Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov lacked motivation after first Stanley Cup but now eyes three in a row

Fox News

2 days ago

After winning his first Stanley Cup in 2024, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, admittedly, lacked some motivation to get back on the ice.
"That was my biggest dream in this game of hockey. So, of course, I got that feeling," the 2013 second-overall pick said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "When I thought, 'OK, it's time to start training again,' it was really, really hard. Like, it's just really hard to get up and go somewhere for a run or for a lift or something like that."
But then, he thought about the "big picture" and remembered that lifting the Stanley Cup is "the best feeling in hockey."
Now, the Panthers have a chance to do something not accomplished since the early 1980s – win three consecutive Stanley Cups, and Barkov already "is thinking about next year."
"To get that celebration again, to enjoy the season again with the team, go through the ups and downs and write another story and achieve that. So that kind of got me going. And we achieved it again. It wasn't easy at all. Mentally, it was really hard all year, but we did our best, we tried our best, and it was enough this year. But now, I have a better feeling about it. I can't wait to get going again."
Perhaps his Celsius partnership fueled him in the middle of the season. The energy drink's 200 milligrams of caffeine helped Barkov get through those grueling days during the hockey year. For him, it's also a partnership that hits close to him – the headquarters are in nearby Boca Raton (the Panthers play in Sunrise), and he said Celsius is becoming a hit in his home country of Finland.
"That's how I'm trying to live as an athlete. I'm trying to eat the right way. I'm trying to sleep the right way, recover, practice, train, whatever I do, I'm thinking about becoming a better athlete for the next day, for the next game," he said. "So I think Celsius fits that really well, because they have everything I need in one drink. It tastes really good as well, so I don't have to force it into myself. It keeps me awake when I need it the most, all the vitamins that I need throughout the day are there. So it's just a total package in one drink."
Some extra motivation? Maybe the fact that he needs to come up with new ideas on how to celebrate with the Stanley Cup (he said 48 consecutive hours of celebration was his max).
"We get to spend one day individually with the Cup, so that will be a challenge. I did everything I needed to do last year. I showed it to literally everyone I needed to show. So this year, probably taking a little easier and maybe spend more time just me and the Cup," Barkov joked.
One idea, obviously, is to "pour a Celsius into it and just sip on it." He did also bring it to his neighbors' houses in the wee hours of the morning.
But first, it will be another 82-game season, and then needing to win 16 more games in the postseason to lift the best trophy in sports again.
"For me, I feel better right now to continue working, to continue getting better," Barkov said. "Because, well, last year, first time winning, it feels like, 'OK, now I've done everything I wanted, I dreamed about.' Now, after doing it a second time, it's the best feeling in hockey. You go through the long season, tough season with your team, and you battle through everything, and then you get to lift the Cup. And for us to have a chance to do it three times in a row, that's already a big motivation, because not too many teams have done it in such a long history.
"Obviously, we just won, so we'll celebrate this one a little bit, but already thinking about next year, how big of a chance we have to make even bigger history. And that's what already drives me forward."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.