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Filip Hronek spoke with the media Wednesday morning. Here is what he said
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Published Jun 19, 2024 • 4 minute read
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Vancouver Canucks’ Filip Hronek listens during the NHL hockey team’s end of season news conference, in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, May 23, 2024. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Filip Hronek made a choice this week: he’s picked the Vancouver Canucks for eight more years.
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The skilled defenceman signed a $58 million contract Tuesday, a move that will give captain Quinn Hughes a super-reliable partner for at least the next three seasons — Hughes’ current contract expires in 2027 — while giving general manager Patrik Allvin a clearer picture on how to rebuild this defence corps this summer.
Wednesday morning, Hronek spoke with the media. Here are the five things that stood out from his 10-minute session.
He says he needs to be stronger
Hronek said at his end of season media availability that he hadn’t played the second half of the season injured — though most observers, including this reporter, knew he’d been dealing with some sort of elbow issue — but didn’t provide much insight into why his production dipped so dramatically from first half to second half.
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Wednesday, he suggested his late-season struggles were down to a decline in strength.
He’d come into training camp looking incredibly chiselled and strong, but by the end of the season he looked just as withered as every other hockey player looks by the end of a long NHL season, where the chances to recover and recuperate are few and far between. Players are in constant caloric deficit, fighting a losing battle against nature.
“Make sure I can keep the strongness, like during the whole season, it’s the biggest thing,” he admitted.
He built a strong relationship with Quinn Hughes
When you play with a player as good as Hughes, one can wonder if it’s a hard task. He’s so precise, his level of execution is so demanding, it could be hard to keep up.
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But Hronek is very, very talented. So no, he said, playing with the captain isn’t hard.
“It’s pretty easy to play with him and I would say we have a good chemistry on and off the ice so it helps too. I’m really excited to keep it going,” he said.
“Everything was natural and we see a lot of things same way and we are able to talk about a lot of stuff even off the ice and on the ice as well, so it’s pretty easy actually. It’s a really good relationship.”
Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes is congratulated by Filip Hronek for a goal against the New York Islanders during the first period of an NHL hockey game Jan. 9, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. Photo by Adam Hunger /AP
It was an easy choice to stay
Hronek had a lot of fun playing with the Canucks.
“It was a fun year for me and I really enjoyed it. There was not much to think about to stay,” he explained.
He also values highly his relationship with the coaching staff.
“The biggest thing with them is you can talk with them about everything and they like to talk with you about the games and they like to talk with you (about) off the ice stuff too. So it helps you and it makes you feel comfortable and that always helps you and makes it easier for you,” he said.
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Filip Hronek #17 and Quinn Hughes #43 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrate after a goal during the third period in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena on May 20, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty Images
He finally revealed his dry sense of humour
Hronek is rather famous for not being a fan of interviews. Rarely would he offer more than a few words in response to questions, an obvious choice he made that served his purpose: if you’re not quotable, no one is chasing you for quotes.
Fair enough.
But in his Wednesday session, he was the most relaxed and loose answering questions as he’s ever been.
“I guess I’m gonna have to do more media for eight more years, so it’s gonna be fun,” he said when asked about playing in a passionate hockey market, then adding a dramatic pause.
Then he chuckled.
He wouldn’t have been able to hear the laughter from the reporters on the line — everyone other than the person asking questions in the moment are left on mute — but you knew he was being very deliberate with his delivery. That he was able to have a laugh about his usual abrasiveness was a good sign.
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Then he spoke to the market itself, about the passion of Canucks fans as well.
“I like it. It’s nice when people like it and they enjoy the hockey and they are supporting us. So it’s a lot of fun,” he said.
And don’t ask about Czechia’s tough loss at the Euros
Hronek’s homeland suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss Tuesday vs. Portugal: the Portuguese scored the winning goal deep into stoppage time.
Hronek admitted to watching “some” of the game, but with a dry deadpan, said: “Champions League better I think.”
Of course, Czechia had no representatives in the 2023-24 edition of the UEFA Champions League — Sparta Prague was the lone Czech team in qualifying but they lost to FC Copenhagen — so there was no risk of national heartbreak for him.
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-five-things-filip-hroneks-re-signing