Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is the Avalanche’s new Zen Master

There is no future, there is no past. For Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, the Avalanche’s new fourth-line center, there is only the present. While there is no statue of Buddha at his locker stall, Bellemare sounds like he’d be an easy convert to the Dalai Lama.

“If you’re focusing on the future, then you’re stressing about something that hasn’t happened yet,” said Bellemare, in an engaging conversation with Colorado Hockey Now Friday, following his first day of training camp with the Avs.

“Your mind might provoke that happening, because your mind is not focusing on the present. And if you’re focusing on the past, then you’re not seeing what is in front of you, because you’re staying in the past. The best way to prevent the future and forget about the past is just to focus on today. What can I do to be better today, for maybe tomorrow, but I’m still living for today. Life goes so quick, the career goes so quick, that I have to just focus on today, that’s it. I don’t even know what our schedule is for tomorrow. We’re on TV, right? You can see your life job every day, right in front of you. Why focus on it? Just focus on ‘I’m here today. My next five minutes are: I’m going to do my interviews and take off my stuff, gonna go stretch, make sure I do everything so that tomorrow will be a good day. But I’m not going to stress about tomorrow. In the meantime, I’m gonna come home, have a nice afternoon with my family. If I have to work, take care of the kid, it’s fine. Just enjoy the moment. And that’s the best way to give 100 percent every day.”