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NHLers Share Their Toughest Opponents

By Jessi Pierce, Touchpoint Media, 08/25/15, 11:00AM CDT

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Ask Nick Bjugstad who his toughest opponents were growing up and there is no hesitation. Every player, no matter the level, has that one opponent or team that gives him or her some trouble. It’s the team or player that they just can’t beat.

But facing those types of opponents will also help a player improve. It can force a player to change their game and play their very best.

Minnesota Hockey caught up with Bjugstad and fellow Minnesotan NHLers to talk about some of the toughest opponents in their career, as well as players that helped them grow their game.

Minnesota Hockey: Growing up, which team or player seemed to get the better of you and your squad?

Nick Bjugstad, Blaine Youth Hockey Association, Florida Panthers: “Edina. We never beat Edina, which was always super frustrating. It wasn’t necessarily just one player, it was their whole team. We played them every year in various tournaments and they usually stood in our way at state. It was a fun measuring stick for us though. You know you have to play you best game against Edina every time. Their talent is great, their coaching is great, they were just a really good team.”

Ryan McDonagh, Mounds View Youth Hockey Association, New York Rangers:“Growing up in Mounds View, we always played White Bear Lake and Roseville, they were really tough. In high school at Cretin-Derham Hall we got bumped into the Suburban East Conference, so we saw those guys again. They were some really tough teams for us.”

Brock Nelson, Warroad Youth Hockey, New York Islanders: “Back home in Warroad, it was Zane McIntyre (Gothberg). We started playing against him (and Thief River Falls) my sophomore year in section playoffs. That was a big matchup. In the first year we beat them in double OT, but Zane was amazing. He had something like 65 saves for that game. Playing against high-talent guys like that, those are the games you get up for.”

Zach Parise, Bloomington Jefferson Hockey, Minnesota Wild: “Keith Ballard when he was on the Gophers and I was with North Dakota. I never liked going up against him at all. I think that was kind of the same thing for any of the Gopher players. We hated playing them and they hated playing us and you’d get some really good hockey out of it.”

MH: How did you prepare to face a team or player like that?

Bjugstad: “Play your very best game. That was really about it. You knew this team was going to be good, so you knew if you didn’t leave it all on the ice, there was no shot that you were going to beat them. You needed to just go out there, trust in your teammates, and play your very best.”

McDonagh: “You definitely remember those teams and players because they were tough games. You try to use anything you can to your advantage. When you see the same players over and over again, you try to figure out their weaknesses and use that to give yourself the best chance to win.”

Nelson: “I think you get pretty hyped up, which is important, but you need to calm yourself down, too. It’s a weird balance. The game might be a little more intense but you have to remind yourself that it’s the same game and just go out there and relax. Stick to the game plan and go out there and be confident.”

Parise: “There are so many good teams and so many good players that, even when I struggled with one, I didn’t like to think about it and focus on just that one player or team. I think by not letting that focus distract you, it helps you go in and play a game without nerves.”

MH: Now in the NHL, each team has at least one or two threatening players. Is there anyone in particular that sticks out and has forced to you to step your game up?

Bjugstad: “(Alex) Ovechkin. I played him in my very first (NHL) game and he scored a hat trick. That was an eye-opener for sure. Every team has someone, but guys like Ovechkin and (Sidney) Crosby, who have changed the game, they are tough, tough guys to go up against.”

McDonagh: “We see a lot of top-end guys. Playing against Pittsburgh they’ve got guys like Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin. Then you have Ovechkin in Washington. You think you’re in good shape and think you can handle it, but you have to be aware and ready all the time.”

Nelson: “There are quite a few teams. In this league it’s pretty tough. If you’re not on your A-game, you can get beat by anybody. I think, just like when you were younger, it’s all about playing your game and playing the very best that you can.”

MH: Speaking of stepping your game up, are there players in your career that have made you better on and off the ice? Leaders that helped develop you into the player you are today?

Bjugstad: “In the pros, it has to be Willie Mitchell. He’s a former Minnesota Wild player and currently our captain (with the Florida Panthers). He’s a super good guy. He knows where I come from so he just loves talking about Minnesota and the game here in general. He’s a really good leader who has helped me grow.

“Growing up I got to play with Jonny Brodzinski and Eric Scheid (at Blaine), so a lot of guys who are just breaking into the league or are doing really well at the Division I and Division II levels. We had a really good team growing up in Blaine so there was that.

“Kyle Rau (at the University of Minnesota) was another teammate that left an impact – even though growing up and playing against Rau and Eden Prairie was another tough squad that we struggled with. Rau always found a way to throw a wrench in our game back then, but as teammates he was awesome.”

McDonagh: “At the pro level, when I first came into the league, Marc Staal was a big defenseman that I wanted to emulate. He was a big guy who played a lot of minutes. He helped me focus on what was going on during the game and how to read your body and your opponent’s body. He’s a guy that I watched right away. When I was younger I was lucky enough to play with a bunch of really good players, especially as I went on to the University of Wisconsin.”

Nelson: “Any player has that potential. Guys continue to get better all the time. Surrounding yourself with players who are continuously getting better – guys like (John) Tavares for instance – it’s naturally going to help you get better, too.”

Parise: “There are quite a few guys. In New Jersey (with the Devils) guys like Scott Gomez and Jamie Langenbrunner come to mind. They taught me a lot and showed me a lot about the NHL. Those guys really stick out.”

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