CrashingTheGoalie

by desert dawg

Back in the late 80’s the Canucks brought in famed Russian soldiers Igor Larionov and Vlad Krutov and we were bound to win the Stanley Cup. Of course, it didn’t work that way because Krutov trained at Tim Hortons and Larionov couldn’t do it all by himself. But it presented those of us with ink-stained fingers an opportunity to talk to some Russian legends, one of whom was Anatoli Tarasov, the Godfather of Russian Hockey.

I was hoping to demonstrate my own superior knowledge of the game and asked him, through his interpreter, what kind of training do you use that makes the Russian players such superior passers. He smiled and answered briefly in Russian. The interpreter looked confused and asked Mr. Tarasov something and Tarasov again provided a brief retort. The interpreter shrugged and then asked me if we had optical doctors in Canada. I hesitated, mostly in my own confusion, but finally stuttered “Uhmm, yes we do…”

Tarasov, of course, was twinkling at this point, playing with a cub journalist. His next answer was longer and as I found out, much more instructive. The interpreter turned back to me and said. “Mr. Tarasov was only teasink. He said that your eyes saw the Russians as great passers. But your eyes do not tell the true story.”

“The truth is,” he said, “that the Russians spend many their passing drills learning how to receive difficult passes.”

The player receiving the pass was not allowed the luxury of a stick.

“Any elite hockey player can take a pass with the stick,” he said.

They trained the Red Army by having them take passes in their feet, with their hands or off their bodies. No matter how bad the pass was they learned to handle it.

I saw the same thing with the Red Wings in the first period. Their passing looks excellent, but they receive a lot of passes using feet, off gloves onto their own sticks, etc. They never seemed to miss a pass. Puck possession, like the Red Army, is their goal. If the Wings have the puck the opposition does not.

Gretzky always said the Oilers of the 80s played that way.

“This is our puck. You want a puck…get your own.”

Vancouver did well to stay ahead. They won some faceoffs and often started the play with the puck. I’ve said previously that we would all love Ryan Johnson. This guy is focused and he wins face offs. But the rest of the centres aren’t doing quite as well.

And that shows up in the second period.

Tarasov said that if there is a “Russian Hockey” it is to regain possession of the puck immediately. So they swarm as a team.

“Two players almost always beats one player. Three players always beats one player.”

Makes sense to me but I ask, well if everyone is chasing the puck, isn’t someone out of position?

Tarasov smiled and said “We chose the fastest athletes so they can get back into position.”

Then he paused and said, “But you are right. You cannot over-commit. Russian players are smart like this.”
The second period is all Detroit. And so, after the first two periods, the Canucks are being out-hit 14 to nine and losing faceoffs at a 2 to 1 rate. The red Wings swarm the puck on the PP and they continually swarm the puck on the PK. The Wings spend most of the period in the Canucks zone, with the puck. We are down 3-2 and every Canuck fan is trying remain positive, but deep down, knows it is over.

They have crushed Canuck dreams many times. Every Canuck Fan knows this.

But these are the new Canucks, we lie to ourselves. We have heart, speed and character. We think “look at what we did to Calgary,” and then we also remind ourselves “look what Washington did to us!”

So as the third period begins, I am toying with nicknames for the Pavol Demitra line. How about the Milk Carton Line? Put the pictures of 38, 21 and 9 on the carton and hope they turn up.

And I love it when they make a liar of me. The Canucks come out with purpose. They skate hard, they rarely stand still. They are starting to win the battle of the pucks. The second period looked like one long delayed penalty. The Wings seem to have had one more skater on the ice the whole time.

But the third period is different.

After Demitra makes the Gretzky like feed on a three on one and then Raymond makes it a four on one and proceeds to blast the puck behind a fallen Osgood,

I’m counting Red Wing bodies on the ice and see that they all over committed on the backcheck. Anatole would not be pleased.

I asked Gordie Howe one time what his secret to goal scoring was. He nodded and said, “Don’t just shoot at the net. Don’t just shoot it in the net. Shoot it into the back of the net. Like you mean it. And that’s what Raymond does. He shoots it like a Surface to Air Missle into the back of the net and the Canucks have tied it up.

And now Canuck fans say the silent prayer together. Don’t screw up. Just get the point. Get out of this period tied and get it to OT. We need this point. After couple of ill advised Henrik Sedin penalties, the chant becomes a mantra.

Don’t screw it up. Don’t screw it up. Don’t screw it up.

There are reports of levitations in Surrey.

We just get settled into OT when the new heart of the Canucks comes through. Alex the Hustle rides to the rescue. He busts up the ice hard, blows through the defense and miraculously beats the Red Menace to the puck and blasts one.

Hard.

Not just at the net…not just into the net.

Into the back of the net.

The new Canucks strike again.