Blake Lizotte couldn't suit up for the first 11 games of the season with his new team, as the forward recovered from a concussion sustained during the Hockeyville game. Since returning from that injury, Lizotte has helped the Penguins earn back-to-back wins and scored his first goal with the team on Saturday night against Montreal.
After playing for the Fargo Force of the USHL from 2015-2017, Lizotte then played two seasons for St. Cloud State University. Going undrafted, he signed his first NHL contract on April 2, 2019, with the Kings – and appeared in over 300 games with Los Angeles over five-plus seasons.
Now with the Penguins, Lizotte aims to drag his new teammates into the fight.
“I think tenacity and energy are the two biggest things I bring to the group,” said Lizotte ahead of his Penguins debut.
“He brings a lot of speed. He's hard-working guy. He's conscientious defensively. He's hard to play against, and I think he's going to bring that element to our team,” Mike Sullivan said.
The Penguins head coach was the first one to call Blake ‘Lizzo’ in a media availability, so of course, we had to ask the 5-foot-7 forward about that and more in a recent Q&A.
Can you share the story of your nickname? I think it’s just because of my last name, it has no relation to the singer (laughs). We're pretty opposite people, so no relation there. But I think it started with ‘Liz,’ Lizotte was too many syllables, and it was a lot going on. It kind of started in junior with just Liz, and eventually transformed into Lizzo.
Being from Minnesota, what was it like growing up in such a hockey-driven state? Is it something that was always in your life? Yeah, pretty much. I'd say most kids, almost every kid, plays hockey at some point or another. Growing up in Minnesota, it kind of starts to be cliche, but every kid kind of starts outside on the pond in the backyard. We had a group of neighborhood kids who grew up and loved playing hockey, and we had a pond in our backyard. So, as long as I can remember, we were out there playing any free chance we had we were out there.
Going undrafted while being an undersized forward must’ve had its challenges. What did you learn the most from when you first turned pro versus where you are at now? People are going to tell you your whole life, ‘You can't do this, you can't do that,’ but you just got to believe in yourself. I think in the sports world, it's easy to see the success stories, like myself. I just kind of pushed through that narrative of, ‘he's too small, he's undrafted, he's not good,’ all at a young age. But in reality, people are going to tell you that you can't do things. Whether it's business or school or whatever your kind of goal is, if you put the work in to put yourself in a spot to ‘get lucky,’ I think you can create your own luck by working hard.
What is one piece of advice you would give your younger self? Probably to not sweat the small things in life. Life's too short to be worried about little things that happen in your day, whether someone's mean to you or whatever. In the end, it doesn't matter – as long as you have family around that you love, and you're happy with who you are as a person, I think that is most important.
After living in Los Angeles for so long, moving to Pittsburgh is a big adjustment. What have been your impressions so far? Growing up, I always considered Pittsburgh to be kind of a Midwest-type, East Coast city, if you will. I kind of knew the landscape, and growing up in a small town in Minnesota, it feels like home here. So, there aren’t really too many surprises, but it does feel really good to be back in a more Midwest environment. Great people here, a little slower pace, which my wife and I love. As for LA, I have nothing bad to say about it in terms of organization. But it's a breath of fresh air to be in Pittsburgh and kind of have that slower lifestyle. I think people here have good morals, character, and values. So, yeah, it's a good spot to be with good people around you.
What are some places you’ve been to around here? We really like Off the Hook, the seafood place. There are a couple of different spots downtown that we've tried, too. There’s also a Thai place, Pusadee’s Garden, we love that. The food scene in Pittsburgh is pretty good. So yeah, we've enjoyed it.
What does a perfect off day away from the rink look like for you? An ideal day would be sipping on a cup of coffee and then hitting the golf course. I love golf.
What’s your favorite snack? Go-to cheat meal? I love ice cream, that’s my weak spot. Cold Stone Creamery has got to be my favorite ice cream. So, that's kind of my weak spot. But in terms of a meal, I do love Chick-fil-A.
Who are some of the artists or music that you’ve been listening to lately? I'll listen to anything, I’m not picky, but I love Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Riley Green. So yeah, anything country is right up my alley.
What's the best concert you’ve ever been to? Zach Bryan, for sure. It was just incredible.
What’s your favorite vacation spot? It’s probably Sorrento, Italy. I saw the Amalfi Coast, the Capri Island. Italy is my favorite spot. I love pizza and pasta, so it was great.
Finally, what TV shows or movies are you watching? My wife and I are big Harry Potter fans. Every Halloween, we start watching the Harry Potter movies all the way through to Christmas. I've been ripping through those lately.
