Before the Florida Panthers were back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, before general manager Bill Zito’s vision came together, before even captain Aleksander Barkov won his first of three Frank J. Selke Trophies, Sergei Bobrovsky signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers in 2019.
At the time, Bobrovsky’s $10 million cap hit endured severe scrutiny. Sure, the Panthers had locked up a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, but his resume didn’t look as well-rounded and Hall-of-Fame-certain as it does now. In fact, he was departing the Columbus Blue Jackets after a tumultuous 2018-19 campaign. All that to say, then general manager Dave Tallon’s addition was not viewed as a slam dunk.
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Six years and two Stanley Cups later, we can confidently say that the bet hit. While players like Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart have been crucial to the team’s dynastic takeoff, Bobrovsky has been the backbone—an unflappable, mature presence in net about whom teammates never need to worry.
Achieving his level of success and becoming that presence requires a combination of confidence and humility that only the best athletes boast. In his end-of-season press conference, Bobrovsky shared with us his approach not only to hockey, but more importantly, to life that has empowered him to become the best goaltender in the world.
Bobrovsky Doesn’t Like to Talk About Bobrovsky
When a team wins the Stanley Cup, it’s common for the players, coaches, and front office staff to shift the focus to everybody but themselves. That team-first mentality and lack of desire for the spotlight is an ingredient for any successful team. But when Bobrovsky speaks, he does so in a manner that’s as humble and selfless as few people I have ever heard. There seems to be a reluctance to utter even a single word because it inherently brings attention to himself.
Almost every quote from Bobrovsky’s press conference proves that point, none more so than when asked directly about how he’s able to play so well at the ripe old age of 36. He answered: “I say it’s not me, it’s God.”
You don’t have to dive too far into any research on Bobrovsky to learn that he’s a devout Russian Orthodox Christian. At nearly every opportunity, he shifts the focus to God, like in the quote above or the clip below. You don’t have to share his faith to recognize that, at the very least, it is integral to his humility.
“Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit … I want to thank Him for everything I have!”
– Florida Panthers Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after wining the Stanley Cup pic.twitter.com/7d1RYTICkq— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) June 18, 2025
Bobrovsky always follows his praise of God with a profusion of thanks to his family and his teammates. This habit or routine of humility is as embedded in his DNA as his ritualized pre-game routine he’s adhered to for nearly a decade. In fact, I’d venture a guess that it preceded it.
For a player who has been around the league as long as Bobrovsky and who has succeeded at the highest level, you have to think that this constant, sincere, humble approach to the sport contributes to his success. As legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus said, “Once you start getting a big head and you believe you’re too good, then you will get beat.”
Unmatched Focus and Desire to Succeed
Of course, humility doesn’t automatically generate success. At most, the right attitude will give you the proper framework to stay motivated and look for areas of improvement. It would be a disservice to attribute Bobrovsky’s success to a simple (albeit powerful) selfless demeanor.
No, the best athletes in the world boast an unparalleled work ethic and focus that most mere mortals can only imagine. How Bobrovsky reacted to and celebrated winning his second Stanley Cup epitomizes this approach to a degree that leaves you shaking your head in wonder.
Asked about his, shall we say, more stoic approach to celebrating alongside his teammates, Bobrovsky responded:
Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely [a] fun time. But, I’m just, I don’t know, I’m a little difference, I celebrate a little different. I’m not like overexcited about the things. I don’t know. As I say it, I feel humble and appreciate [the] opportunity. And I want to keep [it] that way.
Even Bobrovsky’s annual routine of buzzing his long hair he connected to a “new start, new preparation, getting ready for a new season, getting ready for the new challenges.” You almost want to tell him, “Sergei, you won four days ago. You can take a break. You can celebrate. You can relax.” But that’s how we think, not a future Hall of Fame goaltender.
Fellow countryman Nikita Kucherov personifies a similar unrelenting work ethic. His practice of returning to the ice a few days or a week after a season is well-documented. There’s something in the Bobrovskys and the Kucherovs of the world that never tires of the grind.
Head coach Paul Maurice captured it perfectly in the clip above. It’s not simply God-given talent. There’s an unrelenting work ethic and unquenchable desire to be the best. Combine those traits with humility, and we begin to understand what makes Bobrovsky so unique and successful.
Bobrovsky Isn’t Slowing Down
“I feel better [than when] I was 27,” Bobrovsky said on the ice after winning his second Stanley Cup. He’s 36. And you know what? We have to believe him because he’s played his best hockey in the second half of his career. Barring some monumental unravelling, which seems improbable for such a well-grounded man, he will continue to be the best goaltender in the world for the foreseeable future.
After all, how do you compete with someone who is the best, who does everything to be the best, yet never admits that he is the best, and is always looking for ways to improve?
