Sergei Bobrovsky sometimes confuses his teammates.
Florida’s starting goalie has his own schedule and regimen — a slow skate on the ice in the morning to start his preparation process, an extremely strict diet and some moves in the weight room that the Panthers say are all his own.
“Sometimes he’ll walk on a stick, like he’s on a pole,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeger said, gesturing with his hands in an unsuccessful attempt to describe the device. “It probably helps him keep his balance, but none of us understand it.”
No one minded. Bobrovsky's approach worked, especially at this time of year.
In the first round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay, they made a spectacular save they called “Bobberry” that will forever be a part of Panthers lore.
He has conceded 2 goals or less in 10 of his last 11 games.
Bobrovsky even assisted on the comeback win over the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final, and on Saturday night, he will play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers — the second straight year that Bobrovsky has helped his team win the title.
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save as Edmonton Oilers' Ryan MacLeod (71) and Brandon Montour (62) look for a rebound during the second period of an NHL game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Edmonton.
The Canadian Press/Jason Franson
“Bob has been Bob for the last 10 years,” Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko said.
“He’s just incredible.”
Bobrovsky, who turns 36 in three months, could become the third-oldest starting goalie on a Stanley Cup-winning team in more than 50 years. Dominik Hasek was 37 years and four months when he led Detroit to the 2002 title, and Tim Thomas was 37 years and two months when he led Boston to the 2011 title.
It's a small club of goalies over 35 who have put up the same postseason numbers that Bobrovsky has so far: 12 wins, .908 save percentage, 2.20 goals-against average. Other names on that list over the past 50 years include Thomas, Hasek, Patrick Roy, Chris Osgood and Martin Brodeur.
Emails needed on the day
Top news from Canada and around the world.
They've all won the Stanley Cup, but Bobrovsky hasn't. At least not yet.
“He’s the hardest-working guy I’ve ever met,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said after the Eastern Conference final, as forward Matthew Tkachuk, sitting to his right, nodded. “You know, when a guy works that hard, he’s also very calm.
“Every day in practice, he's happy. In the morning skates, he's happy. Warming up, things like that, you see him focusing and you know he's going to do his best. His performance is unbelievable.
“He's 35 years old – it's really hard to believe. He's doing so well and it's fun to watch him up close.”
Bobrovsky is the hardest working player for the Panthers, which is high praise. Very high praise.
Florida prides itself on its work ethic; the Panthers make no secret that training camp, under coach Paul Maurice, is about pushing players to their limits, and during the season, players even compete against each other on stationary bikes after games — one more sweat session after three rounds of play.
“For him, it's a daily thing,” Tkachuk said. “His rest days, his recovery days, are tailored to how he performs in front of goal.”
“He's very good at staying very simply focused. If there's anybody on our team who's the best at keeping that balance, it's him. So, we're very lucky to have that. It's a very, very important trait, probably the most important trait.”
Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Award winner, named the league's best goalie; he was a finalist for the award this year as well and could become the 13th player to win it three times. It's no secret that the seven-year, $70 million contract he received from the Panthers in 2019 wasn't always a good deal for Florida; it certainly looks like one now.
In these playoffs, the math is simple. When Bobrovsky gives up three goals or fewer, Florida is 12-2. When he gives up four or more, Florida is 0-3. His career has been similarly one-sided against a high-powered Oilers team led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl; he’s 10-1 when giving up three goals or fewer and 1-5 otherwise.
“Mission is not done yet,” Bobrovsky said of reaching the Cup final again, having lost to Las Vegas in five games last year. “We only took one step.
“It’s a good challenge that we have and we’re excited about it.”
Goalkeepers are weird. They make a living by having 6-ounce vulcanized rubber discs shot at them at 80 mph or more. It's not an ordinary job.
Bobrovsky has his own idiosyncrasies: He hardly ever talks about himself, doesn't get his hair cut during the season, and doesn't mind when teammates break some unwritten hockey rule by lobbing the puck at him during practices and warmups.
“That's the beauty of Bob,” Verhaeger said. “Every day, he doesn't think about whether he's a superstar or not, or what other people think of him. He just goes out there and does his thing. He wants to be a great goalie.
“He wants to be the best in the world. He lives with that mentality every day, and it doesn't really matter what other people think of him.”
© 2024 The Associated Press
