Kovachik's Banner Year

Tuesday, 3 June 2014 13:16

Woodstock will have not one but two connections at this year's NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

WOODSTOCK -- "It's like the icing on the cake."

That's how NHL linesman, Brad Kovachik describes his feelings after he was selected to officiate the Stanley Cup Finals.

In his 17 years with the NHL, the Woodstock-native has been a part of the All-Star Game, playoffs and most recently the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics where he was a linesman for the men's hockey competition.

When asked how he feels heading into his first Stanley Cup Finals game, Kovachik says "there's no real nerves, I try to approach every game the same. I think when you get to this level it's all about consistency and you try to do it from night-to-night, doing the same things and working the same ways. No real nerves, I know my job and I know what I have to do. It's like every game, I just try to go out and enjoy it so I'm probably going to do the same thing on Saturday."

Kovachik anticipates a faster paced game when it comes to the Cup Finals with the players running on emotion after three rounds of tough competition in the playoffs.

For game one Wednesday, Kovachik will be a backup linesman and will hit the ice for game two on Saturday. Unfortunately the first two games fall at the beginning of his family vacation to Florida but Kovachik says he plans on joining his family for a couple of days in the sunny south following Saturday's game, before heading to New York for games three and four.

Woodstock will have not one but two connections at this year's NHL Stanley Cup Finals. LA King's defenceman and hometown favourite Jake Muzzin has been a dominate force on the ice for his team. Despite both being Woodstonians, Kovachik says he and Muzzin didn't meet for the first time until last summer at a gym here in the city. "I talk to him a little bit during commercial time-outs and everything but we're focused on our jobs. It's great for Jake; one or two years ago he'd been kind of in between the American Hockey League and the NHL. He's improved so much, I guess he's probably top two or three defencemen on the LA Kings right now and I've done quite a few of his games and he's doing great. Woodstock should be very proud of him."

Kovachik also sent his gratitude along to the community and thanked them for their support, words of encouragement and says he hopes to do the city proud.