New York. He’s attended eleven NHL debuts before, but he’s been pretty sure.
Mika Zibanijad’s diaphragm is still swinging when he starts another season tonight at Madison Square Garden.
I may not have been as nervous as before the first game against Detroit, but I definitely feel. The first performances are always very special, the Rangers star tells Sportbladet hours before the start of the journey that will lead to heaven this year.
It was October 7, 2011, exactly eleven years ago, he was 18 years old at the time Mika Zibanjad He made his National Hockey League debut – with the Ottawa Senators against the Detroit Red Wings at Old Joe Louis Stadium in Motor City.
The Red Wings beat 5-3, after goals among others, Niklas Liedstrom, but Mika put in a solid effort and, among other things, got a pass, along with Daniel Alfredson, on a puck hit by Philip Koba.
Since then, a lot has happened. The 29-year-old from Stockholm – awaiting his 30th birthday in April, just in time for qualifying – played another 684 regular season games and made another 285 goals (in addition to scoring 229 himself).
“First shows are always special”
But as I said:
When he begins his twelfth season in the best league in the world tonight, with New York Rangers Against Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden, the heart will continue to beat hard.
Yes, I just came from the last training and everyone was light-legged today, it looks like the pre-season is over and the seriousness is about to begin. Mika says I was very busy when we got him in the car the day before today.
– Like I said, I didn’t feel as nervous as before in the first match, but I just feel it. The first shows are always very special.
Just Mika and his peers in New York have special reasons to be excited about this season, because according to a fairly unanimous expert, there is an excellent chance of realizing the dream of winning the Stanley Cup title.
The Blues surprisingly reached the conference finals – or semi-finals as they are called in Swedish – this spring and are expected to be even stronger this year.
We have basically the same team as last year, with some small changes, and we are constantly working hard to improve. It’s a promising feeling, Mika continues.
At the same time, we talk a lot about the fact that there are no guarantees that it will go well because it happened last season. First of all we will try to reach the playoffs and we must realize that hard work will be required all the time.
Rangers high expectations
In addition, many of the young talents on the team – such as Alexis Lafreniere, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, K’Andre Miller and Igor Sjestiorkin – must learn to live with expectations.
Because it is.
New York required More success now.
– Yes, but expectations.. you should try to look at it positively, DJ Cibad thinks.
– They are signs that you did something good. We also talked a lot about that during pre-season. We should be happy because people have expectations of us. But at the same time, remember that they don’t mean that it will automatically be okay again.
#93 will once again be entrusted with a heavy responsibility as anchor for both the Series One and First Power Play squad – all the time alongside Chris Kreider. The two became Rangers’ most inextricable pairings on the radar, turning parts of the 21-22 dance into their own street. Kreider scored 52 goals, and Mika broke a personal record with 81 points.
We know where we have each other on the ice, and that’s what happens when we play together throughout our game. But we are constantly talking about what we can improve and how we can produce more, notes Al Suwaidi.
You want immediate revenge
Thus, tonight’s party premiere is Victor Hedman’s Tampa – the same Tampa that knocked the Rangers out of the conference final in June.
– Yeah, the last time we played a real match it was against them and even if it wasn’t playoffs or match 7, we want some revenge. Mika says it will be a good value meter right away and it will be very interesting to get started.
Who knows – maybe the premiere will be as memorable as the one in Detroit a little over a decade ago.
New York Rangers-Tampa Bay Lightning begins at 01.35 p.m. Wednesday. The match will be broadcast on Viaplay.
