Verhaeghe and Panthers captain Sasha Barkov get to the rink early to pump some of their favorite tunes
Verhaeghe and Panthers captain Sasha Barkov get to the rink early to pump some of their favorite tunes
Well, here we are in June, and the Florida Panthers are still playing hockey.
The Panthers are two wins away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
It is quite a time to be a resident of Pantherland.
With the Cats still going strong, for at least a few more days, your friends here at THN Florida thought it would be a fun time to drop a final Five Favorites.
For those who are new to the site (welcome!) or if you just need a quick refresher, here is the jist on our Five Favorites series:
With the idea in mind of getting to know the Florida Panthers a little more off the ice, we’re going around the locker room and asking different Panthers players a list of questions about their favorite things.
This season we’ve caught up with Aaron Ekblad, Evan Rodrigues, Nick Cousins, Anton Lundell, Anthony Stolarz, Kyke Okposo, Niko Mikkola and Brandon Montour to ask about some of their favorite things.
For our final installment, which is coming during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, who better to talk to than Mr. Clutch himself, Carter Verhaeghe.
Here are the favorites from the guy they call Swaggy:
Favorite pregame song/music: When I get to the rink, usually I turn on Kygo, usually, for the guys. Me and Barky generally put that on, and then when Monty gets there he takes over. We usually get there probably about 30 minutes before him, Barky even before that. I like the Kygo, gets you feeling good, and then Monty puts on whatever he puts on.
Favorite road arena to play in: Probably back home in Toronto. That’s where I grew up watching games, and I think that’s where I went to my first ever NHL game.
Favorite non-hockey hobby: Probably golfing. I like riding around in my golf cart. It’s fun. I like being outside in nature, being away from everything a little bit, being out there by myself or with a couple friends, you know what I mean? (THN: I just try to keep the ball straight). That’s fine, though it’s not the best part of it.
Favorite pre-NHL memory: I think in minor hockey we won the whole thing one time. That was a while ago but it was a really good hockey memory. I won one gold at the (World Junior) U-18 tournament (in 2013). I was on a team with actually Rhino (Sam Reinhart) and Benny (Sam Bennett). Pre-NHL, those are probably the two biggest ones.
Favorite hockey movie: Probably Miracle. (THN: Being that you’re Canadian, I respect that. It’s my favorite but I’m from here) It’s just a classic. A bunch of guys from different towns coming together. It’s been years since I’ve watched it though.
BONUS FAVORITE
Favorite player growing up: It was actually Mats Sundin when I was growing up, probably until he retired, so I was around 13 years old. And then I liked watching Jonathan Toews, he was one of my favorites and I loved watching the Chicago runs. That’s kind of what got me into loving the playoffs, watching all their runs every year. (THN: So Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks are the reason you became Mr. Clutch?) I loved that team, it what got me into the playoffs so much. They were so good, so fun to watch, and they had so many good players. It was awesome.
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