Barkov Blog: Installment 1

This article first appeared on www.nhl.com/fi as part of a year-long exclusive correspondence with Florida Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov.

We missed the playoffs and had to go for a long time without playing. The excitement was building up while we were waiting for a new season to kick off, and I guess our fans felt the same way. They couldn't wait for the season to start. No matter where you play at this time of the year, the atmosphere is always the same; fans and players alike can't hide their excitement. It's great to be back. And it's great to play in any rink, because all of them are electric.
We opened the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it was a good game. We felt good and confident, and we did all the right things we talked about and practiced during training camp. Everyone knew his role, and we all did our best. So it wasn't a case of lack of trying, we tried so hard to win, but lost in a shootout (2-1). We had quality chances and could have won, but that's hockey. But if we keep on playing like we played in our first game, I guarantee you we will win many games.
We had one problem last season; road games. We lost too many games on the road, and that was the reason we didn't make the playoffs. This season we plan to do things differently and be just as good at home as we are on the road. October is a good challenge for us as we play six of our first nine games on the road.
Road trips benefit the team in many ways. We're together all the time, travel together, stay in the same hotel and have our meals together. It's time to just hang out and get to know each other. The roster stayed pretty much the same from last year. We have a few new faces, but they were brought into the team during training camp. Our team spirit is very unique and strong, and it's great to see how we all support each other in all situations. We have a common goal, and we know we can reach it if we give our best every night.
It was an unbelievably great honor to be named captain of our team. It hasn't changed my life much, but I do know I have some responsibilities, which I take seriously. I need to be someone people can look up to, as a person and as a player. I've never been one to give orders and I won't be, even though the letter C is now stitched on my jersey. I lead by example, and hopefully other guys can learn something from me. I know I learn something new all the time just by observing the guys. And it's not me alone, we have many great leaders, and that makes things easy for everyone.
Scoring goals is the best. It's so much fun. You win games by scoring goals, and if I can help my team to win by scoring goals, it's even better. It's always great to score the first goal of the season as soon as possible. It kind of makes you breathe easier.
We take one game at a time. In general, we don't look much ahead, not even within a game. We focus on the next shift and only that. I know guys on the bench decide they will leave everything on the ice in the next shift. The forwards try to score and the defensemen try to stop the opponent from scoring. That's pretty much the mindset. We take one shift at a time. That's our thing.
There is one exception. We let ourselves think about the two NHL Global Series games we will play against the Winnipeg Jest in Helsinki, Finland in early November. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime things, and I just couldn't even dream about something like that happening to me. It will be great.
To read the original version of this article, click HERE.