The “Lionel Messi of hockey” put on a dang show Saturday during Team Russia’s 6-0 blowout of the Czech Republic.
Despite playing on a deep national roster of individual can-do-it-alls on offence like Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Radulov and Evgeni Malkin, Detroit Red Wings centre Pavel Datsyuk outshone all others.
Russian hockey player Roman Shirokov about #RedWings F Pavel Datsyuk: “He is Lionel Messi of hockey.”
— Roman Jedlicka (@jedli) December 15, 2012
Datsyuk scored a hat trick and added an assist as Russia defeated the Czech Republic 6-0 during the weekend’s international play for the Channel One Cup. (Malkin, wearing No. 11, also scored a must-see.)
Datsyuk, who was recently crowned “the best centre in the world” by part-time linemate and countryman Kovalchuk, scored three wonderful goals each in a different way: a perfectly place top-corner wrister, a nifty tip from a Radulov pass, and a slick steal to create his own break.
He was a big reason the Russians chased Winnipeg Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec (12 for 16) out of the net.
Yes, this game is from the weekend, but with hockey highlights hard to come by these days, treat yourself to Datsyuk’s magic:
Team Canada has asked locked-out NHLers to suit up for the national team in the upcoming Spengler Cup, set for Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.
At least one Vancouver Canuck has declined the invitation:
No Spengler Cup for #Canucks forward Alex Burrows. Burrows told his agent he wants to stay home in month of December.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) December 17, 2012
If I’m a young defenceman in Sweden, I know who I want to glean pointers from:
twitter.com/Trekronorse/st… Niclas Lidström tutoring defensemen of the Swedish #WJC team. Apparently about buttering bread. Via @trekronorse.
— Matias Strozyk (@MaStrozyk) December 17, 2012