At 22 years old and in his second season in the NHL, Arber Xhekaj still has a lot to learn. If he’s going to quietly establish himself as one of the most feared players, the defender needs to know how to choose his moments.
Xhekaj, already a crowd favorite, has to keep his emotions in check. Yes, he is strong. Yes, it arrives like a train. But he must not fall into indiscipline. In the 5-2 loss to the Wild, number 72 received a bad penalty at the very end of the second period by hitting winger Marcus Johansson.
“I didn’t hear the siren,” Xhekaj pleaded. It’s true, though, that I have to be careful. I can’t get my team into trouble with unnecessary penalties. However, I feel like I have improved in this regard since last year.
Xhekaj was invited to the launch of a burger with his nickname “Le Sherif” at La Chambre restaurant late on Wednesday afternoon and spoke to Le Journal thanks to the presence of Rodger Brulotte.
At the start of the season, he returned to his team’s indiscipline problems.
“Marty [Martin] “After the game against the Wild, he didn’t need to give us a speech,” he said. We talked to each other in the locker room about our lack of discipline. There are players who have spoken. It is a problem. We shoot ourselves in the foot by spending too much time in the penalty area. You can’t win in this league if you give the other team too many chances on the power play.”
For two foundations
While talking about hockey, Xhekaj also described his role as a sports microbrewery ambassador.
“I think it’s great to see that people trust me, even though I’m a very young player in only my second year in the NHL,” he said. By selling the burger, I was able to donate money to two foundations that are close to my heart: Angel Project in Ontario and Vision Inter-Cultures in Quebec.