Teodors Blügers | Photo: Screenshot
Latvian men’s hockey team forward Teodors Bļugers in the conversation “William Hill TV” channel evaluated his performance in the last National Hockey League (NHL) season, shared his emotions after winning the Stanley Cup, as well as commented on his team selection for the next 2023/2024 season.
It has already been announced that in July Blüger, who finished the last season as part of the Vegas “Golden Knights” and became the winner of the Stanley Cup, joined the Vancouver “Canucks” team. The contract is concluded for one season for 1.9 million dollars. Previously, since being drafted, the Latvian played for the Pittsburgh “Penguins” team.
“I really liked everything at the club,” the striker described his time at “Penguins”. “I liked everything – the guys, the organization, how everything is going. A city that my wife and I fell in love with. We loved living in Pittsburgh. A simple workers’ town.”
“Crosby helped me settle into the team,” Theodore continued. “He is such a person that if you meet him to talk, you don’t feel like he is a star. An ordinary person. When I arrived, he asked how I was and invited me to dinner. He does this all the time with the young ones, in order to better fit into the team.”
Blüger also looked back on his last year in the Pittsburgh team. “Last season it just happened. Something didn’t work out for the team. There were a lot of games we should have won and we played better, but in the end some mistakes let us down and we lost at the last minute. Hard to explain [iemeslus]”, a Latvian expressed his opinion. “The players were basically good for us. Last season went as it went. Somehow we couldn’t get those points. The defense was not very good. The goalkeeper had an injury all year.”
When asked why he is considered a minority specialist, Blüger stated that it just happened. “I came to Pittsburgh and it was hard to get into the majority. It was necessary to play in the minority from the beginning in order to be included in the team,” revealed Teodors. “To show the coach that the team needs me. I had a similar situation in the American Hockey League (AHL). I just looked at the guys who play more in the minority and tried to work on it to basically keep my place in the lineup. So something went away. To us [Pitsburgā] I was a good minority, I spent a lot of time in the minority, I even scored goals and then people started talking about me like that [kā par mazākuma speciālistu].”
Theodore also remembered the day he was traded. “There was a game in Pittsburgh and then we went on the road. There was the so-called “father’s outing”, when you go with your dad. We flew to Tampa Bay. I remember that my dad and I entered the hotel, standing by the elevator. Brian Burke came up to me and asked me to come to his room because we needed to talk. He added that if I wanted, I could take my father with me. I immediately understood that I was replaced. The first thought was – where to interestingly. Also a little shocked and nervous. He told me he traded me to Vegas. The Golden Knights called me half an hour later and two hours later I was at the airport.”
“I didn’t play the first ten games or so in the playoffs,” Theodore commented on the fight for the Stanley Cup. “The thoughts were, how am I going to fit in, am I ready? How will I feel physically, in the speed game. If you block shots, make power plays, that’s also good, but the goal is the most important thing.”
Blüger also pointed out that after winning the Stanley Cup, he remained on the ice for another three hours. “We took pictures, drank champagne from a glass. It was chaos. Later we stayed in Vegas for another ten days, celebrated and there was something going on every day. We spent the second day at home, but on the third day we flew to the owner’s ranch with the wives, but without the children. We played golf in the mountains.”
When asked about his choice of the next team, Blügers stated that it was a conscious and rational decision. “We had a feeling that out of all the teams, they wanted me the most. It felt like that, and that was the main thing we thought about. Stanley Cup aside, I had a bad season. There were only four goals and fewer points than in previous years. I also understand that, so the main thing in my head was where there would be good opportunities and which team wanted me the most. We looked directly from the point of view of hockey. Which city or country was secondary.”
“Canucks” is the third team in Blüger’s NHL career. In five seasons, he played 268 games in the main NHL tournament, accumulating 98 (35+63) points, as well as 24 games in the Stanley Cup.
2023-08-19 15:26:36
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