Eller ready for 'mental challenge' of repeating with Capitals

ARLINGTON, Va. --Lars Eller still gets goose bumps when seeing the video of his Stanley Cup-winning goal, or simply thinking about it, for the Washington Capitals nearly three months later.

"I think you'll always feel like that thinking back on it," Eller said.

But there is work to be done with the first training camp practice Sept. 14, less than two weeks away. That was evident by the host of Capitals veterans participating in an informal practice Tuesday.
Eller was among a group that included forwards Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, goalie Braden Holtby, and defensemen John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and Christian Djoos.
But Eller said the full focus on the upcoming season is not there, yet.
"I think you're still enjoying winning the Cup
when he had his day with it in his hometown of Rodovre on Aug. 8. His teammates had similar experiences with the Cup that they'll never forget, but they'll have to move on eventually to achieve their quest of repeating.

"It's a big mental challenge," Eller said. "But I think when the puck drops and you start playing the games again, what always has been driving me as an individual is the competing, the competition of it. Everybody in that room hates to lose, and when you get slapped in the face, you get right back up again, and everybody has that mentality. So we're not going to like losing more than we did before. But it's a going to be a challenge. It always is."
Having a shorter offseason to train for the upcoming season adds to that challenge. Eller, who set NHL career highs with 18 goals and 38 points last season, estimated that in past offseasons he had 2-3 weeks more gym time that he had to trim from his training regimen this year.
"You almost feel like you're a step behind of where you usually are at this point," he said. "But at the same time, we played two months longer than half the League and a month or six weeks longer than the majority. So we're going to catch up quickly."
Bringing back most of the roster from last season should help. Fourth-line center Jay Beagle (signed with the Vancouver Canucks) and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer (traded to the Colorado Avalanche) are the only players who dressed for Washington in its Cup-clinching win who won't be back.
The Capitals' biggest change is former associate coach Todd Reirden taking over as coach after Barry Trotz resigned and moved on to coach the New York Islanders.
"It's basically the same team, just a new voice behind the bench and a new face, and that will create a new dynamic and some new energy, some freshness to it," Eller said. "I couldn't think of a better scenario going into this season."