Florida Panthers forward Anthony Duclair will play in the first Stanley Cup final of his career, having gone through a range of emotions in 2022-2023.
The Quebecer was forced to start his campaign a long time after his teammates, since he was seriously injured last July. He finally returned to action on February 24 and was able to play 20 games in the regular season.
Read also: Stanley Cup Final schedule revealed
Read also: The Panthers very happy to refuel
Read also: NHL: Another chance for the ‘original’ Golden Knights
Duclair drew parallels between his year and that of his organization, which narrowly qualified for the playoffs.
“It was quite an adventure and a long season with my Achilles tendon injury, he said Monday, after the training of his family. My goal was to come back stronger than before. I worked very hard to come back. I’m proud of myself and my team for overcoming a lot of adversity during the year. To come back, to participate in the playoffs, to reach the final by being the last qualified, it’s really special.
The Pointe-Claire native did not hide the fact that he sometimes found the time long while recovering from his injury.
“It was a very long day. I’m not going to tell you that I was always motivated, admitted Duclair. I am human. At the same time, I repeated my goal to myself. For me, specifically at 27, I wanted to make sure I got to the top of my game. I want to be better and I didn’t want my injury to have long term effects. I did my rehabilitation very seriously and I came back stronger than ever.”
better than before
In everything, even the most difficult, there is a way to find the positive. The case of Duclair is a good example. According to his line partner Aleksander Barkov, the winger returned to the game even better.
“It’s difficult to come back after this type of injury. With the way he plays, it looks like he didn’t miss a single second. He may even be skating better than before,” said the Panthers captain.
Duclair seems to quite agree with the Finn’s analysis.
“To be honest, I even feel better than before,” he said. I feel like I learned by watching the press gallery game. It was a first for me to be away for so long. By watching other top teams’ best players, I saw how effective they were and took notes on top scorers to add to my game.”
Duclair and the Panthers will open the Stanley Cup Final against the Golden Knights in Vegas next Saturday. This duel and the entire series will be presented on TVA Sports.