BOCA RATON, Fla — Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov received the Key to the City of Boca Raton at a ceremony Thursday afternoon.
It was awarded to Barkov by Mayor Andy Thomson. Barkov has lived in Boca Raton since he was 18, his first year with the Panthers.
Watch report from Mike Trim
WPTV Florida Panthers Anchor and Panthers 360 host Mike Trim connected with Barkov at the ceremony.
Trim asked, why is Boca Raton so special to you? Barkov said “Because I live there, I live there in my whole career which is almost half of my lifetime so, I only live into two places. It’s back home in Finland and focus so this is a special place for me.”
Trim then asked, “Are there any Barky favorites in Boca Raton, places that you really like to go?”
Barkov said, “There's a lot. I love the beaches here. They're really nice. A lot of parks. I play a lot of tennis, so every park has a tennis court. I like those. I love a lot of different restaurants. Mizner Park is super nice. There's so many good things about it. I will be here all day explaining.”
Panthers television play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein emceed today’s event. Many fans also met Barkov.
The Panthers all-time franchise points leader, Barkov, is currently out 6-8 weeks rehabbing a leg injury but tells Trim he is excited to get back on the ice.
Trim asked, “A lot of fans in Palm Beach county are wondering how your doing after what happened on the road trip. Is there anything you want to say about that?"
Barkov said, “I mean, I got really good news after the road trip, so really looking forward to trying to come back as soon as possible.
I'm in good hands. We have a great team. We have good doctors, they take really good care of me, so I'm really lucky about that.”
