Alex DeBrincat talks one-on-one with The Hockey News about staying sharp during a trying stretch of schedule, the value of watching film, and rediscovering his chemistry with Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat talks one-on-one with The Hockey News about staying sharp during a trying stretch of schedule, the value of watching film, and rediscovering his chemistry with Patrick Kane
On Friday afternoon, before the Detroit Red Wings traveled to Philadelphia for Saturday evening's game, Alex DeBrincat took a moment to speak one-on-one with The Hockey News about managing his body during a trying stretch of schedule, the value of studying video, and the early returns on his reunion with Patrick Kane. Here is a transcript (edited for brevity and clarity) of that conversation:
The Hockey News: Coming off three games in four nights and doing that with a couple key players injured and a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen, how are you feeling?
Alex DeBrincat: "I'm feeling pretty good, but it's tiring. I think the worst part is probably going in and out of cities—home for one game, away for one game, then back here. It's a lot of travel, a lot of time on the plane. You get back late; you don't get to bed til late. I feel like more fatigue comes from that [than from the games themselves]."
THN: Do you find it difficult to wind down when you get home or back to the hotel after a game, or are you able to get to sleep relatively quickly?
AD: "I'm usually pretty good about [getting to bed] after a game. I'm usually sleeping by 12:30 after a game. A lot of guys are up a lot later. It kinda depends on how the game goes. A lot of times I'm very wound up—frustrated, angry, whatever it may be. Usually I'm pretty good about putting the phone down and trying to go to bed pretty quick."
THN: What are the priorities for you as far as taking care of your body goes during a busy stretch like this one?
AD: "Sleep is a big thing, try to get rested. Eating well, staying hydrated, especially on the plane, trying to get a couple of waters in ya. Takes a lot out of you for some reason being on the plane. Also just try to focus in on the next game. I think that's the biggest thing. We play so often that you gotta always—whether it's a good game or a bad game—you gotta focus on the next one and try to bring it for that one."
THN: Since you mentioned focusing on the next game, how quickly after a game do you tend to start watching back over your own shifts from the previous one?
AD: "We play so much I try not to watch back too many shifts. I think you maybe get in your head if you're watching back [too much]. It's so easy to see what you could've done when you're watching it from above. It's such a different experience from when you're in the game. Obviously, there's stuff you want to watch, but usually the coaches will show us that, so I try not to watch too much."
THN: Do you like to use the iPad on the bench to get a little in-game video going, or does that fit into what you were saying about risking getting in your head a bit?
AD: "I've been trying to cut down on that actually and you know trust your instincts. Like I said, it's easy to see what you could've done and then maybe you take that extra half second of hesitation the next time you get that chance where it needs to just be a quick play. I'll look at it for certain things, but I try not to go to it too much."
THN: To go in a different direction, now that a bit more time has past, how do you feel things are going as far as playing with Patrick again?
AD: "We're struggling to bury our chances right now. I feel like each game we've had chances to score, had chances to give our team the best chance to win, but we haven't really converted. I think it is what it is. We've gotta keep working, keep coming ready to play, and things will fall into place."
THN: When you're in a spot like that where you're creating chances but not quite converting them, do you feel like it's more important to just keep pushing or do you feel as though there are things to correct to start getting some of those pucks in the net?
AD: "There's always things you wanna work on, but I think once you stop getting chances is when you need to worry, and I feel like we've gotten our chances to bury the puck—whether it's on the power play or five-on-five. Just hasn't gone in for us, so just keep chugging away."
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