SUNRISE, Fla. — Paul Maurice was strolling out of the rink one day when he peeked down the hallway and did a double-take.
There he saw Sergei Bobrovsky — the franchise’s prized starting goaltender and most expensive asset — performing Olympic weightlifting.
“He’s playing that night,” Maurice recalls, incredulous. “I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. But I don’t need an opinion on that.
“Sometimes you keep your eyes shut and keep moving.”
Speak to those who orbit the centred enigma that was first star of the Florida Panthers‘ 3-0 Game 1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, and you’ll receive a smorgasbord of descriptors.
The man with the most pedestrian of nicknames — “Bob” — is anything but.
They call him “an old soul” and “peaceful.”
They describe him as “the hardest worker on the team” and “insane” and “unreal.”
“Best goalie in the world, in my opinion,” says Anton Lundell.
Let’s add Conn Smythe frontrunner and fan favourite and perfect… so far.
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