"Look, being a player in the National Hockey League is hard, and not just the physical aspect. For young stars Collin Graf, Zack Ostapchuck and Yaroslav Askarov, it's being away from home, especially during the holidays. One moment you are playing in your hometown, and the next you are thousands of miles away for long stretches in a new place they now call home. So, how are some of the young San Jose Sharks spending Christmas? Askarov will be taking the calm approach."
"Askarov will be taking the calm approach. "Just gonna chill at home," he said. Askarov is from Omsk, Russia, which is roughly six thousand miles away. But for him its not the home that makes the holidays special; it's family. "My family is gonna be here. My mom and dad will be here, and my younger brother.So that's the gift," he added."
"For Graf, the holiday festivities happened prematurely. "My family was here. They got here on Monday, and they left yesterday morning. So we did Christmas then. We opened gifts, and we went to dinner, because my brother's got to be back," he said. This family journey was a shorter distance, as they were coming from Massachusetts. Graf has two things on his Christmas list: "Winter hat. We play a lot of Nintendo Switch on the plane. So, just an extra controller," he shared. He also told us that he loves to play Mario Kart."
"Ostapchuck has it easy. "My mom actually lives in Vancouver now, so I'm going to go to Vancouver for a couple days. We play them on the 27th, so I just stay there," he told us. Sometimes being on the road a bunch is a blessing in disguise. His Christmas list was looking parallel to Graf's; video games are on the agenda this winter. "Just the new Call of Duty," he said cleanly. All a guy needs."
Collin Graf, Zack Ostapchuck, and Yaroslav Askarov approach Christmas around NHL schedules with family presence and low-key plans. Askarov, from Omsk, plans to stay home in San Jose with his parents and younger brother, calling their arrival the true gift. Graf celebrated early when his family from Massachusetts visited briefly and requested a winter hat plus an extra Nintendo Switch controller for airplane gaming. Ostapchuck will visit his mom in Vancouver and stay through a nearby game, hoping for the new Call of Duty. Life on the road complicates holidays, but players maintain holiday spirit through family and simple comforts.
Read at Fear the Fin
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