FT. LAUDERDALE, Florida — Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis is preparing to switch from playoff hunt mode to Olympic competition as he gets ready to represent Latvia at the upcoming Milan Olympics.
The Stanley Cup champion recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers and will be making his second Olympic appearance for his home country.
WPTV Anchor and Panthers 360 host Mike Trim connected with Balinskis before the Olympic break.
"I think the whole country is going to be watching. That's the best tournament you can play in all the best athletes all the best players going to be there and I'm excited what team Latvia actually can do," Balinskis told Trim.
Balinskis previously competed for Team Latvia in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. This time, he'll be joined by fellow Florida Panther Sandis Vilmanis on the Latvian roster.
"I think it's going to help him and help him another strong player and and it's also nice to just bond with him a little bit more," Balinskis said about having a Panthers teammate on Team Latvia.
However, when it comes to facing other Panthers players representing different countries, Balinskis made it clear there will be no special treatment.
"As I say, no friends on the ice," Balinskis said when asked about potentially playing against Panthers teammates from Team Canada, Sweden or Team USA.
Beyond the competition, Balinskis is looking forward to experiencing Italy during his downtime.
"Probably the food. Pasta, pizza and just enjoy Italy," Balinskis said.
When Trim asked how to say "Let's go team Latvia" in Latvian, Balinskis responded: "Aiziet Latvia!"
Balinskis and Vilmanis made NHL history this season with the Panthers as the first Latvian-born teammates to score a goal in the same game.
Trim and WPTV anchor Meghan McRoberts will travel to Milan, Italy to track the Panthers in Milan Feburary 10th through the 23rd.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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