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After winning his first Stanley Cup in 2024, the Captain of the Panthers of Florida Aleksander Barkov, of course, lacked motivation to return to the ice.
“It was my biggest dream in this hockey game. So, of course, I had this feeling,” said the second choice of 2013 in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital. “When I thought:” OK, it’s time to start training, “it was really, really difficult. As, like, it’s really difficult to get up and go somewhere for a race or for an elevator or something like that.”
But then he thought of the “big image” and remembered that the Stanley Cup is “the best feeling of hockey”.
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The Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov hoists the Stanley Cup after winning match six of the Stanley 2025 Cup final against the Edmonton Oilers in Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn images)
Now, panthers have a chance to do something that has not been accomplished since the early 1980s – won three consecutive Stanley cups, and Barkov already “thinks next year”.
“To get this celebration again, to enjoy the team again with the team, go through the ups and downs and write another story and get there. So, this kind of things made me move forward. And we have done it again.
Perhaps its Celsius partnership fueled it in the middle of the season. The 200 milligrams of caffeine from the energy drink helped Barkov to cross these exhausting days during the year of hockey. For him, it is also a partnership that strikes near him – the headquarters is near Boca Raton (the Panthers play at sunrise), and he said that Celsius has become a success in his country of origin, Finland.
“This is how I try to live as an athlete. I try to eat in the right way. I try to sleep in the right direction, to recover, to train, to train, whatever I do, I think to become a better athlete for the next day, for the next match,” he said. “So I think Celsius adapts very well to that, because they have everything I need in a drink. It also has a very good taste, so I don’t have to force it to myself. It keeps me awake when I need it most, all the vitamins I need throughout the day. So, it’s just a total set in a drink.”
The Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov receives the Stanley Cup of Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, after winning the sixth match of the Stanley 2025 Cup final. (Sam Navarro-Imagn images)
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An additional motivation? Perhaps the fact that he needs to offer new ideas about how to celebrate with the Stanley Cup (he said that 48 hours of consecutive celebration was its maximum).
“We can spend a day individually with the cup, so it will be a challenge. I did everything I had to do last year. I literally showed it to all those I had to show. So this year, probably taking a little more easily and perhaps spending more time and the cup,” joked Barkov.
An idea, of course, is to “pour a Celsius in it and sip just on it”. He also brought it to the houses of his neighbors in the morning hours.
But first, it will be another season of 82 games, then need to win 16 additional games in the playoff series to again raise the best sports trophy.
“For me, I feel better at the moment to continue working, continue to improve,” said Barkov. “Because, well, last year, for the first time, it’s like” ok, now I did everything I wanted, I dreamed. “Now, after doing a second time, it’s the best feeling of hockey.
The center of the Florida Panthers, Aleksander Barkov, talks to the fans during the parade of the Stanley Cup and the rally championship. (Sam Navarro-Imagn images)
“Obviously, we have just won, so we will celebrate it a bit, but already thinking about next year, what chance we have to make an even bigger story. And that’s what already makes me move forward.”
