With his great size, Florian Xhekaj can defend himself when he gets into trouble, but he has a strong ally at his side: his big brother Arber.

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In a joint interview, a colleague asked the younger brother whether he expected some opponents to test him during the preparation games because of his last name.

Florian didn’t have time to answer. Arber went to the microphone and said: “Nobody will test it because I will be there,” which made everyone laugh.

“When he was in the Ontario League and I got there, everyone was already testing me, but I’m always ready, I won’t give in,” Florian adds.

But the big brother who annoys his younger brother is never far away. “It will be cool to have the jersey with the A. And it could happen as early as Monday, in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Complicity

There is an obvious complicity between the two brothers. During rookie camp, Florian recalled that their father, who was the goalie, was beaten by Arber while playing hockey in the street and then ran home to report him to their mother.

Although he has sometimes been Florian’s tormentor, Arber still knows that he is capable of holding his own.

“He was never bullied at school, that’s for sure. But I saw him play in the OHL and he defends himself very well.

And in training there is no concession between them.

“We don’t give ourselves any opportunities, we are competitive,” assures Arber.

mentor

We have the feeling that Arber, who is three years older than Florian, wants to put an end to his 20-year-old brother’s career as a professional ice hockey player.

“It’s great, I’ve obviously always been older than him so I’ve been showing him how things work for a while now and it’s great to have him here with me. It’s going to be a blessing if we can wear the same sweater.”

He also welcomed him into his home and living together allows Florian to feel liberated during this training camp.

“It helps me a lot. If I have questions, he is always there and we live together at the moment.”

They still have a little problem with food, none of them cooks.

“We go to a restaurant and order, but our mother will teach us [à cuisiner]», says Arber.

Thanks to the parents

When the two brothers take to the ice together for an NHL game, it will be a gift for their parents, who will surely be more nervous than they are.

“Our parents spent every dollar they had so my brother and I could play hockey. We both played AAA. Hotels are expensive, my mom slept in the car in the parking lot when I was late practicing, and dragged me out of bed to go to school. All of that effort is finally paying off,” Arber emphasizes.

“They all spent their weekends at the arena, so it’s great that they can see us here and I hope we can give it back to them one day,” adds the youngest.

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