EDMONTON — Professionals are allowed to acknowledge the difficult aspects of their job.
Hockey players are no exception.
Edmonton Oilers fans have been desensitized to this because of how incredible Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are and how easy they make everything seem. However, being a professional athlete has its challenges.
And that’s why they get paid the big bucks.
The Oilers will go toe-to-toe with the St. Louis Blues, taking on the ghosts of Christmas past in the form of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg.
While speaking to the media yesterday, Broberg discussed his positive experiences playing in Edmonton.
“I enjoyed my time in Edmonton,” Broberg told reporters. “It was a lot of fun, the playoff run we had last year and going to the Finals and being that close.”
Broberg did not get the regular minutes a young player needs to develop during the regular season. However, during the playoffs, the Oilers began to trust him more, and he took notice.
“During the playoffs I got to play a lot, in the Conference Final and the Finals,” Broberg said. “(I) Got to feel confident in my game. They let me play, for sure. I’m thankful for my time here and it’s good to be back.”
Broberg appears to have motivated himself by using positive lessons from his time with the Oilers. One lesson he learned the hard way was the effect of switching between the left and right sides often.
“I played some right-side in Sweden, and I’m comfortable on the right side,” Broberg revealed. “But I’m more comfortable on the left. I think it’s hard for any player that goes from left to right, different positions or spots.”
Hockey fans may not know how difficult it is to constantly switch between the right and left sides as a defender. So much of hockey is about playing with confidence; if you aren’t confident, it can be very obvious that you are uncomfortable.
It should also be noted that the ice they play on in Sweden is bigger. A defender playing on their off-side has more time to react to opposing forecheckers. That reaction time is lessened with the smaller rink and further lessened by the faster players that inhabit the NHL.
Broberg has been a fixture on the left side in St. Louis, ultimately making his life a lot easier.
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