Dear Panthers fans,
To play this many games with this franchise is amazing.
I think it’ll be even more amazing when I finish my career and think back on everything that happened and all the guys that I played with. It’s incredible, of course, but right now you don’t think about that. You just think about winning games and enjoying playing with these guys.
Even when I see how many games it’s been, my career still feels like it’s been just one long season. I remember pretty much everything from my first season. It feels like it was only a month or two ago. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to what the future will bring.
There’s a lot of guys that have helped me get to this point. I can’t just name one or two. It’s been pretty much everyone. I remember everyone that I’ve played with. Every player had something about their personality or did something that you remember. All of them have been great to me.
I’ve enjoyed every second with these guys. Some guys I played a lot with, but some I only played one season with or even less than that. But I remember them all. If I had four hours, I could talk about every single person. But, for now, I’d just like to thank everyone for all they’ve done for me.
I was only 17 when I came here, and now I’m now 28. I hope I grew up a little bit, matured a little bit. At the same time, I still feel like I’m the same young me just enjoying hockey and having fun.
Florida is my home right now. I’m loving every second of living here, playing hockey and doing my job. If you talk to someone about Florida, they think it’s a vacation spot. For us, we’re fortunate to be here every day. They’re here on vacation and we’re all just going to work.
But from when I first got here until now, winning games has been what it's all about.
For a while now, we’ve had a really competitive team that has big goals, big dreams. Every single day we’re building something special here. It’s been so much fun to be a part of and to see this organization really grow. It’s been fun and I can't wait to see what we can achieve.
Looking forward to all the games still ahead,
Aleksander Barkov
*As told to FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive
