TAMPERE – Dmitry Kulikov’s life was moving fast.
Less than four months after being taken by the Florida Panthers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old defenseman had cracked the team’s Opening Night roster.
But unlike previous seasons, Game 1 of 82 wasn’t being played in North America.
Following a pair of preseason exhibition games in Finland, the Panthers kicked off their 2009-10 campaign against the Chicago Blackhawks at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki.
“There was a lot of stuff going on,” Kulikov said while reflecting on the 2009 Premiere Series. “It was a long road trip for us to start the season. We were near the end of it. It was a time where I didn’t know if I was going to make the lineup. I was just working and taking it day by day. When I was in the lineup, I was really excited, anxious, and all those things.”
Helping the Panthers to a 4-3 shootout win in his debut, Kulikov saw 16:40 of ice time.
Flash forward 15 years, 958 games and 18:650 of ice time later, and not a lot has changed.
On Friday, Kulikov was on the ice with the Panthers again in Finland, this time helping the team to a 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the 2024 Global Series in Tampere.
“Every day I was waking up and couldn’t believe that I was in the NHL,” Kulikov said of his debut. “Maybe now looking back, it was maybe a little less pressure making the debut overseas and in Finland. It was a pretty cool experience [back then], same as this one.”
A full circle moment for the gifted Russian, Kulikov couldn’t help but connect the dots.
Standing behind the bench for the Stars was head coach Pete DeBoer.
Back in 2009, he was the one that gave Kulikov his debut as head coach of the Panthers.
“If you look at it, there’s a lot of little things that line up with this trip that have happened before,” Kulikov smiled. “He coached me when I made my NHL debut in Finland, and how here we are again and he’s coaching Dallas and we’re playing against each other.”
Even after nearly 1,000 games in the NHL, Kulikov hasn’t forgotten his start in Finland.
And much like his long career eventually brought him back to the Panthers after stints with seven different teams, it seems fitting that he returned this time as a Stanley Cup champion.
“It wasn’t an easy spot for a young guy to come into, but he’s had a great career,” DeBoer said. “I saw him yesterday. I thought he played outstanding last year in the playoffs.”
