Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues will be keeping his own blog throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. He will check in regularly with behind-the-scenes access.
In his first entry from Stanley Cup Final Media Day, Rodrigues discusses the experience as well as preparing for the Oilers in Game 1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Rodrigues has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 33 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche and Panthers, and is playing in his first Cup Final after signing with the Panthers as a free agent on July 2.
You know, the whole kind of lead up to media day, it’s almost a little bit of disbelief. Your whole life, this is what you dream of. You almost don’t think it’s going to happen and then you’re going through the playoffs, going through Rounds 1, 2 and 3 and then all of a sudden, we’re here and it’s like, ‘Whoa, I really have a chance at this.’ So, it’s been exciting, but I think once that puck drops, it’s just going to be like any other game and I’m really looking forward to that start.
This is probably the most media I’ve done in one day. It’s part of it, right? But you have to enjoy all of it. It’s all part of the experience. It’s something you’ll remember when it’s all said and done and you take your hour, or however long it is to answer some questions and then you go about your day. Yeah, it’s part of it and it’s been fun.
This whole season has been a lot of fun. It’s been a treat coming to the rink every day with this group. The weather’s been incredible, my family has really enjoyed it, the kids love getting outside every day. It’s just been awesome. From Day One, it’s been incredible. Myself, my family we’ve really enjoyed it and it’s culminated into, hopefully, the ultimate prize in the Cup.
The last few days around here have really been exciting. I got a boy who’s in hockey who’s always at practice rinks and you get a lot of fans there that say, ‘Hi’. There’s been an added excitement, an added buildup. It’s nice to see hockey growing down here in South Florida. When a team has success, you obviously gain more fans, and you can grow the sport. It’s always a positive.
Today in practice we geared up a little bit more for Game 1. In the same token, it’s the Stanley Cup Final, so tomorrow night, it’s going to be extremely hard not to get up for the game. I think we’ll be ready. It’s going to be exciting. I’m sure there’ll be a couple of jitters, but I think you get your first shift underneath you and then it’ll be hockey again.
Preparing tomorrow is going to be the same as it’s been for any other game. You have your routines for this reason, so that when you get in a big moment like this, it doesn’t change the way you prepare or change the way you feel about a game. I’ll do the same thing tonight. I’ll eat the same things I’ve been eating all year and tomorrow will be the same as I’ve done all year. You have those routines so that the moment doesn’t get too big and hopefully it’ll be a relatively normal day.
As for Game 1, it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be fast. Those are the two words I’ve got: loud and fast, and I can’t wait.
