Anthony Duclair: ‘No Friends Out There’ when Panthers Play Lightning

Few players on the Tampa Bay Lightning know as much about the Florida Panthers as Anthony Duclair does.

Duclair spent the previous three seasons with the Panthers before being traded to San Jose on July 1 in a cap-saving move.

At the NHL Trade Deadline, Duclair came back to Florida — only to the west side of the state.

Today, Duclair will be back in Sunrise playing for the Lightning as it opens the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena (12:30; BSF, ESPN).

Speaking on NHL Network Thursday, Duclair talked about the great memories he made while helping the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.

He also made it clear all of the friendships he has with players on the Florida side does not mean anything right now.

“It’s playoff time and there’s no friends out there,” Duclair said. “It’s going to be a battle. I know them firsthand and know how talented they are, how hard they work. That’s a credit to them. They obviously had a really good year and showed no signs of slowing down after last year. I’m really excited for the competition. I’m sure it’s going to be a hell of a time.”

At least one member of the Panthers watched that interview.

Not surprisingly, it was Florida’s captain.

“He is obviously a great guy and a great friend to so many of us in here,’’ Sasha Barkov said. “But, as he said on NHL Network, there are no friends on the ice. Especially in the playoffs. It’s hockey; it’s business. Now we go against each other and he is just another player on that team.”

Duclair remains one of the most well-liked of players among his now-former Florida teammates and he remains committed to his charitable work off the ice in South Florida.

The Panthers welcomed Duclair back to Sunrise with the Sharks on Oct. 24.

He returned to South Florida during San Jose’s All-Star break to christen the construction of a synthetic ice rink funded by his foundation at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes. 

Duclair made a second trip back with the Lightning on March 16.

“This is a second home for me, and it is great to be back,” Duclair said then. “I promised when I started the Foundation that we would build rinks here and it does not matter that I got traded away; I am going to honor that and even go beyond that.

“South Florida will always have a special place in my heart, everyone was so good to me here. It is a no-brainer to try and grow the sport down here. This is a perfect spot with all the ethnicities and different backgrounds. It is personal to me since there is such a big Haitian presence.”

On Friday, he expanded on that.

“I just want to give back as much as I can,” Duclair told NHL.com. “I’m looking forward to building more down the road. There are people down there I still connect with to this date and will continue to connect with in the future.”

It is no wonder why fans and (former) teammates alike think so highly of Duclair.

Even general manager Bill Zito and assistant GM Brett Peterson attended the event at Boyd Anderson as friends, not as hockey executives.

But today?

Those friendships are on hold.

“It is all about competition when we are on the ice and I am sure he would say the same about us,’’ Aaron Ekblad said. “That’s how it’s going to be. We obviously have a ton of respect for him, but you put all personal feelings aside at this time of the year. That’s how it has always been and always will be.”