Elias Pettersson was interviewed on a morning talk show yesterday. I've tried to transcribe the dialogue.
Male host: I have to ask you something, I haven’t seen you in real life before, and you’re not really huge, so to say, but you have like the hardest shot in the world…?
Petey: Naaah…
Male host: Almost…
Petey: In the world…?
MH: But you shoot hard…
Petey: It’s what I aim for, but you’re correct in that I’m not really huge in size.
MH: But what’s the technique… the explanation for having such a hard shot?
P: No… but… it’s not really a secret… it’s like… how do I put it… I’m a very stubborn person; if I want to learn something, I put in an enormous amount of time, and I have done that with my shot, and I’m glad…
Female host: But what’s the key to achieving that … force?
Petey: Uhm… yeah… I’m not that good at explaining stuff…
MH: Do you play golf?
Petey: I do play golf.
MH: Do you… the hip first… and then a hell of a backswing…?
Petey: It might actually be some of the same thinking, that you get the hip in in your swing, yes.
MH: Do you hit 300 metres with the driver?
Petey: No I don’t. I shoot shorter straight shots.
FH: Another thing you are praised for is the way you see the game. Not least the legendary Wayne Gretzky has stated that this dude is really fun to watch playing hockey. This is what he said on Instagram: “To see this young man come in and excite the crowd and put on his show is fantastic for hockey” [differs slightly from text on screen]. How come you have such a good eye?
Petey: Yeah… hehe… I have no good answer for that… it’s like… I have always tried to be one step ahead when I play hockey and see where the puck is going to end up instead of where it has already been.
FH: Are you interested in systems?
Petey: Yes. Yes, I am.
MH: Are you a step ahead in everyday life as well? When you enter a store through a revolving door… you can time that perfectly?
FH: A new Gunde Svan…? (laughs) [Swedish Olympic skier with extreme focus on details]
MH: No, but I think you can have game instinct in everyday situations as well…
Petey: It’s better on the ice. Let’s just say that.
FH: How would you describe the very successful year you have had?
Petey: Yeah, like… I feel I am saying this in every interview, but I’m living my dream. Like, for me, the way the season turned out, it was unreal, because, like, you grow up in a small village, Ånge, I never really thought I would reach the NHL, and then I get there, the first season and, yeah, achieve what I did… No, it’s unreal.
FH: Do you, like, have to pinch yourself at times?
Petey: Absolutely. I’ve learnt, you know, to relax, so it isn’t hockey 24-7, but… yeah. I’ve learnt to relax.
FH: So who in the team do you hang with?
Petey: I hang with Brock Boeser, a young guy on the team, and then I hang with Markström quite a lot, so that… yeah.
MH: If it’s not hockey 24-7, what is it those other hours, that aren’t hockey?
Petey: Then it’s, well, I have golf as a hobby, my second sport maybe, especially in the summer… er …
FH: You don’t have a zero handicap yet, or…?
Petey: No, it’s 6.7 right now, but I’m working toward it. Slow but steady.
MH: You need to hit the ball farther!
Petey: Yeah, there’s that. No, but I’d say I’m like any normal person otherwise. I hang with my friends, I like video games. Just chilling.
MH: When you came over then, and you succeed right away, and you’re just 19, are the other players, on other teams, especially mean, or do they use kid’s gloves because you’re so young?
Petey: Uhm… I think in the beginning, I don’t know, what can I say, that they hadn’t heard of me, and they didn’t focus on me, then when I had a good start they started focusing a bit more on me and tried to get inside my head. Try some trash talk, as they call it there.
FH: You said trash talk?
MH: Trash talk.
Petey: Yeah, trash talk, like…
MH: What do they say then, like, “have you gotten a moustache yet?” or?
Petey: Yeah, like, something like that, or it could be some cruder words as well… but nothing I take in.
FH: There must be an enormous mental pressure as well…
Petey: I’ve never had a mental coach or anything like that, but I feel mentally strong. I, like, I don’t worry about what people say about me. No matter how much pressure there is from the outside, I’m always my worst critic. So the only real pressure I feel is from myself.
MH: When we see you play, it’s enjoyable, there’s a certain aesthetic to it, it’s beautiful. Do you think about that? Do you strive to make beautiful plays?
Petey: Sure, absolutely. That’s what you… I mean, I think it’s fun, and perhaps it becomes a highlight on the news, or takes off on twitter, but…
FH: Is that your goal?
Petey: No, it’s not the goal, I don’t really know what the goal is…
FH: … to be on the cover of NHL 20 in Sweden…
MH: You already achieved that.
Petey: No, I didn’t think that was possible, but I did that somehow. Yeah…
FH: This is what it looks like.
Petey: Yeah, that’s….
FH: When are you going back there?
Petey: I don’t have a date yet, but I’m going back there like the third or fifth of September as the training camp start on September 12th, so… I go there a week ahead of time to adjust for the time difference.
FH: How is your physique after this summer then?
Petey: Uhm… I hope it is good. I’ve trained… I’ve been training all summer, so… trying, like, to get stronger, faster and all that. The physique feels good.
MH: Now we just want to wish you a second season as successful as your first!
FH: Yes, it is so exciting that you’re doing so well!
Petey: Thank you very much.
MH: And if you score some nice looking goals also, we can show them here.
Petey: Sounds good.
FH: We can share them on twitter too.
MH: Thanks for coming.