NHL Stars Reveal: Cheat Meals, CBA, Playoffs, Music, and More!

NHL Prepares for the 2025-26 Season: What the Stars Are Saying

HENDERSON, Nev. – With training camps opening this week, the NHL gears up for the 2025-26 season, following a summer marked by a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players. Alofoke Deportes brings you the most relevant details. During the NHL Player Media Tour near Las Vegas, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski from Alofoke Deportes spoke with several stars of the league. They asked them about various topics: from their favorite meals to their opinions on the new collective agreement and the playoff format.

What is your favorite cheat meal?

Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins): “A big tray of chicken wings on Sunday to watch NFL football. I’m a Giants fan.”
Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders): “A burger from 7th Street in New York.”
Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks): “Probably a burger and fries.”
Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes): “Pizza. Domino’s. Incredible.”
Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche): “Probably a burger, there are good places in Denver for burgers.”
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers): “Shake Shack. Burger, fries, and a chocolate shake.”
Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning): “Pizza. Pineapple and ham.”
Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks): “Pizza with prosciutto. Italian pizza, with prosciutto and burrata.”
Brady Skjei (Nashville Predators): “Nachos. Tacos. Something Mexican, for sure.”
Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars): “Chick-fil-a. Or a burger, fries, and chocolate shake from Culver’s.”
Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks): “A burger. From anywhere. I’m easy.”

What do you like most about the new collective agreement?

Jarvis: “I appreciate the training camp being a little shorter. I’m not the biggest fan of camp, so that will be good.”
Oettinger: “The relaxed dress code is great. I think our Finnish players will definitely take advantage of it. They have cool stuff and look great.”
Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils): “I guess a shorter preseason is probably the most important thing.”
Pierre-Luc Dubois (Washington Capitals): “No more suits. That’s pretty good.”
McAvoy: “I think the salary cap compliance thing for the playoffs was great.”
Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth): “I think maybe the medical care they added.”
Hedman: “No to the dress code. I like guys expressing their fashion.”
Dostal: “The dress code. You can express yourself a little more. But I still like suits.”
Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken): “No to the fitness tests was good.”
Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues): “I like the pension and medical care for retirees.”
Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets): “I like the dress code being a little more lenient.”

Charlie McAvoy,Mathew Barzal,Connor Bedard,Seth Jarvis,Cale Makar,Travis Sanheim,Victor Hedman,Lukas Dostal,Brady Skjei,Jake Oettinger,Macklin Celebrini,Jack Hughes,Pierre-Luc Dubois,Clayton Keller,David Pastrnak,Morgan Geekie,Timo Meier,Luke Hughes,Jesper Bratt,Vince Dunn,Sam Reinhart,Carey Price,Quinn Hughes,Zach Werenski,Patrick Kane,Sidney Crosby

Which player on your team will take the most advantage of the relaxed dress code?

McAvoy: “I’d say Pasta (David Pastrnak) will be the one. He has the best style.”
Jack Hughes: “Myself.”
Eberle: “Probably Vince Dunn.”

What is your favorite song to motivate you before a game?

Jarvis: “I don’t have one”.
Skjei: “I like 90s music”.
Oettinger: “Drake”.
Hughes: “Foo Fighters”.
Sanheim: “Country music”.
Hedman: “There’s a lot of country music”.
Dubois: “I listen to French rap”.
Makar: “Oldies”.

How would you change or expand the playoff format?

DeBrincat: “I like how it is.”
Hedman: “I would go back to 1 to 8.”
Dostal: “I would probably change it.”
Skjei: “We could go back to 1 to 8.”
Eberle: “I like how it is.”
Sanheim: “I wouldn’t expand it.”
Dubois: “I wouldn’t expand it.”
Jarvis: “I’m happy with 16 teams.”
Hughes: “I’m happy with 16 teams.”
Makar: “I would go back to 1 to 8.”

What is your team’s weirdest quirk?

Reinhart: “I move my helmet all the time before a faceoff.”
Skjei: “I use foam donuts in my skates to avoid the pain from the laces.”
Eberle: “I change my left glove and keep the right one.”
Sanheim: “I get a new stick before every game.”
Oettinger: “I always tap my stick on my glove.”
Dubois: “I cut the laces of my skates.”

Key Statements:

Quinn Hughes on the new Canucks coach, Adam Foote: “He’s been very good. He brought structure, competitive, good guy. So we’ll see how he does as a coach, but I think he’s very excited and looking forward to the opportunity.”
Quinn Hughes

Zach Werenski on confidence in Columbus: “We were right there. We were in the playoff hunt until Game 82. So we know we’re a good team.”

Patrick Kane on the invitation to the Olympic Development Camp: “I think I was talking to my agent about the possibility of being on the team.”
Patrick Kane