FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Making his morning drive to Baptist Health Ice Plex on Saturday, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was admittedly a bit more nervous than usual.
No, it wasn’t because the defending Stanley Cup champions were going for a 3-0 series over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final later that day.
It was actually because of another game taking place more than 5,700 miles away.
His father, Alexander Barkov Sr., was coaching in Game 7 of the MHL Championship.
“I couldn’t watch it, but I was following,” Barkov said of keeping tabs on the game.
Becoming the second Barkov to win a Cup in the last 12 months, Barkov Sr. and MHK Spartak Moskva went on to beat SKA-1946 St. Petersburg in Game 7 by a score of 6-2 to win the MHL’s Kharlamov Cup.
In Russia, the MHL is the top junior hockey league.
“It was great,” Barkov said of watching his dad hoist the Cup. “I’ve followed a lot the whole year, but especially playoffs. They had a really good team. They had a really good regular season. They won almost every game, so in playoffs I know they had a really good chance.”
But it’s not just the two Cups that tie Barkov and his father together.
It’s how they were won.
Just like the Panthers, Spartak took the long road to a championship.
“It ended up being the same way we did it last year,” Barkov smiled. “They were up 3-0 [in the series] and then the other team tied 3-3, and then in Game 7 they took it home.”
Following the win, Barkov Sr. gave his son and the Panthers a special shoutout.
After a 4-3 loss for Spartak in Game 4, Barkov sent his dad’s team an encouraging video.
The video also featured other Panthers, including Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Interviewed after Game 7, Barkov Sr. said the video was his team’s “secret” to winning.
“That’s the exact same thing for us,’” Barkov said when asked about what he told the players of Spartak. “He asked if a couple of our players would love to send a little video. It was a quick video, nothing special. A bunch of guys did it, so I really appreciated it.”
When the series eventually got to 3-3, Barkov said his dad also sought his advice.
“Whole playoffs, we talked a lot about it,” Barkov said. “I know how hard it feels. You’re up 3-0, and then you lose one game, and the other team has that momentum and playing better than you. I know that feeling. From my experience I can say what to do and how we approached things. He said they used a lot of those things to calm themselves for Game 7.”
Already sharing a name, Barkov and his dad now also share success.
And when they talk, both have stories to tell.
“We talk about myself, and then we talk about him,” Barkov said. “It’s pretty 50-50.”
If things keep going well, they’ll have a lot more to talk about soon.
Leading the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final, Barkov and the Panthers are just one win away from punching their third straight ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
Depending on how the schedule shakes out, Barkov hopes his dad will soon make it to South Florida.
“I know he’s probably celebrating right now, but I hope so,” he smiled.
