Game Day with Florida Panthers Star Aaron Ekblad

What's up guys? Leslie Robbins here for Young Hollywood, coming to you from inside crypto. com Arena. Tonight it is the Kings versus the Panthers, and I am spending game day with Florida's biggest star, Aaron Ekblad. Welcome to Los Angeles.

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Of course. How was your flight in? I know that's like what, six-hour flight, then you got to practice right away.

Yeah, a lot of poker on the plane. Uh, we got to, uh, go practice right away, which was fine. Um, it was nice to actually get the legs moving and the blood flowing after a long flight.

Awesome. Okay, speaking of getting the legs moving, we're gonna do something a little different. We're gonna do a day in the life of your game day. So right now we're on the ritz and we're gonna walk through LA Live and then get to crypto. com Arena where you guys are playing. Let's take a walk. It's game day. You woke up early, you had your shake, you had a good night's sleep after that long flight yesterday. Talk about what happens after the shake, after you've woken up. First of all, are you making phone calls?

Phone calls. Uh, well, I guess my fiance. Call her. Uh, text her and tell her to say hi. She's at work for a couple hours before, uh, I mean, when I wake up.

Oh, my goodness. Now, how is it on the road? Congratulations, by the way. The proposal was stunning. It's all over social media. You're now engaged. That's great. How's how does it feel? Any different?

Uh, no, it doesn't feel too different. Uh, she is, uh, hard at work planning the wedding. So I don't really have to do a lot for that, but, uh, I brought her a chef, so that's nice.

You like to play your games on an empty stomach?

Yeah, that's, yeah, something I've been doing for a while now. I'll eat at around 10:30. But I won't eat until after the game. But, uh, kind of evolved a little bit to having like a mid-afternoon shake. So, I try to have better energy store for, for the game. So, it's something that's slowly evolving with the help of the nutritionists and stuff like that.

Well, what I did read about you is that you do like one thing when you get to the rink. And I I did a little shopping for you this morning before our interview, because I wanted to come prepared because this is game day. You do like to treat yourself. So,

That's actually not something I do so much anymore, but That's like, that's really Willi Mitchell, that's good.

Okay, well, I know we're gonna talk about Willi Mitchell, old-school days in a second, but I got you some cookies now. Chocolate chip, sugar, sprinkle, and the infamous snickerdoodle cookie.

It's all about the chocolate chip.

Okay. Well, they're all gonna be for you. You can still have the chocolate chip. Willie will be so proud. Well, the cookies slow you down?

Uh, three of them, that for sure. Maybe a half a one and it'd be sufficient.

Okay, so the cookie thing doesn't happen anymore?

Uh, not as much. On the road, like maybe, uh, a half of a cookie with coffee, uh, at 4:00, I guess we'd say, 3. 5, but, uh, it's not something that, you know, I do as much anymore. Definitely not at home.

How did that start in the first place? That one cookie thing.

Um, I just had it and I think I scored that night. And then Willie was saying, you know, cookie on the cookie on the ice, cookie off the ice, kind of things. Just something that, uh, we joked around about. And then we started making cookies at home.

Oh wait, you were baking?

Uh, well, Willie's wife was teaching me how to bake them.

You baked this? And how'd that go?

Uh, good and bad. I mean, she did most of the work. Just kind of like telling me what to do and how to get them how to how to bake them.

You're a baker? Or you're not baking so much anymore?

I can't remember the last time I baked anything.

Okay, so you mentioned baking, another hobby of yours. Well, fishing. Dude, now that you're like a Floridian, you're fishing a ton.

Yeah, I love it. Um, not so much in season, but, uh, big off-season hobby that I really enjoy. And, um, it's nice to get away from the game of hockey sometimes and that's, uh, great outlet for it. And, uh, being with nature and, uh, it's truly what I enjoy.

You're catching some big fish. Techniques? Got any tricks to the trade?

Uh, well, I learn everything on like YouTube. So, and from other, like, like fishing captains and stuff like that that I bring along with me, but, uh, try to teach myself a lot and learn a lot from other people. But yeah, been catching some big fish and, uh, it's it's been great. I love sport fishing. That's kind of the main thing I've been doing and Willie's obviously, uh, contributor to that. I didn't do so much when I was with him, but, uh, was able to kind of pick it up after the fact and I wish I kind of absorbed much more knowledge, uh, when I was with him. But I'll get that opportunity sometimes.

So you're talking about Willie, and I I of course have to talk about him, your mentor, your dear friend with the LA Kings, won two Stanley Cups here. Then he goes to the Panthers and you guys create this like friendship, brotherhood. He's someone that's really special to you. What has he taught you over the years?

Uh, a little bit about everything, life, um, being a good hockey player, being a pro, being a good person. He's just a really great guy and, uh, I guess just taught me a little bit about everything over the, you know, couple years that we've spent together. Um, someone I continually lean on and, uh, probably will for the remainder of my hockey career and the remainder of my life.

Sure. Well, you got drafted. You were still a teenager, number one overall draft pick back in the day. And then you win Rookie of the Year like right away. And you're still so young. I the beard kinda makes you seem older, a little bit more mature. But you're still a kid at heart. You're still so young and you have so much ahead of you. So how do you like kinda stay young at heart even though, you know, you gotta put on this air of maturity?

I don't know, I enjoy myself like anybody else would. I like to have fun, but, uh, I don't take life too seriously and I'm only 26 years old so I'm definitely not an old man in this league. Um, just, uh, just trying to be a kid at heart and have fun. I got two great, uh, dogs at home that they keep me young and fun and, uh, this game keeps me young. Uh, like Joe Thorntons playing on our team. He's, uh, yeah, he's, uh, he's, uh, he's fairly old in the sense of the game, but, uh, you know, at the end of the day he's younger than all of us and he likes to have fun and enjoys himself. This game definitely keeps you young. Um, yeah, but I I really enjoy playing other sports outside hockey. I think golf keeps you in shape and, uh, anybody anybody will tell you the mental side of golf is extremely exhaustive.

We're walking towards crypto. com Arena. So once you leave the hotel, you get to the arena, how do you prepare? You have a morning skate, obviously, day of. What what happens from there?

Uh, yeah, morning skates, uh, we have morning meetings where we can video. Um, our opponents, uh, their breakouts, uh, face-offs. Um, and then prepare for, you know, what the other team's gonna do, prepare for what we're gonna do to try and, uh, counteract.

We're inside the building. Let's talk sports for a second because obviously that's why we are here. Florida Panthers killing it. Contenders for the cup. The Cup has been won in this arena a few times now. How are you feeling?

Um, certainly excited about that. Obviously, trade deadline, um, I'm sure they're gonna try and improve our team any way they can and as they see fit for the future. Um, so we're really excited. Um, we're just trying to take it one game at a time right now, get through the regular season. And when playoffs roll around, we'll, uh, you know, try and be in, you know, peak physical form and, uh, try and take care of business.

Do you still get that same buzz when you enter an arena as a professional athlete?

Uh, maybe like towards game time. Um, arenas like this with, uh, you know, French history, like MSU years and like that. You get to, you get that feeling, that nostalgic feeling. But, uh, you know, now in the mornings it's just kind of quiet and weird. It's not the same kind of buzz that you get when you're older than later.

Is there a specific arena that you love playing at? Uh, as we look out onto the ice right now? Uh, I mean, I know you see the dark seats. It's kinda tough when the puck gets up into the dark seats. It's like hard to see. Right.

Uh, but playing, uh, Chicago's a awesome rink to play in. The cup there and national. I mean, the kind of is is probably my top. Yeah, that's, uh, you get that feeling and the playoffs it's awesome.

So we're talking about the possibility of the Florida Panthers going to the playoffs. Now, you know with the playoffs comes the playoff beard. Now, you're already there and it's as sharp as can be. Twitter loves your beard.

What's gonna happen to the beard come play off season, when and if you guys get there?

Um, well, I mean, we're fairly confident and we'll be there this year and make that point clear.

But, uh, I agree, I agree.

But, uh, no, I just won't shave it, and at any moment, right? Or I won't shave. So, um, I won't be like cleaning it up. I'll just be kind of letting it rub wild.

Okay, now I'm gonna leave you here. The guys are here. Locker room's here. Look at that. And the Kings, Florida Panthers. That's as Hollywood as it gets. Do you feel the energy? You feel it?

I do, yeah, for sure.

Okay, now what happens when you when I leave you to the guys in the locker room? What happens next?

Uh, I gotta go tape sticks, um, put, uh, the bases on my skates, um, just little things and then watch video and get ready, get on the ice.

And then winning game and going to playoffs and go win the Stanley Cup?

That'd be nice, yeah.

Awesome. Have a good day.

Thanks.