Stanley Cup Final blog: Zach Whitecloud

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud will be keeping his own blog throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. He will check in regularly with behind-the-scenes access.

In his first entry, Whitecloud discusses how he prepared for the Golden Knights' 5-2 win in Game 1 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, and how he will decompress Sunday before Game 2 of the best-of-7 series, which is here Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

There are a lot of things going on and there are a lot of outside factors at this time of year, a lot of noise, and the one thing that I learned especially from guys like Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez -- guys that I've worked with for quite a while -- is keep everything as normal as possible. Don't start doing different things in your routine. And it's tough, because you got your friends and family that want to come in and all those sorts of things.

But at the same time, you want to try and keep things as normal as possible, and that doesn't mean you don't look after your family, you take care of family first and make sure all those people are taken care of, but at the same time you have to, in a harsh way, be obviously selfish with your time because your teammates deserve the best out of you. You know, we're creatures of habit, so you know, dinner stuff at night, and if you watch a show you do all that sort of stuff.

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So, you just try and keep things as normal as possible. And I think it's when things start getting, obviously the atmosphere ramps up, but I think being with your family and staying within your routine helps ease guys a little bit. And for me, it's it wasn't so much nerves, I was just anxious to get going and I think knowing the difference between the two helps settle me down.

As for the atmosphere of Game 1, you take it all in. That's what you've worked for -- all these guys have worked for -- and that's not just our team, that's both teams. A lot of us have been playing hockey since we were 2, 3, 4 years old, and for me personally pretending and winning the Stanley Cup in the in the backyard with my friends at the outdoor rink. So, it's kind of a full-circle moment. The atmosphere can be a lot, but I think at the same time, you've worked so hard to get here, your teammates are brought in to assist and bought into a group of guys and everyone's pulled on the rope the same direction and now there is a job to do, but at the same time you're going to enjoy your ride.

I mean, you have to have fun with it right, and there's a fine line there with having fun and being obnoxious with it. And then there's having fun, but being serious and getting the job done and paying attention to details and doing all those sorts of things. Having been in the League for a couple years, you still try to find that line, right? Because that's why I play the game. I play it because it's fun and you get to play in front of all these crowds and especially our crowd.

I mean, they're lights out every single night and you know, you come on a Tuesday, you get to enjoy it. I mean, you love playing in front of that and that's why, you know, Vegas is what Vegas is and our fans have done a huge job. And they're a big reason why we win hockey games. So, at that same time, you got to enjoy what they bring, the energy they bring, the passion and vision and you're just excited.

As for the off day on Sunday, whatever our coaching staff decides what direction they want to go in for tomorrow. And obviously there's going to be some time to go back and look at the things we didn't do so well, but at the same time look at the things we did well and reiterate those. And whoever needs rest, just take care of yourself. You don't try and decompress from the series and try and get away, that's not the time for that. It's a time to go in and look and make sure we're doing the right things to continue on the track that we're on.

But at the same time, make sure we're looking after ourselves and getting ready for our bodies. I like to take my dogs for a walk and kind of get away that way and spend time with them and my girlfriend. That's kind of my way of kind of getting away. You go in the morning, get your work done, you do all the stuff that the team does, and then you have the rest of the day to kind of get your routine back and then do what you do. My two golden retrievers are a big part of helping me calm down. While I'm away from the game, I try not to not think about it because I think that helps me perform my best. When I get to, I leave hockey at the rink, because it's always going to be there. You can't fix anything away from the rink, so you're going to enjoy your time with your loved ones.