“…The talk was about one particular hockey player that had turned heads throughout the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp,” Jeff Bromley wrote on October 11, 2002. “Fedor Fedorov, Detroit’s superstar Sergei’s younger brother.
In Cranbrook on Wednesday morning the Vancouver Canucks announced that the 6′3″, 220lb forward had made the club and would play alongside Trevor Linden and Jan Hlavac to start the season.
“That’s the best start I can get in the NHL,” said Fedorov. “Playing with veterans is so much easier. Even if I screw-up a little bit those guys will help me out and we’ll go from there.”
“…We certainly congratulate all the guys that did make the team,” said coach Marc Crawford, “especially the newer players, in particular Fedorov and Bryan Allen….
Fedorov, who was originally drafted in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Lightning but re-entered the draft and was selected by the Canucks in the 3rd round (66th overall) in 2001 after failing to sign with the Lightning, was deemed a work in progress when he arrived on the Canucks’ scene last year. Demoted to the AHL’s Moose and the ECHL with what was regarded as an attitude and work ethic problem, Fedorov was essentially forgotten.
In the ECHL the situation didn’t get any better.
“I had to re-adjust completely to my left eye,” said Fedorov after suffering a detached retina while playing with Columbia (S.C.) Inferno of the ECHL and missed most of last season. “The first doctor told me I would never play again. When I got some news that I had 30% recovery, I had some hope. But I was just sitting on my butt for eight months.”
The injury and the time off gave Fedorov a new perspective on life and a new attitude toward realizing his dream of playing in the NHL.
“I think I grew up a little bit over the year and since my injury last year, I’ve tried to be the best I can,” said Fedorov. “Going to the rink every day, working hard and doing my best.”
Marc Crawford is encouraged by Fedorov’s potential but also cautiously optimistic. It is still only days into a very young NHL season.
“Fedorov’s been a nice surprise for us this year,” said Crawford of his newest forward. “The reason that he’s staying is that his contribution offensively has outweighed any risk that we think may be involved with him.”
“You’re always teased by talent at this time of the year and we’re not unlike any team. We look and we say, ok how good of a talent improvement can a player like Fedor, give us? We’re going to be evaluating him on a daily basis but we evaluate the team on a daily basis as it is but we’ll play particularly close attention to Fedor and to his progress and his ability at making strides and moving forward and just improving. He seems like a great kid (and) he’s a nice mix with our group.”
“His personality is a little different from other first-year players we’ve had in the past,” said Crawford, perhaps alluding to the outgoing personality…not usually seem in players one season removed from junior.
“Let’s face it. He’s had an extremely good preseason. He’s had a lot of chances and he’s playing with some confidence right now. We think he’s a nice move for us initially….’”
*****
Note: The key word is “initially.” A good training camp doesn’t necessarily mean a good regular season.
courtesy of hockeydb.com
2 responses so far ↓
1 Bill Heintz // Sep 17, 2009 at 4:45 am
My favourie Fedor story is the one where he was bugging a rook on the Manitoba Moose at a local Winnipeg bar. Fedor kept mouthing off until the rook decked him. The rook was Kevin Bieksa. No one came to Federov’s defense.
2 Ron Spence // Sep 17, 2009 at 5:28 am
If the Canucks could have put Steve Kariya in Fedor’s body, they would have had Frank Mahovolich.
But, if you put Fedor into Stevie’s frame, you’d have a small know-it-all – sort of a Gary Bettman without a law degree.
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