Nail Yakupov has been an outstanding addition for the St. Louis Blues and he recently had some time to reflect on his time in Edmonton. Though Yakupov’s time in Edmonton was filled with turmoil, he still has fond memories and looks forward to skating again in the city.
Yakupov recently spoke with the Edmonton Journal and some of his statements are pretty interesting.
“I feel pretty good. For a couple of days it was kind of hard but now I feel pretty good. I have a new team, a new home.
I’m always going to be happy (returning to Edmonton) and I’m always going to remember my memories. I have fans here. I had a good time here.”
That’s an extremely mature, collected response from the 23-year-old skater. The situation had to be a difficult one as he entered the NHL with all of the hype which goes along with a top pick and wasn’t able to live up to the enormous expectations. It was clear that Yakupov needed a change of scenery, but that kind of change wasn’t easy.
You can tell how hard Yakupov has had it and how the mental side of the game is a very real thing based on his comments with Lou Korac:
“Honestly, it was really tough this week because it’s not that easy. Doesn’t matter what team you’re on. I know (the) Blues are a really good team, really good guys that are really friendly. It’s a really good family here. When you’ve been away for a long time, live in different country, different city and different friends, you pretty much have nothing outside. It’s really good here, but as soon as you go outside after practice, you’re just alone. You’re lonely and those kind of things get into your brain and in your mind and you have to fight that. I’m fighting, and now it’s going to be much easier. I’m happy to get two points tonight and it’s going to be much easier for me to sleep tonight.”
Yakupov’s comments are a strong reminder that there’s a lot more to hockey than just what happens on the ice.
Yakupov has already exposed more about himself and his feelings than many other players on the roster. He’s a guy that you can’t help but root for. Here’s hoping the Blues are the team he needs.
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