The Bobrovksy Ballet

It’s a routine that became somewhat famous during the Florida Panthers run to the 2024 Stanley Cup; a meticulous warm-up dubbed the ‘Bobrovksy Ballet’ by some observers.

It starts with Sergei Bobrovsky getting on the ice well ahead of his teammates, at least a full 20 minutes whenever possible, slightly ahead of even long-time Florida goalie coach Rob Tallas, a task that can be more difficult when the Panthers are on the road.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner begins by skating from one end of the rink to the other and back over and over, mixing in edge work moving forward and back, both legs and single leg, dropping a knee, loading up and down through slow, methodical turns, rocking back and forth as he lowers his glove and blocker. From there, Bobrovsky moves into crease movement patterns, but working along the boards at center ice rather than in the net, again focused it seems on slow, controlled movements and perfectly loaded edges.

Bobrovsky told NHL.com he has been doing this routine for 7 years, which roughly matches when he began rebuilding his body with trainer Sami Karjalainen and goaltending coach Hannu Nykvist, a process InGoal was the first to detail four years ago.

[for more from Sami Karjalainen please see his IG page]