Jonathan Huberdeau admits to seeing sports psychologist after disastrous 1st year with Flames
Can he turn it around?
HockeyFeed
Last July, the hockey world was stunned as the Florida Panthers made a gigantic and franchise-altering move, trading assistant captain Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames in exchange for the rugged forward Matthew Tkachuk. Following the trade, the Flames and former general manager Brad Treliving secured Tkachuk's future with an eight-year extension valued at $84 million.
And it certainly didn't help that Huberdeau publicly traded barbs with old-school bench boss Darryl Sutter throughout the year; Sutter has since been terminated by the Flames, while Tyler Toffoli has been traded. Additionally, several other top Flames players are rumored to soon be on the way out in what could prove to be a mass exodus.
Huberdeau recently revealed his true thoughts on how his first year with the Flames went, and what he must do in order to get back to his old self and start living up to his massive contract. In fact, he said that he even employed the use of a sports psychologist.
“I think, get back to the basics," he said. "That’s what I wanted do. [I] talked to a psychologist and get back to where you’re confident and you have the right mindset. I think I got away [from] that. Just trust yourself and never doubt yourself. That’s what I learned a lot this summer. Obviously, I’d never had [that type of season]. It was going well the past four years before that year that just happened. Just reset everything and come back to the basics. Small victories in your life that are going to give you that confidence back. This summer, that’s what I did.”
Naturally, Huberdeau was well aware that his former team advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last season thanks in large part to the Conn Smythe-esque efforts of Tkachuk.
"Of course," he said. "You want to get there, and you want to win a Stanley Cup. That’s what you play hockey [for]. Obviously, it wasn’t easy to see the Panthers, but at the same time, I’ve got some friends on that team and was happy for them. Lots of hard work. You never know. You look at the Panthers, they squeezed into the playoffs. That’s what happened and they got to the final. You never know how the season can go. Lots more parity in the league now, and I think everybody can believe [they can] win the Stanley Cup.”
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