Hurricanes winger Necas playing with added confidence after working with psychologist
Confidence can be fickle and elusive in sports.
Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes has it. Teuvo Teravainen, for now, does not.
It shows in the way the two Canes forwards have played this season, but also in their off-ice demeanor, in the way they carry themselves and talk about themselves and their games.
Necas, 23, is off to the best start of his still-young career, making plays, leading the Canes in points, enjoying himself. Playing on a line with winger Andrei Svechnikov centered by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, he said it has been a fun ride so far in the early going.
And Teravainen’s start?
“Not special, not great,” he told The N&O on Monday before the Canes’ game with the Washington Capitals.
Why?
“I don’t know. It is what it is,” he said. “I’ve got to work harder, I guess.”
A veteran player, Teravainen, 28, has dealt with the ebbs and flows of the season, had slow starts and quick starts. Things can change as quickly as a flick of the wrist and the puck finding the net.
Teravainen, without a goal in the first nine games, is waiting for that to happen.
“I’ve had some chances, but nothing has gone in,” he said. “It’s kind of tough to play with no confidence, so I’ve got to find it somewhere.”
‘Mental resilience’
Necas said he found it with some help — from a sports psychologist.
Necas said he began consulting with Marian Jelinek, who is based in Prague and has worked with other NHL players including former Canes goalie Petr Mrazek, about developing what Jelinek calls “mental resilience.”
“Everyone is always worrying about your physical summer workouts and stuff,” Necas told The N&O. “It was this summer that I realized that the mental side is so important, too, and that if I can stay in the game for every shift, every game, and be confident and be on my game every night, I’m going to play good and be consistent.
“It’s a way to prepare for a game with your head. If something’s not working out, you need to stay calm and be on your game, which I feel like I’ve been struggling with in the past year. So we decided to do this. This is something new to me.”
Necas returned for preseason training camp with a more positive attitude that was reflected in media interviews and then in his effort once on the ice. He has five goals and eight assists for a team-high 13 points, and is working on a four-game point streak going into Thursday’s game at Tampa Bay.
“I felt like I’ve always been positive, but I could get down on myself,” Necas said. “In an 82-game season, you’re not going to play all 82 as good as you want to play. But there’s a new day. You don’t think about it. Forget about it and go into a new game with a clear head.”
Necas’ line has been the Canes’ most productive in the Canes’ 6-2-1 start — Svechnikov has eight goals — and his play has been pleasing to Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour.
“He’s been a difference-maker for us,” Brind’Amour said Monday. “It’s not surprising. You’ve seen it in spurts. But it’s always about that consistency in being a pro, and he’s definitely figuring it out.”
Necas had a pair of assists Monday in the 3-2 shootout win over the Caps at PNC Arena. The game before, Saturday at Philadelphia, he ripped a shot through the legs of the Flyers’ Travis Sanheim for a bar-down goal that tied the score late in regulation.
The Canes won in overtime when Necas had the puck on the left wing, made a tight turn, then a cross-ice pass to Sebastian Aho. Defenseman Brent Burns took a pass from Aho and buried the shot for the winner.
As for Teravainen, he’s still waiting for that kind of moment. Brind’Amour moved him off Aho’s line during the Canes’ 6-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday but had the winger back on the line with Aho and winger Seth Jarvis against the Flyers and Caps.
“He knows he can be a little bit better and it weighs on him a little, like everybody,” Brind’Amour said. “But I’m not too concerned.”
Hurricanes vs Lightning game info
Who: Carolina Hurricanes (6-2-1) at Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-0)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.
TV: Bally Sports South
Streaming: ESPN+
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 6:10 AM.
