Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling joins the show! Forsling explains how he finds enjoyment in the pain for the team, the level of concern over road trip losses, and how they get comfortable with the new guys. Gustav then spills on Paul Maurice and what goes into punitive skate, meeting Pelle Larsson and talking Swedish, is there a beef between Sweden and Finland? The defenseman laughs and expresses his thoughts on Tkachuk during St. Patrick's day, getting back to the bench while injured, the toughness of a hockey player and rules with Sergei Bobrovsky! We wrap things up with how it is adapting to former foe Brad Marchand in a Panthers uniform.
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00:00Panthers star defenseman, Gustav Forsling, joining us there on the show.
00:04Gustav, how are you, man?
00:05Thanks for joining us.
00:07Good. How are you guys?
00:08Good, man.
00:09We're good.
00:09I have a question, man.
00:11You know, we always see you.
00:12You're laying your body on the line for these cats all the time.
00:15Thankless job of taking these blocks and saving goals.
00:18And nobody ever appreciates it like they should for you.
00:21How bad does that hurt?
00:22I don't mean it to be such a simple question.
00:24But how bad does it hurt when you're putting your body in the line for those blocks?
00:28Because it looks miserable.
00:30Yeah, it sucks, to be honest.
00:33It really hurts.
00:34I don't know if you guys have ever taken a puck to the leg or the foot or anything.
00:41But it's no fun.
00:44What is the recovery time?
00:45Like, how much at this time, all the hockey you've played, does it ever get numbing?
00:50Or like, it sucks every time?
00:52And how long does it take to shake?
00:54Yeah, I think it's actually just getting worse and worse, to be honest.
00:59Because you got bruises everywhere and bone bruises.
01:03Bone bruises can take a couple months to get rid of, to be honest.
01:07So it's not getting better.
01:09But you get used to it.
01:12Now, have you put yourself in a position where now everybody expects you to do this?
01:19And now it's just part of, oh, no, I got to do it because this is what I do.
01:26Yeah, I don't mind it.
01:27I enjoy it somehow.
01:29You know, you got to find a little enjoyment in the pain, too.
01:33But you get a couple of taps on your back when you come to the bench.
01:37So it's all for the team, though.
01:39So I'm happy to do it.
01:41It's kind of my role.
01:42So I'm fine with that.
01:45You guys obviously have the credential now of being a champion.
01:48So I don't think the fan base is worried at all about these last couple of losses on the
01:53road trip.
01:53But very uncharacteristic of you guys.
01:56You guys usually third period, two goal lead, never, ever let up.
02:00Was there any common thread you guys found at practice today as to why you thought that
02:04happened?
02:05And is there any level of concern with that over this road trip?
02:10Not really.
02:11I think we know what kind of went wrong.
02:16And we know what to do coming up here.
02:19And we're going to play a lot of teams that are hungry to make it to the playoffs.
02:24And it's going to be a couple of tough games coming up, especially the first one here at
02:28Columbus.
02:30They're really on the line to making the playoffs.
02:33So they're going to come out flying.
02:35And that's perfect for us.
02:37That's how we want to play.
02:38And we want to get ready for the playoffs and tune up here.
02:44How hard is it to get acclimated or figure out what new guys who either play on your
02:52line or move you to a different line or whatever?
02:56How long does it take to get comfortable with the new guys that come in?
03:00You know what they can do, but they haven't done it with you and what you like.
03:07Does that take a little bit of time?
03:08Or you know how these guys play, and you just kind of figure it out really quickly?
03:15Yeah, I mean, it takes for sure a little bit of time, not just for us, but for them to
03:20come into our system.
03:22It's completely different probably from what they played before.
03:25So it's going to take a little time.
03:28But I feel like the new guys has really been good for us.
03:32They come in.
03:33They work hard.
03:34And I think that's a culture thing for us to everything.
03:37Everyone really buys into the system and what the coaches and everything.
03:44So I think we're ahead of the schedule, I think.
03:49Is there anything that you have particularly liked about Seth Jones,
03:52like getting to know him or anything that you found interesting about him so far?
03:56No, just a super nice guy and relaxed, calm.
04:01You can see it on the ice, too.
04:02I feel like he's very calm with the puck.
04:04There's no stress.
04:07He's just very smooth out there and can play big, big, big minutes out there.
04:13I got to ask you about this.
04:15We were listening to your coach after one of these games where he was like,
04:19I kind of like the game, even if you guys lost sometimes.
04:21He's like, I like the game that we have.
04:23But then he brought up something known as the punitive skate, which sounds terrifying.
04:30What goes into a punitive skate?
04:32Does he have to get you up at five in the morning for a punitive skate?
04:34How long is he skating you guys to death?
04:37And have you had to deal with any of that this year?
04:40No, not really.
04:42I think we've been playing solid so far.
04:45So we haven't done anything like that.
04:48But I mean, just today was a pretty hard skate.
04:52He wanted us to be sharp and fast out there.
04:55So I think everyone really had a good practice today.
04:59And fly out and have two games in a row here.
05:03It'll be a perfect bounce back for us.
05:05Gustav, you smiled.
05:07So you absolutely 100% know what a punitive skate is.
05:12Is it just sprints on the ice?
05:18Is it just you have to practice your ass off?
05:21What goes into punitive skate?
05:23No, it's just like, I feel like we set the tone early on in the training camp.
05:28I feel like we do a lot of battle drills one-on-one.
05:31And then you end up skating for 45 seconds.
05:35So it's very hard.
05:38But I feel like we start our season there.
05:40And we want to be the hardest working team in the league.
05:45And it starts early in practice and training camp.
05:51Now, you recently welcomed one of your fellow countrymen to the game,
05:56who plays for the Heat, Pella Larsson.
05:58What was that experience like?
06:00Yeah, it was nice.
06:01He was watching one of the games.
06:03I can't remember which one it was.
06:05But he was there.
06:07And I saw him after the game.
06:10Even his dad was there with a couple of friends.
06:12So it was nice to talk some Swedish.
06:15He was super nice.
06:18To be honest, I don't watch too much basketball.
06:20But I'm for sure going to tune in a little bit more now.
06:25That was an interesting thing.
06:26They were talking about this in the Four Nations a lot when you guys are playing.
06:28Like the idea that you guys get to talk in your own language throughout the games.
06:33Was that a relaxing thing when you guys got to be around each other and play for something
06:38as cool as that was?
06:39Yeah.
06:40I mean, it was super cool just to meet the guys there that you play against for so long.
06:46And I never really got to know them, to be honest.
06:50And it was fun.
06:52As you said, we talk a lot of Swedish.
06:54But it's kind of a little weird, too, at the same time.
06:57I'm so used to English now.
06:59So even on the ice, I'm talking English, right?
07:02Because that's what I'm used to.
07:03So it's a little weird.
07:05I remember seeing that.
07:06No, that happened.
07:07I remember in Euros one time, the Heat had a point guard named Goran Dragic.
07:11And he was captain of Team Slovenia.
07:13And he just starts yelling at his team.
07:15But he's yelling at him in English.
07:16And I was like, huh, I wonder if they got all that.
07:20Yeah.
07:20No, it is kind of weird, to be honest.
07:23But do you guys really hate Finland?
07:25They kept saying that the Swedish-Finland rivalry.
07:28Because we saw, obviously, what happened with USA and Canada.
07:31They're throwing down.
07:32But is that a real tenacious beef there between Sweden and Finland?
07:37I think they hate us more than we hate them.
07:39I think they're a little jealous of us.
07:41But no.
07:43But it's a culture thing.
07:45I think we've always, growing up, we've been watching the Finns and the Swedes go at it.
07:52And we've played, even as a junior, I played Finland a lot.
07:59So it's something we're grown up with, to be honest.
08:04Can we get your thoughts on Matthew Kachuk celebrating St. Patrick's Day?
08:08What do we think of Kachuk in Chucky's leprechaun costume?
08:13I haven't seen those pictures.
08:15That's hilarious.
08:20He's got some funny outfits, for sure.
08:23He has a table at the Elbow Room, yes?
08:24There's got to be one that's just simply reserved for him at this point.
08:27It feels like he's...
08:28Absolutely.
08:29Yeah, 100%.
08:30I want to ask you about injuries, because I see guys get hit, and it's not like...
08:39You get hurt on the ice, they don't call a timeout and stop, and somebody comes out in
08:46a Garni or something and get you.
08:51Is the hardest skate in the world trying to get to the bench while being injured?
08:57Because it looks like it hurts so bad for everybody who gets hurt on the ice.
09:03Yeah.
09:04I mean, I had one a couple of games ago, I got a puck on the heel, and it's just bones.
09:12Down on your heel, it's just bones, and I got the puck right on there, and
09:18kind of the whole leg shuts off.
09:20It's incredible.
09:22And then you have to try to survive on the ice and not get scored on and then get to
09:26the bench.
09:27So for people who never got a puck on the foot, I mean, it's so painful.
09:34Sometimes it hits nerves and stuff, so you can't really move your foot at all, but then
09:3910 minutes later or five minutes later, you're completely fine.
09:42You're just going to have bone bruise, obviously, but you're going to be fine skating for that
09:46game.
09:47It's incredible how effective a puck on the foot can be.
09:53Oh, my God.
09:54It looks like you got shot with a gun.
09:56Yeah, it's brutal.
10:00Leroy, what did we see the other day?
10:01Was it Gajevic who was out there?
10:03He was in a fight, and then he started manicuring his own fingers because there was skin coming
10:09off of a fight.
10:10Like, is this...
10:11You hockey players, Gustav, I mean, a different breed.
10:15What went through your mind when you saw that with Gajevic?
10:19Yeah, I think he's such a tough guy, man.
10:22He's incredible.
10:24I mean, we got a lot of them, but he's something else.
10:28He fights every other game, and I don't know how he does it, but he's the super nice guy
10:37outside of the ice.
10:39You wouldn't believe he was fighting for a living, but he's just a super nice guy.
10:46So it's funny how that works.
10:48I'm curious about this because we love Sergei Bobrovsky.
10:52Bob is almost like he's got such a routine and things like that, but they say you don't
10:57talk to him on game day, right?
10:59Like, you don't mess with goalies, but you work with him so closely in games and things
11:04like that.
11:05Is it different for you?
11:06Like, do you have different rules with Bob, or you still don't bother him on game day?
11:11I mean, to be honest, I don't talk that much to myself just before a game.
11:18But I think most of it, you just let Bobby do his thing.
11:25You know it's working for him, so you just leave him alone.
11:28And then if it's some issue on the ice or you have a situation, there's no problem.
11:34He's fine talking.
11:35He's not that weird.
11:37But I mean, most of the time, you just let him be in his zone, so to speak.
11:45How is he during a game, though?
11:46Like, do you guys talk to each other during a game?
11:48Like, is there game communication between defenseman and goalie?
11:51Like, what is that dynamic like?
11:53Yeah, absolutely.
11:54I think we probably talk the most.
11:56That's like, especially my D partner, for sure.
12:00But on the ice, you know, going back for the puck, you always want your goalie.
12:05You've got to talk with your goalie, and the goalie is going to talk with you.
12:08It makes it so much easier.
12:11It's such a fast sport.
12:12So when you come back there and you've got your back against the play, you want to have
12:18someone just give you the time or up strong side or weak side.
12:24Just something.
12:25You want to hear something when you go back there.
12:28Before we get you out of here, Grzop, what's it been like having Brad Marsh hand around?
12:33Have you guys gotten used to it?
12:35Yeah, it was a little weird early on, to be honest, just seeing him in a panther gear
12:41and everything.
12:41But, you know, we had some battles throughout the years.
12:45But he's super nice, to be honest.
12:49He's fitting in perfectly.
12:52He's such a nice guy.
12:54I think even his game on the ice is going to be perfect for us.
12:59He's got that skating ability to just stay on the demons, and he's going to be perfect
13:06for our forecheck and super skilled, obviously, and can make some plays and score some big
13:12goals for us.
13:14I can't wait to see Kachuk and him healthy.
13:19That is going to be just bonkers.
13:22It's going to be crazy.
13:23How physical are you guys going to be when those two guys are back?
13:27Yeah, and then you add Sam Bennett and their line to that.
13:31I wouldn't want to play those guys.
13:34It's going to be the most hated line in hockey, is what it's going to be, Grzop.
13:38You know this.
13:40Get ready, because there's going to be a lot of scrums come in the playoffs.
13:42Not that you guys aren't used to that.
13:44We're used to it, but it's going to be fun.
13:48Hey, thanks for having some fun with us, man.
13:49We appreciate you.
13:51It's always outstanding watching you play, and it was great having you on the show.
13:55Appreciate you.
13:56There you go.
13:57Gustav Forsling.
13:58Check out the Cats are back in action tomorrow against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
14:02Listen, as a guy who's had a bunch of surgeries and played a physical game,
14:09I, for the life of me, have the utmost respect for a guy that is willing to jump on the ground
14:18to block a shot puck.
14:21Like, at no point in time, as physical as the game I played,
14:28did I ever think that I was putting myself in harm's way like that.
14:34Crazy, dude.
14:34And here he is saying the worst pain is when you get hit on the foot,
14:38which they try to kick the puck all the time.
14:42Yep.
14:43Yep, just sticking it out.
14:44Right.
14:45Just like, oh my goodness.
14:48Oh my goodness.
14:51And they're always so, like, calm.
14:54You know, he's calm.
14:58What a nice guy.
14:59I'm like, the last time I saw him, he was throwing flying, jumping fists.
15:05That's right.
15:06They're calm until you see them on the ice.
15:08Right.
15:09I love that.
15:10Yep.
15:12Thanks again to Gustav Forsling for stopping by.