Game 7 loss brings Barzal to tears in press conference

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T. Tadi
June 26, 2021 (11:36)

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If you're a New York Islanders fan who's worried about another Game 7 defeat keeping you out of the Stanley Cup Finals this season, I think this brief footage of Islanders star forward Mathew Barzal will cheer you up.

The Islanders put everything on the line in their Stanley Cup Semifinals 7-game battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and if there were any questions, Barzal's absolute state following the loss clearly dispelled them. Following the game, the Islanders' star was in such a state that he couldn't control his emotions when answering questions from the media at his post-game press conference.

Following the game, Barzal and teammate Brock Nelson came to the podium, but media were obviously drawn to the Islanders' biggest name, Barzal. Barzal struggled through his first few responses, but it was when he asked about his friends that tears began to stream down his face. Barzal's emotion is so obvious that I'd describe it as him openly crying on the microphone while referring to teammates like Andy Greene and Josh Bailey, who Barzal plainly believes will never have another chance to win it all in their experienced National Hockey League careers.

"I think it's just for everyone you know?" said Barzal. "Sucks getting back to this point and coming up short again," added the Islanders star his voice full of emotion. "We've got guys like Bales and Greener, veteran guys that you know, I've got a few more years but... you wanna win for those guys and it hurts, it hurts seeing those guys in the locker room afterwards. That's how close we were«

Seeing how deeply committed your team's top player was in winning, not only for himself but also for the love of people around him, shows that the team put everything on the line to win. Given his talent, I believe Barzal will be given another chance to make a deep playoff run in his career, but it's also understandable why he feels the way he does about certain Islanders players.