New battle for old heroes, youngsters make an impact — week in review
The past week saw a clutch of young players writing important chapters in their hockey careers. It also brought a reunion for two Russian sporting legends as they met for the first time in new roles.
Fedorov beats Larionov
Once, they were part of the formidable ‘Russian Five’ on a dominant Red Wings team. Today, Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov are coaching rivals in the KHL. So when Fedorov’s CSKA travelled to Nizhny Novgorod to face Larionov’s Torpedo, the game was about more than two KHL points. The first match-up went to CSKA, with Fedorov’s team getting a 4-0 victory. After the game, though, Fedorov paid tribute to his opposite number.
“I’m delighted that Igor and I are leading teams in the KHL and following the difficult profession of a head coach,” he said. “I learned to play by following the example of great players like Igor Larionov. I owe him a great deal of thanks.”
Rising stars power Spartak revival
Igor Grishin has masterminded a revival as head coach of Spartak. Since taking over from Boris Mironov behind the bench, he has won six out of seven games. Strikingly, the team’s improvement since Grishin arrived from Spartak’s VHL farm club owes much to the contribution of players promoted from within the organization. The most recent game, a 5-3 win at Traktor was a case in point. Three of Spartak’s goalscorers got their first KHL markers in that game – Nikita Susuyev, Alexei Yegorov and Daniel Usmanov all opened their accounts, with 17-year-old Susuyev scoring twice. It’s a great advertisement for clubs developing a pathway towards the KHL team and trusting players and staff to move up through the system.
Ak Bars’ youngest captain
Spartak is not the only team putting its faith in youth. Ak Bars recently handed 21-year-old Ilya Safonov the ‘C’. He led his team in the 2-1 road win at Barys, assuming that status ahead of a clutch of established stars including Vadim Shipachyov, Alexander Radulov and Slava Voynov. In the process, he became the Kazan club’s youngest captain in the KHL era. After the game, head coach Oleg Znarok paid tribute to the youngster’s leadership qualities.
Milestone for Radulov
Meanwhile, the more experienced players in Kazan also hit the headlines. Ak Bars’ 6-2 win over Sochi on Sunday saw Alexander Radulov get his 400th assist in the KHL. Radulov got his helper on Dmitry Voronkov’s power play goal at the start of the second period. He becomes only the third player to reach 400 assists in the KHL era. Sergei Mozyakin (509 assists) and Vadim Shipachyov (569) are the only men ahead of Radulov. Shipachyov had two assists, and a goal, in the same game.
0.016 seconds
How late can you leave it? Avtomobilist’s Nick Ebert scored a tying goal in Chelyabinsk with just 0.016 seconds left on the clock. Better still, the Motormen went on to win it in overtime. Jesse Blacker, who potted the winning goal, admitted it was a dramatic moment when Ebert’s effort found the net.
“When I looked at the scoreboard and saw 0.016 seconds I just though: ‘Oh wow! We tied it up!’. It was great work from all six guys out there on the ice. They gave us a chance to win it.”
Canadian D-men on the move
Two Canadian blue liners signed contracts with KHL clubs this week. Alex Grant is familiar to fans of the league after his long spell with Jokerit. In the summer he joined SKA, but now he moves to Barys. Grant, 33, had 6 (1+5) points from 16 games in Petersburg this season. Meanwhile, Traktor is looking to 28-year-old Robert Hamilton to improve its defense. He joins from Colorado Eagles of the AHL, where he played 12 games this season and collected three assists.
Auvitu quits Neftekhimik
French international defenseman Yohann Auvitu parted company with Neftekhimik during the week. The 33-year-old played 20 games and had 3 (1+2) points for the Nizhnekamsk team. However, he was placed on waivers during the week and his departure was confirmed on Sunday. It’s the second time Auvitu has had a brief spell in the KHL. In 2018 he began the season with Sochibut moved on after a couple of months.
Jurco becomes a Dragon
Slovakian forward Tomas Jurco has happy memories of China. Back in February he was part of Slovakia’s first ever Olympic medal-winning team in Beijing. Now, he is poised to continue his Chinese connections after joining Kunlun Red Star until the end of the season. Jurco made an instant impact, getting two assists on his debut as the Dragons beat Sochi 5-2.
Sayustov sets Admiral record
Forward Dmitry Sayustov has played his role in Admiral’s rise up the Eastern Conference standings this season. Along the way, he has written himself into the club’s record books. His game-winning goal against Neftkehimik on Friday was his 43rd for the Sailors, overtaking Niclas Bergfors’ record. Third on the list is Alexander Gorshkov with 36 goals. He’s still playing for Admiral and will be looking to overtake Bergfors this season.
Grigorenko: The KHL is another world
Igor Grigorenko, former Russian international and free-scoring forward at Salavat Yulaev, Lada, CSKA and others, is one of those players whose career spanned both the Superleague and the KHL. As the KHL celebrates its 15th anniversary season, he told KHL.ru how the league had aided the development of Russian hockey.
“You can feel a more professional approach to things,” he said. “I remember the conditions we had at the start of the century, compared with the arenas we have today. It’s another world. The tribunes are full of fans, it’s a pleasure to go on the ice. And it’s not just about arenas, it’s the whole infrastructure. Creating the KHL works in our favor, we moved to a higher level. Now we are seeing foreign players who are happy to be here. They don’t see anything like this back home in Europe.”
WHL playoff battle hots up
The WHL playoff battle is more exciting than ever. This season, only four out of nine teams will qualify for post season, and the battle for fourth place could not be closer. Currently, Torpedo is the team in possession of the last playoff berth, but it has a slender one-point advantage over last season’s defeated finalist Tornado. A further point back we find defending champion KRS Shenzhen. It’s true that the Chinese franchise has played four games more than its rivals, but after a slow start to the season, the Dragons have hit a rich vein of form and look set to finish the season strongly. Will it be strong enough? We’ll find out in the coming weeks and months.
