“This is a great honor”

Roman Josi has established himself as one of the best NHL defenders in recent years, but he has never played as consistently as in the currently interrupted championship.

José’s numbers this season are impressive. In 69 games he scored 16 goals and 49 assists, making him the second best defender in the league in this statistic behind American John Carlson (15/60). From December 16 to January 9, the Bernese made twelve straight games on the scorer list, something no Nashville Predator defender had ever managed to do before. One point is missing from Timo Meier’s Swiss record of the last qualification: “It would be a very good record, but the number of points is not the most important thing during a season.”

José’s plus-minus record is +22, and this in a team with a negative goal difference (215: 217). On average, he stood on the ice 25:47 minutes per game – only two players gained more confidence throughout the league. “It’s hard to say if it’s my best season, but it’s definitely the most consistent,” Josi said in a phone interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.

The opponents also recognized the good results. In a player poll, he was voted the third-best defender in the league. “It is a great honor,” Josi said. For the Montreal ice hockey city-based newspaper “La Presse,” he is even the best defensive player in this NHL season. The reason was that it was a machine.

Meanwhile, despite a good start to the season with eight wins in the first twelve games, the Predators lacked the consistency that led Josi to the ice: “We never really got going.” As a result, head coach Peter Laviolette, who was deployed in May 2014, was replaced by John Hynes in early January. This move was “extremely surprising to Josi”. He (Laviolette) has done a lot for our organization, he is a great person. It was not easy. After three straight wins, Nashville is currently in the second wild card slot in the Western Conference before the break.

“I don’t like to talk about money”

With his achievements, Josi stressed that he is worth every franc. In late October last year, he signed a new eight-year contract with a $ 72.472 million salary bill. He is the third most expensive defender in the NHL. When asked about this, Josi struggles: “Money is a problem for the media. Of course, it’s a very nice thing, but first of all you want to be successful with the team. It’s part of the business, but I don’t like to talk about it personally. Not much has changed because of it and it won’t. “

Josi was not only humble, he was also generous. He donated $ 20,000 to an organization that provides food for hungry people in the state of Tennessee. Nashville is not only plagued by the corona virus, but was hit hard by a violent tornado in early March. “It is extremely difficult for a lot of people right now,” explains Josi. “It is very nice to see how the community came together here last month, how everyone is helping each other. The Predators attach great importance to being part of the community and that is no different for me ».

Unlike other Swiss in the NHL, Josi has stayed in North America. He and his wife Ellie own a nice house with a pool on the edge of Nashville. The property offers the two dogs some space to blow off steam. He has also established a gym that allows him to implement the training plan well. Therefore, it was not an option for him to return to Switzerland.

Josi enjoyed “relaxing” in the first two weeks after the break, escaping from the hustle during the season. Now he misses ice hockey. However, make the most of the current situation and read more, for example. About the corona virus, he says: “It is important to respect it. Taking people seriously helps fight the virus. ” As for the continuation of the championship, Josi is currently not very concerned: “Of course we would like to end the season. But right now it’s so far away, nothing can be planned. Health is first.