Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov is obsessed with being the best: ‘The kid wants to win’
TAMPA, Fla. - Nikita Kucherov is a man of few words. He'd rather do his talking on the ice. Kucherov is obsessed with his game and his relentless work ethic shows up in box score. He, along with Steven Stamkos, are the only players in Lightning history to average over a point per game.
"He's progressively getting better with age," Jon Cooper told Fox 13 Sports. "He's like a fine wine."
Cooper knows Kucherov as well as anyone. He's coached him and seen Kuch evolve as a player since his rookie season. The two began their careers with the Lightning around the same time. Cooper sees more than just talent in Kucherov.
"He's really consumed this league," Cooper said. "He knows which hand everybody shoots. What their tendencies are. He knows all these things about so many players in this league. He's just highly intelligent."
The NHL season is a long grind. When seasons come to an end, most players take weeks off to recover and recuperate. But after the Lightning lost in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs last April, Kucherov was back on the ice a week later in Brandon at the TGH Ice Plex working on his game with Hall of Famer Adam Oats.
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"I watched it," Cooper said. "As a coach you kind of wish they would take a little bit more time off. He doesn't want to lose his edge. He doesn't want to take a step back. He feels that putting this time in. It's his job. It's his craft. It's what he does. You can see it pays off for him."
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the NHL Hockey match between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche on February 15th, 2024 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportsw
"To me, that would be the same thing as Lebron James not touching a basketball for two months," Kucherov told the Lightning's team reporter Chris Krenn."
Some of his teammates weren't aware that Kucherov didn't take much of a break, but they're not surprised.
"I didn't know about that," Jonas Johansson shared. "You can tell that he's a real competitive guy."
"That's why he's the best in the world," Brandon Hagel added. That just sums it up perfectly."
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"Kuch is a guy that for sure has elevated his game to another level that I haven't seen this year for sure," Anthony Cirelli stated.
Kucherov was the first player this season to reach the 80-point mark. He did it in just 47 games. Becoming one of only three players in NHL history to do it. He's still the league's points leader with 94 in 57 games and is one of the favorites to win a second Hart Memorial Trophy given to the NHL's MVP.
"You've watched Kuch grow and has won some individual awards," Cooper explained. "I think those are all well and good for him, but the big thing he wanted was the big prize. We don't get those Stanley Cups without the performance he gave us in both those playoffs. I think that's his true joy. The kid wants to win."