Dread Square as Russians set Capitals ablaze
Kuznetsov dazzles opponents
• In a city that has Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom, it’s easy to overlook the blazing arrival of the Capitals’ all- star centre Evgeny Kuznetsov as one of the most dazzling players in the NHL.
But don’t do it. Six years after he was drafted by the Caps, in his second full year in the NHL, the brilliantly skilled, long- awaited Kuznetsov has emerged as the Caps’ leader in points.
He’s also fourth in the NHL in points per game and first in plus- minus rating ( plus- 30). Perhaps most of all, he is simply magical, creating plays others can’t imagine.
Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals. “When I shoot, I can see my puck,” Kuznetsov says. “When Ovi shoots ... Oh, come on. Where’s the puck?” Holtby, who has risen a whole level as a goalie this season, is a prime candidate for NHL MVP. And coach Barry Trotz calls all- star centre Backstrom “the complete, all- around, 200- foot player.”
But Kuznetsov has been a team- changer. In a year, he has doubled his production from 37 points in 80 games to 66 points in 63 games.
So far this week, the allstar scored his 20th goal Tuesday and celebrated with an Ovi-like fist pump. “Emotion, happiness, you can’t control it,” he says.
On Wednesday, he was named to the Russian World Cup t eam. “It means so much to me. Hockey is a religion in my country,” he said. “Where I grew up, it was the only sport.” He can sum up his entire youth simply: “All day, every day, skate, skate, skate. Skill, skill, skill.”
Also on Wednesday, Kuznetsov was surprised and delighted to hear himself described by analyst Doug MacLean on Hockey Night in Canada as “the best passer in the NHL.” A Russian-born player gets such praise in Canada, eh? Kuzy instantly shot off a text of thanks to MacLean. And the week isn’t even over yet.
“Kuznetsov gets overl ooked because Ovi and Backy have been top guys in the league for years. But he’s not underappreciated in here,” defenceman Brooks Orpik said.
“His skating ability looks so effortless — like Sergei Fedorov. And his head is never down ( looking at the puck). It’s like a basketball player with a great ‘ handle’ on his dribble. So he sees everything on the ice.”
Kuznetsov ’ s a mazing skills have never been in doubt. His skating, for both fluid speed and shiftiness, as well as his “amazing hands” ( in Trotz’s words), have few equals. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, little of it obvious muscle, Kuznetsov in a T- shirt and shorts in summer would blend unnoticed on a beach. Yet he has coped well with the NHL’s physical play. He leads all Caps centres in hits ( 63) — 23 more than Backstrom while playing fewer minutes.
Russian — and all international — hockey is played on a bigger i ce surface, which creates a game with less hitting, more space and more time to pass- pass- pass to create beautiful scoring chances and much less danger of having the puck poked away for a turnover.
The idea of dumping-and-chasing the puck to the other end, then forechecking and battling on the boards to get it back, was an unspeakable sin in Russia.
“Kuznetsov has an extremely high hockey IQ. He loves to study film. He sees what others don’t,” Trotz said. “And he has done everything that Datsyuk said.”
Suddenly, a candid bond was born between player and coach.
“You need honesty and bluntness in some situations,” Trotz says now, recalling that time.
“My parents taught me always respect those who are older but speak for yourself. Always say truth to face, never to back,” Kuznetsov said. “If you are not good person, (it) is hard ever to be piece of good team. I accept that. It is all about team — that is how Russians feel.”
Trotz let Kuznetsov’s creativity flow freely, which is sometimes terrifying to a structured coach, as long as there was reciprocity in dogging the puck and dumping-and-chasing as needed.
Trust and communicat i on skills are l i nked in hockey’s multilingual world. Kuznetsov’s English is now very impressive for someone who, at his first Caps introduction two years ago, said his hands were sweating with fear that “half my words were wrong.”
“My son teaches English in Russia,” Trotz said, “so I know how much can get lost in translation.”
Not anymore. Barry, Evgeny and the Caps speak the same language now: fluent Kuznetsov.