CATS SOCIAL: Cats go Fishing

Aaron Ekblad has been social distancing on the high seas this offseason.

"Over the quarantine I decided to take up offshore fishing," Ekblad told the Territory Talk podcast last month. "It kind of seemed like one of those things I wanted to try. With COVID, it was more of a solitary sport. I started doing that, and I love it. It's been great to kind of do something different. Sometimes when you've got a big fish on, the forearms start to hurt a bit. It's a little bit relatable to a hockey stick."
After an admittedly slow start, the fish have certainly been biting for Ekblad lately. Joining forces with New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, who resides in Fort Lauderdale during the offseason, the two blueliners recently reeled in a few big catches, according the below posts from Ekblad's Instagram.

"We've learned a lot and end up putting quite a few fish in the boat when we do go," Ekblad said.
In addition to the thrill of the hunt, Ekblad added that cooking up his catch of the day is nearly as fun.
"We fillet it up and split it," Ekblad said. "It's kind of the community aspect of it."
As for there being any sort of competition between Ekblad and Trouba when they're on a fishing excursion, it appears that the dynamic duo only keeps score when they're facing off on the ice.
"A fish on the boat is a fish for everybody," Ekblad said.
While having a boat is always a nice bonus, one of the benefits of living in Florida is that you can drop a line anywhere -- a fact that new Panthers forward Vinnie Hinostroza quickly learned after his arrival.
Hooking a fish from a canal in his backyard, he showed off his impressive catch on Instagram last week.

"Enjoying Florida, can't wait for the season to start," Hinostroza captioned the picture.
We're right there with you, Vinnie.
Nice catch!