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JULY 2, 2009 |
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He might not have had as many goals or points as his fellow Lester B. Pearson Award finalists in 2008-09, but Pavel Datsyuk is every bit as deserving of the honour. Finding his name on the shortlist for hockey’s most coveted individual award is certainly fitting for one of the game’s top all-round performers, a player that has earned a reputation as a difference maker at both ends of the ice. A native of Ekaterinburg, a major city in central Russia, Datsyuk appeared in 81 games for last year’s Stanley Cup champion Red Wings in 2008-09, recording a career high 32 goals and assisting on 62 more for 97 points to match his personal best point total for a season.
In addition to his Lester B. Pearson Award nomination, Datsyuk is also a finalist for three other major individual honors in 2008-09: the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Frank J. Selke Trophy, and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. It’s all the more impressive when you consider Datsyuk once flew under the radar both in his homeland and in North American circles. That’s hardly the case anymore. Datsyuk began playing for the farm club of Dynamo Yekaterinburg in the mid-1990s, and had 27 points in 22 games in 1998-99, before joining AK Bars Kazan for two campaigns, from 1999-2001. When Datsyuk, who was selected 171st overall by Detroit in 1998, launched his NHL career with the Red Wings, he was surrounded by some of hockey’s top mentors, including Russian stars Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov as well as former Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. He was put on a line with Brett Hull and Boyd Devereaux and had moderate first-year success. Datsyuk contributed three goals and three assists to the Red Wings' Stanley Cup run. Datsyuk continued to become more comfortable on North American ice in his second year and onwards. It was the 2005-06 campaign when Datsyuk rose to prominence. During that season, his on-ice efforts combined with his exceptional sportsmanship (he had just 22 penalty minutes the entire season), landed him the Lady Byng Trophy, the first of three consecutive awards. He also earned a spot on the Russian team for the 2006 Winter Olympics. A true measure of his significance to the Wings came prior to the beginning of the 2006-07 playoffs. On April 6, 2007, Datsyuk signed a seven-year contract extension with the Red Wings for $46.9 million (U.S.). He helped Detroit get to the Western Conference finals against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, contributing 16 points in 18 games. In 2007–08, fans voted him, along with teammates Nicklas Lidström and Henrik Zetterberg, to start for the Western Conference in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game at Philips Arena in Atlanta. He went on to net a team-high 97 points in 82 games, also leading Red Wings forwards in blocked shots. In leading the team in scoring, he joined Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman as the only players in franchise history to do so in three consecutive seasons. He was also a major figure in Detroit’s Stanley Cup win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Datsyuk led the NHL in 2007–08 with a plus-minus of 41, and was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. With just 20 penalty minutes, he was also awarded the Lady Byng Trophy. In addition, he became the first NHL player to win the Lady Byng Trophy three consecutive times in over 70 years. Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers was the last player to do so, winning the Lady Byng from 1933–35. Datsyuk, along with Ron Francis, are the only players to have been awarded both the Selke and Lady Byng trophies during their careers. But for as much as his name is associated with personal awards and accolades, Datsyuk is That was never more evident than in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Sent to the sidelines after blocking a shot in Game Two of the Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, Datsyuk worked overtime to get back into the lineup. Rather than complain about his injury, though, Datsyuk rationalized the situation. “What I remember, I just blocked a shot, this is all, but I'm so happy I did my job.”
In fact, Datsyuk would have been willing to play just about any position. “I think at wing, center, defenseman, I want to play so bad. I don't want to watch this game again,” admitted Datsyuk. “I'm just hungry and I want more excitement. I want to play. When I play more, I'm more comfortable. It's a little bit hard to start with the Final series when I miss a couple of games. His teammates and coach knew what they were missing. “I think everyone was glad to see that Pavel was back,” offered Henrik Zetterberg. “You know, he brought a lot of energy on and off the ice.” And he also brings what few players in the NHL and the world can bring – an ability to change the face of a game in innumerable ways. It’s what makes Pavel Datsyuk a perfect choice for Pearson Award consideration. Evgeni Malkin’s teammates might not know exactly what he’ll do next, but they do know what the end result will be. Talk to any of those who share the same jersey with him and a common theme emerges when the topic focuses on Malkin, who led all National Hockey League players in 2008-09 regular season scoring with 35 goals and 78 assists for a career-high 113 points to land Art Ross Trophy honours. “A lot of times, you just shake your head at what he does out there,” said Pittsburgh forward Maxime Talbot. “Whenever he gets the puck, you just wait to see what he’s going to do. He never really wastes any opportunities.” Talbot would certainly know. The forward was put on a line with Malkin after the Pens’ third game against the Washington Capitals in this year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. It didn’t take Talbot long to marvel at his linemate’s offensive prowess.
Defenceman Kris Letang concurs. “With Geno (Malkin’s nickname), his creativity and vision is superb,” he said. “In a matter of seconds, he can get the puck on his stick, make a few moves and the puck is in the net. He does it in so many ways and he does it so consistently.” And right from the very beginning of his NHL career, too. Malkin set a modern-day record as the first player to score at least one goal in each of his first six games. No player had achieved this feat since the league's inaugural season in 1917–18, when Joe Malone scored at least one goal in 14 consecutive games to start his NHL career. A native of Magnitogorsk, Russia, Malkin, the second overall selection in the 2004 Entry Draft, appeared in all 82 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second-straight season in 2008-09. He excelled in all facets of the game and once again helped lead the Penguins into the playoffs after doing so in his rookie season, and again in 2007-08 as the team made a memorable run to the Stanley Cup Final. The start of the 2008-09 campaign suggested Malkin could have a career year. He began the season by recording his 200th NHL point with an assist to Crosby on October 18, 2008. The goal was Crosby's 100th career goal and 300th career point. Crosby had a team trainer cut the puck in half so both players could commemorate the moment. But Malkin was just getting warmed up. He was named as a starter for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game later in the season, and won the shooting accuracy segment of the Skills Competition, initially hitting four-for-four before going three-for-four in a tie-breaker. By season’s end, after having finished runner-up to countryman and fellow 2009 Pearson Award finalist Alexander Ovechkin the previous campaign for the Art Ross Trophy, Malkin captured the scoring championship. He became the second Russian-born player to win it, after Ovechkin, and the fourth Penguin, after Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Crosby. “Geno has probably gotten used to kind of the North American style,” said Crosby, of Malkin’s emergence to superstar status. “There are probably things you have to adjust between the way we play and probably the way he played on the bigger ice. He's probably a little more confident. He's just a better player all around just from the experience. I'm sure all those things have contributed to that.” Yet for Malkin, success isn’t measured in terms of his own individual numbers.
And Malkin is trying to be a difference-maker every time he steps on to the ice. “He's saying always as a kid he was trying to be the best,” said Gonchar. “I'm just trying to be my best, go out there and do whatever I can to be the best.” The 2006-07 Calder Trophy recipient now looks to become the fourth Pittsburgh Penguins player to win the Lester B. Pearson Award, following in the footsteps of Mario Lemieux (1985-86, 1987-88, 1992-93, 1995-96), Jaromir Jagr (1998-99, 1999-00, 2005-06) and Crosby (2006-07). Big-name company, to be sure, but a group that Malkin most definitely belongs in. Said Gonchar, “He's always making people around him better.” He already finds his name mentioned among hockey’s most dynamic players of all-time, but Alexander Ovechkin could join some more elite company if he wins the 2009 Lester B. Pearson Award. Ovechkin, who appeared in 79 games for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09, finishing second in the league in points with 110 and leading the NHL with 56 goals to capture his second Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, could be become just the sixth player to win the Pearson Award in consecutive years. The man known as ‘Alexander the Great’ would join legends Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky, Dominik Hasek and Jaromir Jagr, as back-to-back winners of hockey’s most prized individual honour. The Lester B. Pearson Award, named after the 14th Prime Minister of Canada, has been voted on by the players since the 1970-71 season when Phil Esposito was the inaugural recipient. “I think it’s huge for a player to win this award,” said Ovechkin, at last year’s NHL Award festivities. “It tells a lot about the way you are viewed around the league. I think all players want to win this trophy.” The 2008-09 campaign represented the third time in Ovechkin’s four NHL seasons that he has scored more than 50 goals and 100 points. The recipient of the 2007-08 Pearson and a finalist for the Award in 2005-06, the forward quickly gained the respect and admiration of his fellow players and earned a fitting label as one of the most exciting athletes in professional sports today. Ovechkin led Washington to its second consecutive Southeast Division title in 2008-09 and another appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“The only way you can describe Alex is that he is a freak of nature,” said teammate, defenceman Brian Pothier. “The way he plays hockey, the way he lives life, he’s an amazing athlete and an amazing person.” A player, in Pothier’s estimation, who will continue to dominate for years to come. “I keep waiting for him to burn out,” said Pothier, of the forward who recorded 112 points in 2007-08, en route to winning his first Pearson. “We get to the 60th game of the year and I think, ‘He’s going to slow down.’ But he doesn’t. And then he just seems to get better and better. It baffles me as to how he’s able to do what he does.” Yet, Ovechkin, who also won the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2008, remains the ultimate perfectionist. His uncanny ability to score in seemingly endless ways doesn’t prevent him from working overtime on honing his skills. "You know, I have to concentrate on my shots," said Ovechkin, the first player taken in the 2004 Entry Draft. "I have lots of shots in the game but sometimes my shots, I have great moments to shoot but my shots aren't perfect. I just have to practice more on my shots and then hopefully the puck goes to the net. So I think I have to make more shots." It’s not exactly what opposition goaltenders around the league want to hear. For those who play alongside him, however, it’s music to their ears. Still, that doesn’t mean his teammates give Ovehckin a free pass in practice. In fact, shutting him down is seen as somewhat of a welcome challenge. “I always tell Alex that if I was on a different team, I’d stop him every time,” said Pothier, of the league’s top rookie in 2006. “I like to tease him. And if I do stop him, I give it to him. “But with Alex, he’s almost unstoppable. If you prepare yourself to stop him, you do one thing and he’ll do the other. Just when you think you know what he’s going to do, he does the opposite. He reads everything so quickly. His mind is so sharp.” And so, too, is his wit.
Perhaps Ovechkin’s first NHL game, on October 5, 2005, was a telling sign of what was to lie ahead for the Caps’ superstar. He scored twice and at year's end, he had tallied 52 goals and recorded 106 points, en route to Calder Memorial Trophy honours. He hasn’t slowed down since. “What can I say?” offered Pothier. “He’s a great teammate and a great person. He truly loves the game and he truly wants to be the best player he can be.” All of which makes Alexander Ovechkin an ideal candidate for another shot at Pearson glory. |
Datsyuk proved once again that while he is one of the most respected offensive players in the world, he is also one of the most effective defensive forwards in the game as evidenced by his eye-catching plus/minus rating of plus-34. 
Playing at less than 100 per cent, Datsyuk returned to the ice, desperate to contribute what he could in the Cup final against Pittsburgh. 
“He seems to always make the right play at the right time,” said Talbot, of the forward who is a finalist for the 2009 Lester B. Pearson Award as the league MVP as voted by the Players, for the second consecutive season. “He’s absolutely amazing when he gets the puck on his stick.”
“He's saying for him the most important thing is the team result,” said teammate and friend Sergei Gonchar, who interprets for Malkin on occasion. “It's not a motivation for me. I just try to improve my game, try to be better than I was last year. I'm trying to make sure our team is making the playoffs.”
For those who know him best, nothing, not even the goals that seem to defy logic, come as a surprise anymore.
“If I tease him in practice and tell him I’d shut him down if we weren’t teammates, he just laughs and says, ‘No chance!’ He tells me he’d run me right over if I tried to stop him.”