Catching Up with Semyon Varlamov

No ice? No problem. That was the mindset adopted by many players around the league, who found themselves barred from hockey rinks due to the COVID-19 outbreak and national Stay At Home orders.

New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov utilized the adaptable mindset as he faced the unusual circumstances of training without gym or ice access. Immediately after the NHL Pause on March 12, the Samara, Russia native headed west to his offseason home in Lubbock, Texas where he had to improvise to get his daily workouts in.

"In the next two days [of the season's pause], I was already driving to Texas, trying to escape from New York," Varlamov said to reporters via Zoom on Tuesday afternoon. "I was able to train with my trainer with FaceTime in the garage. It was different. Later, I decided to train with my friends from the KHL, Germany and my coach on FaceTime. We were able to train all together so it was more fun."

Video: Training Camp : Semyon Varlamov

For the creature of habit, the 32-year-old veteran sought out opportunities - even taking extraordinary measures - to instill some normalcy back into his routine. At times, that required spending a total of four hours spent in the car commuting.

"There's no ice rink [in Lubbock], so I had to find an ice rink close to Lubbock," Varlamov explained. "The one we found was only two hours away [in Odessa] so we had to go there. I brought my coach there and we rented the ice. I was able to go and skate, but I was skating by myself. Before I came [back to New York], I skated two weeks in Texas. Then, I went to Colorado and trained there up in the mountains in Aspen."

By the time Varlamov arrived back on Long Island about two weeks ago, he felt confident about his on-ice state. With only just over a month to prepare for jumping straight into playoff hockey, his initial biggest concern was recalibrating his timing and vision so it was back to speed.

"In the beginning, when you start to get more shots you feel a little rusty because before you weren't able to take the shots," Varlamov said. "I didn't have the chance to skate with the guys because I couldn't find the shooters. In the middle of the pandemic, it was really hard to do. Right now, we've been skating together for three weeks. I'm feeling the puck much better and my puck control is getting much better at this time."

Fortunately, Varlamov's diligent training throughout the entirety of the NHL's pause kept his conditioning and fitness in prime shape. He's since felt astutely prepared for game action, so much so, he ensured that by the time their Stanley Cup Qualifying Series against Florida begins on August 1, he feels that he'll be 100% ready to go.

For Varlamov and his fellow teammates, it's an exhilarating time to be back on the ice together and readying themselves for a run at the Stanley Cup. The circumstances are obviously different, as Varlamov and the Isles continue to navigate this uncharted road ahead of playing in Toronto, their designated hub city, and in an empty building - an experience like none other.

While Varlamov admits he hasn't played without fans in a many years and not since he was back playing overseas in Russia. Asked if it'll be a challenge to track the puck against an empty backdrop, Varlamov said he's approaching the situation with the same resilient mindset as he utilized in quarantine to focus on the larger picture at hand.

No fans? No problem.

"It's not going to be a problem for me or for our team," Varlamov said. "Our focus is just going to be to win the games. The atmosphere will be different 100-percent. We're just going to have to adjust. I'm sure the first 10 minutes will be weird because you're starting the playoffs and the first 10 minutes are usually, when you play games like that, the crowd gets you going. It's so loud in the building. The crowd is always really exciting, it's always more fun with more crowd. Playing with no crowd in the playoffs? I have zero experience. It will be interesting. It will be something new."