His trade to the Florida Panthers raised some eyebrows last spring. Accustomed to sharing the net with a foreign goalkeeper in Zurich for 3 seasons, Ludovic Waeber decided to leave the banks of the Limmat to play in the NHL. The 27-year-old from Friborg looked back with RTSsport.ch on this extraordinary summer.
Long in the shadow of Reto Berra in Fribourg, Ludovic Waeber chose to go into exile in Zurich in 2020 to truly launch his career. A daring bet, since at that time, the starting goalkeeper of the “Z” was still named Lukas Flüeler, the club’s legendary goalkeeper who played no less than 555 games in the Lions jersey. However, the Fribourgeois shakes up the hierarchy and plays 37 matches, posting excellent statistics (91.8% saves in the regular season, 94.9% in the playoffs). Then put in competition with Jakub Kovar then Simon Hrubec, the former Dragons junior plays less, but maintains a high level which will earn him a first selection for the Swiss team.
Paradoxically, it was last season, where he was only able to play 19 matches, that he managed to carve out a place in Patrick Fischer’s squad. Ludovic Waeber participates in the Euro Hockey Tour, notably achieving a memorable performance against Finland in Zurich. His performances did not leave Florida recruiters indifferent, who recruited him for a year. The Panthers have two goalkeepers (Sergei Bobrovski and Spencer Knight) who experienced significant health problems last year, the planets could thus align so that Ludovic Waeber can capture, like Akira Schmid with the Devils, his chance across the Atlantic.
RTSsport.ch: You had a pretty crazy time with this transfer to Florida. How was your summer?
LUDOVIC WAEBER: My summer is long, in the sense that we ended quite early with Zurich last season with this defeat in the semi-final. Not long after, I started training again, due to the fact that I had an injury at the end of the season. Until September 13 (ed: interview conducted on August 25) where there’s the first camp starting with Florida, it’s hard work to get ready for the season.
From the start, I told them that if I had the opportunity to come to Florida to try my luck, I would without hesitation
Ludovic Waeber
RTSsport.ch: How do you manage this off-ice period which lasts longer than in Switzerland?
LUDOVIC WAEBER: I started using ice cream again a few weeks ago. I had a goalkeeper camp with David Aebischer, Martin Gerber and Cristobal Huet in Zuchwil (SO) at the beginning of July. I then flew to Florida for development camp, where I also had ice cream. I also trained for several weeks with Fribourg-Gottéron, so in the end, I still have enough ice.
RTSsport.ch: Have you ever had any contact during the season with the Panthers? If so, how did you handle this situation?
LUDOVIC WAEBER: The first contact took place more or less towards the end of November. It was the first time we really talked. They came forward with the project they had for me. From the start, I told them that if I had the opportunity to try to come to Florida to try my luck, I would definitely do it. And then it’s clear that it didn’t take much time for my wife and me to think about it to say that we were going to try our luck.
Ice hockey: Ludovic Waeber (Florida Panthers) in the interview (1/2) / Ice hockey / 47 sec. / yesterday at 07:30
RTSsport.ch: How do you look back on how far you have come since the start of your career?
LUDOVIC WAEBER: I will be starting my eighth professional season. It goes by quickly, that’s clear. I was 18 not long ago and now I open my eyes and I’m 27, so it’s happening very, very quickly. I only get positive things from it. Even though I had a lot of competition during my career, I find that I managed to show what I am capable of.
RTSsport.ch: To what extent did the experience gained since your departure from Friborg count in your transfer?
LUDOVIC WAEBER: If we look at my progression curve a little bit since I arrived in Zurich, the first season, I played a lot. Then, the second season, Jakub Kovar arrived a little after Christmas. So I played a little less, but I was still able to gain experience, which allowed me to learn how to manage competition and be ready at all times. For example, in the semi-final of the playoffs, I had to jump in and I was able to show what I was capable of. Over the last three years, I have nevertheless acquired a lot of experience and I think that it is good knowledge for the future.
Ice hockey: Ludovic Waeber (Florida Panthers) in the interview (2/2) / Ice hockey / 51 sec. / yesterday at 07:30
Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Bastien Trottet – @BastienTrottet
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2023-09-15 06:50:49
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