Since the start of the Stanley Cup final, Vincent Desharnais has taken part in only one game. But this reality will not undermine his morale.
Because the tall defender of the Edmonton Oilers is used to challenges, and perhaps a little also to disappointments. It is necessary for a player like him, a distant seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft, who spent some three years in the minor leagues before finally being able to play a full season in the NHL in 2023-2024.
So he’s not going to start complaining now.
“Before the start of the final, we had days off,” said the Quebec player on the sidelines of the first game of the series in Florida. One morning, my brother texted me to say, hey, I just realized what’s happening, my little brother is going to the Stanley Cup final! Little moments like that, for me, are worth gold. »
So when we ask him to explain how he got to this point, to that optimistic look, he begins with a question: “Do you have time? »
Then he offers this response.
“I savor the moment, because if you only focus on the negative, you can’t enjoy anything anymore. It’s sure that it’s frustrating to be left out, it’s frustrating at the beginning, especially because you start asking questions. But at the end of the day, what’s important isn’t the past, it’s the present. Currently, my team is in the final. I will be ready when I am needed. »
So far, the Oilers have only needed him once since the start of this clash against the Florida Panthers, during the second game of the series at Sunrise. A few years ago, such a situation might have plunged him into a spiral of pessimism.
But not anymore.
“The moment that changed everything for me happened during my first season in the professional ranks,” he explained. I had depression. But then I realized that you have to enjoy life, stop putting pressure on yourself, because in this league, it’s competitive, there are injuries, and you don’t know how long it will last will last.
“I managed to get through it. I went to get help from a psychologist, and I looked for tools, like meditation, reading, writing in a journal… At the beginning, the depression, I didn’t talk to anyone about it, I told myself that a hockey player can’t talk about that. So I kept it inside, and it got worse… But when I finally talked about it, there was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. It was a turning point for me. »
Vincent Desharnais, obviously, would much rather be on the ice for every game, perhaps play 22 minutes of play per evening, and no doubt he would also prefer that he and his Oilers teammates not fall behind 0-3 in this final which could conclude Saturday evening in Edmonton, during game four.
But whatever. The 28-year-old defender repeats that he has learned not to worry too much.
“In my situation, I am still able to appreciate what is happening,” he added. Four or five years ago, I think I might not have been able to do it. It’s part of reality; you can be frustrated by a situation, but you have to learn to let it go. I wake up in the morning, and I tell myself that I’m still in the best league in the world…”
