For me, it start when I’m little boy. I tell you one of my very first memories. My dad take me to the rink, and I see this older guy score goal, and he do a really cool celebration. Slide around on his knees, you know? I say to myself, I want to do that. This looks so fun.
Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is living the dream of every hockey-crazed Russian youngster. Not only is the 23-year old enjoying a breakout second season in the NHL, he’s doing so alongside national hero Alexander Ovechkin on the best team in the Eastern Conference.
On Monday, with the World Junior Hockey Championships in full swing and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey looming in the distance, Kuznetsov authored a functional hockey life autobiography for The Players’ Tribune, revealing a few interesting quirks about how the game translates in a different culture.
First and foremost, Kuznetsov cleared up the mysterious origin of how so many Russian players emerge with otherworldly skill levels. Practice, practice, practice, of course:
Practice is much different in Russia. We skate, skate, skate. As a kid, that was the focus of the coaches — to make sure you were skating the proper way. No hitting, no dump in corner. Practice was about playing hockey — scrimmage, one-on-one, lots of skills. This is the Russian style. When I come to America, guys ask, “Is it like Red Army? You skating with weights and stuff?”
No, that’s different time. For kids my age, it’s skill, skill, skill.
Putting so much emphasis on skating and skill led to the inevitable explosion of points at a young age, where Kuznetsov claims he scored “maybe 10, 15 goals a game,” which gave him plenty of time to perfect the celebrations that drew him into the game in the first place.
As he reached his teen years, Kuznetsov was introduced to the vast expanse known as the internet, and he used the free flowing access of information to watch the style of greats such as Wayne Gretzky, Ilya Kovalchuk, Oveckin, and his personal favourite, Alexei Kovalev:
For me, Kovalev is the best. Nobody even close to his skill.
Armed with unlimited access to footage of the greats and living a 30-second walk (“If I run, 10 second”) from hockey school, Kuznetsov continued to surround himself with peers that would expand his abilities. He met Alex Semin at the school, and the two formed a fast friendship centred around developing cunning strategies to get themselves more ice time:
The big problem was the rink was closed at night. We still want to skate. But I came up with a plan with Semin.
We would save some money and go buy some Coca-Cola and take it to the security guard as a little gift, and he would open the gate for us. So we got to skate all alone. It was unbelievable.
Once it became time for Kuznetsov to join the NHL and play what is called “North American” style hockey, one thing jumped out at him as insane: Why was everybody dumping the puck in so much?
In my team in KHL, if you dump the puck, coach might put you on bench and you never go out and play hockey again. It’s true.
If you’re a forward and you dump it, like maybe once they say, “Hey, hey, come on. What you doing?”
Next time you do it, that’s it. You must be crazy.
My first 10 games in NHL, I don’t understand why guys keep dumping puck. I’m looking at coach like, Is he going to say something? And he’s like, happy about it.
Even Ovi. I see him dump it. I’m looking at him like, What?!
Another thing that stuck out in Washington was the camaraderie in the dressing room, culminating in Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, and a few other ‘skill’ players taking veteran Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik to “hockey school” for 20 minutes after every practice. When Orpik recommended changing the curriculum to ‘checking school,’ the answer was simple: “I say no way, man.”
No amount of YouTube videos or Coca-Cola ice-time schemes can compare to the thrill a young Russian player receives from working alongside the legendary Ovechkin.
First practice in Washington, I see Ovi and my legs are shaking. I’m so nervous. He’s legend in Russia. He called me right away when I was drafted by Capitals. Every summer he text me: When you coming to Washington? Now finally I’m on his team. I feel like I’m 16-year-old kid.
Everybody know Ovi from his stats. But I tell you, when you get on the ice with him and you see his shot for the first time, it’s crazy. It’s so, so hard. When I shoot, I can see my puck. When he shoots … Oh, come on. Where’s the puck?
For all the differences in playing styles, cultures, and attitudes towards the game, Kuznetsov finishes with some bare necessities of life that anyone can relate to.
Same since I was a little boy. I just want to play hockey, come home. Watch the Family Feud, go to bed. Wake up, play hockey again. That’s perfect for me.
Amen to that.
