‘It’s a big deal for me’: Sergei Bobrovsky relishes being voted into NHL All-Star Game
Bobrovsky will be playing in his third NHL All-Star Game after being voted in by the fans
Sergei Bobrovsky likes to keep things close to the vest.
He generally doesn’t show much emotion, and while he is very thoughtful with his words, Bobrovsky tends to follow the same playbook when it comes to his comments to the media.
On Saturday night, however, Bobrovsky opened up a bit regarding his feelings on being selected to the 2024 NHL All-Star game via the fan vote.
“It's a privilege,” Bobrovsky said following Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils at Amerant Bank Arena. “I definitely appreciate the votes.”
Bobrovsky is playing in his fifth season with the Panthers after signing a seven-year, $70 million deal with Florida during the summer of 2019.
His time in South Florida has been full of highs and lows, though the past couple seasons have felt like Bob has found his groove.
Bobrovsky was arguably the Panthers best and most consistent player during their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and he’s picked up right where he left off so far in 2023-24.
“I think it's really important for Sergei to go because I think he’s had some challenging times in between his Vezina awards and this all-star game, but he's earned it,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said. “He didn’t win the Conn Smythe, but he was so important for us (during last season’s playoff run). There's almost no real recognition in terms of other than the Florida fans and the guys in the room. (The all-star selection) is a league-wide recognition for how good he's been. He's earned it, and he's also going to really appreciate it because he’s not 22 anymore, right? When you get to a certain age, you start to realize, you know, this might be my last one.”
The 35-year-old Bobrovsky has been among the league leaders in wins and in the top ten in goals against average and save percentage through most of the season.
He currently holds a 21-10-1 record to go with a 2.45 goals against average, .911 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.
While Bobrovsky may not be the guy to jump up and down and pump his fists in front of the cameras, he did express that being an all-star for the third time in his career, and first time as a Panther, was an important accomplishment for him.
“It's a big deal for me, so I'm happy to be there,” he said. “It's an honor to represent our franchise. It’s also great to be in the group with the young superstar generation of goalies. It’s definitely special for me.”
The weekend should be nothing short of spectacular for the players who are fortunate enough to go.
Being that the festivities are taking place in Toronto, one of the most hockey-centric cities in the world and home to an Original Six franchise, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear, when its all over, that this was one of the best all-star celebrations the league has put on.
“Big market, big place, and he played some pretty good games in Toronto last year, so really good for him,” Maurice said. “My original idea was boy it'd be great to get him to get rest, but he's not going to last anyway, right? The four days before we go back on the ice, he's going to be working harder than anybody in the league, so he might as well go there.”
Considering Bobrovsky is playing in his 14th NHL season and skating in his first NHL All-Star Game since 2018, the year he won his second Vezina Trophy, he’ll be taking in the experience with a much difference perspective and appreciation.
To be fair, hockey all-star games are not traditionally kind to goaltenders, though there are always exceptions to the rule.
Being the wise veteran that he is, Bobrovsky should be able to soak up the fun and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of the weekend without letting anything get under his skin.
“The first thing I thought was you really don't want your goalie going to the All-Star Game (because) nothing really good happens to goalies,” Maurice said. “It's highly unfair…except, he'll handle it. He's probably going to get an unbelievable workout before the game and he's going to lift after, so he'll just come back to us ready. He’ll be ready to go.”
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