Buckle up: Road trippin' with Kovacevic

MONTREAL - Throughout the month of May, home was where Johnathan Kovacevic parked it.

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"An old Ford sprinter van," as the 26-year-old described it, housed Kovacevic and his girlfriend, Madelyn, for nearly a month as the pair traveled over 3,000 kilometers down the coast of California, into Arizona and, finally, Nevada.

"The Pacific Coast Highway was just calling my name, I guess," he said. "I enjoy driving, I really don't mind it at all. You always hear about people living out of a van, so I just wanted to see what it was all about, and it definitely did not disappoint. I enjoyed it a lot."

The 25-day road trip started in San Francisco. From there, the duo weaved down the coast of California, stopping in Big Sur, Pismo Beach, Malibu, and Los Angeles, then shifted inland to Yosemite and Joshua Tree before saying farewell to The Golden State.

Arizona featured visits to Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon, then, crossing the border into Nevada, the pair put a stamp on their trip in style with a three-night stay in Las Vegas ahead of their return to the homeland.

"It was an amazing month. You don't really get to do that too often. I don't know if I'll be able to do it again," admitted the Habs rearguard. "We're obviously so privileged to be able to do these trips. I'd like to say that and make that clear."

Camping wasn't entirely foreign to the Kovacevic crew prior to departure, but a one-month excursion in a camper van was, in his words, an "aggressive" play.

"We both probably camped [for], like, five nights total, so we're not experienced campers, but that was kind of the fun in it - learning as we went, what we needed to do and getting into a good camping routine," expressed the blue-liner. "I feel like all you really need is the want and desire to do it. It was a blast!"

Most of it was, anyway, as the soon-to-be sophomore defenseman didn't shy away from confessing to a rookie mistake he made along the way.

"One time we ran out of gas and that was a bit of a problem," Kovacevic recalled. "I don't know if the music was too loud or what happened, but the gas light went on and I'm like, 'Alright, I'll pull over at the next gas station.' But when I pulled off the highway to get to the gas station, the car died. It was an older vehicle; it was an older van, so it just died. I had to run into the store. I got a jerry can, filled it and put it in the car."

Moral of the story: Keep your eye on the fuel gauge, folks.

Where Kovacevic didn't run out of gas, was on the Canadiens blueline this past season. Throughout the 2022-23 campaign, only Nick Suzuki and David Savard put in more mileage on the ice than the first-year Hab. Accordingly, the Grimsby, ON native used the getaway to unwind and recharge physically and mentally before another summer of training kicked into gear.

"It's so nice to be able to get away. It kind of gives you perspective in a sense on what's important and you get some time to reflect and decompress and I think that's so valuable," he noted.

Kovacevic said he tried not to think about hockey but, inevitably, human nature seized control of the 6-foot-4, 208 lb defender.

"As athletes, we're always thinking of the game, so it was hard to get away from it," he said. "Some days I feel like I have to work out just to feel better about myself, my overall health, and my mental health. I have to do it or else I feel like I'm going to lose my edge in a competitive sense. So, I still worked out on the road," admitted the Winnipeg 2017 third-round pick.

The Canadiens' strength and conditioning coach, Dale Lablans, prepared workout regimens for Kovacevic who combined the routines with those that Mother Nature had to offer. Of note was a nine-hour, 30-plus kilometer hike through the Grand Canyon and across the Colorado River.

Along the course of their near month-long journey, the couple also caught a pair of concerts - Quinn XCII and Caamp - as well as the Just Like Heaven festival in Los Angeles. Those were all part of the original plan; but like anything else in life, with inexperience comes a learning curve and the Hab noted if he were to do it all over again, he'd emphasize just going with the flow.

"I learned as the trip went on to kind of just let go - we'll be fine, we'll find a spot to sleep," he said. "I wouldn't be so focused on having my plan. I think near the end of the trip, I got really good at that, thinking, 'Woah, it's going to be a fun time no matter where we end up.'"

BACK TO WORK

Now, back home in Ontario for the summer, the product of Merrimack College is putting the so-called "fun" on hold and shifting his focus to next season.

"In June, July and August, I'll lock in and focus and think to myself, 'Okay, I had my fun time.' By the end of the trip, I'm just kind of itching to get back into the gym, because I miss that and that's kind of what drives me. What gives me fire and happiness is pursuing my dreams and my goals."

Speaking of goals, Kovacevic already has his set for when training camp starts in September.

"I'm going to camp and trying to earn a spot on the team. You can never be satisfied and think you have stability because things change really fast," says Kovacevic, who speaks from experience.

A five-day stretch last October saw him go from being put on waivers by the Winnipeg Jets, to being claimed by the Canadiens one day later and inserted into their opening night lineup on October 12. That night, Montreal edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a game that won't soon be erased from Kovacevic's memory bank.

"That'll be a memory that I don't think I'll ever forget," recalled the D-man. "I just remember the whole bench, we were going nuts, the stadium was going nuts… Yeah, sorry to go so far into that memory, but that was such a fun time."

That "fun time" translated to 76 more games donning the bleu-blanc-rouge uniform but even still, it's hard for the towering athlete to fathom what unfolded in La Belle Province in 2022-23.

"This is what I've been working for my whole life, and this has been my dream, so to be able to live out my dream in Montreal with the best fans, the best arena, the most history, was just something that was so surreal that honestly still hasn't really sunk in," he said.

The former Warrior took the road less traveled on at Merrimack College, opting to play at a school that's produced only 16 players to ever play in the League. But, against the odds, it led him to the promised land, and now he's looking to stay.

"The team is so much fun to be around. I think we have good energy and I think we're building something special. I couldn't be happier. I'm pumped and it's really motivating me, honestly, to work harder, because I want to be a big part of the team as it goes forward."

Life is a highway and Johnathan Kovacevic hopes to ride it all season long.