it also true that to make things more equitable, Quenneville (who is 62) was allowed to play the “doubles” lines while Barkov (25) had to play the “singles” lines?
“You should ask him,” Barkov laughed. “That’s a lot to tell.”
Then he continued.
“(Quenneville) is actually really good. I wasn’t expecting that from him.”
Who won?
“It was close. He’s smart. Knows how to win matches.”
But, I got the impression, not these ones.
18. We had a very interesting conversation about mindset.
“I’m a quiet guy,” the Panthers’ captain said. “I want to do well for the team. And I want to know what people want me to do better.”
Florida was enormously disappointed with its Summer 2020 performance, a limp 3–1 defeat to the Islanders. Challenged by his head coach to make more of a difference, Barkov changed his mental approach.
“Before, I would think, ‘I need to play well.’ Now, I think, ‘I need to win.’ It’s a different mindset. I need to win.”
It can be hard to explain, but I understand this, because I’ve heard it before. It’s similar to the “Safe is Death” theory.
“(Quenneville) always says the same thing to me: ‘You need to do well.’ Believe in myself, play with more pace. Whatever it is I do, do it 100 per cent. Giving everything I have in every shift helps our team a lot.”
Barkov trained with Patrik Laine in the off-season.
“We had a great summer. I came ready.”
Whenever Laine scores bar-down, do you say, ‘I taught him that’?”
Barkov laughed. “I think he’s done it before.”
19. The best confidence builder is winning. The Panthers have done a lot of it, entering Monday’s games tied for fifth in points percentage. Their games with Tampa Bay have been wildly entertaining; that would be a fantastic playoff series, and we’re overdue for it.
“It feels fresh,” Barkov said. “We have a lot of different guys. We don’t talk about last year.”
He likes his new linemates, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe, saying, “They work hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”
One coach said Florida doesn’t try home-run passes as often, and Barkov sees that as a fair observation.
There are definitely more small plays with everyone involved, not just one or two. More options. But we can’t be satisfied, and we’re not. That’s the mindset. The most fun in hockey is when you win as a group, and this is the most fun I’ve had in awhile.”
That’s massive for the Panthers, who have to sign Barkov after next season. If he hits the market, other executives will commit felonies in an attempt to land him. “I only think about this season. I want to win here, I love this team and this organization. Everyone here is like that. It’s a lot of fun of when everyone is on the same page.”
20. Finally for Barkov: Could any teammate beat you in a two-out-of-three-set tennis match?
“No chance,” he answered.
I smell a pay-per-view."
Mattias Ekholm's name has been on the block for weeks, but could a different Nashville blueliner be on the move? More in the latest 31 Thoughts.
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