After two months of wandering around the hotels, Radulov can finally find permanent housing for himself. The other day, the club management gave the beginner a clear indication - to buy a house in the city. Moving from the NHL to the AHL and back is a thing of the past: the Russian remains in the world elite. The pass there was a triumphal procession of the striker in the American Hockey League last season and 8 goals in 16 matches of the regular season of the “national hockey” of the current model.
In whatever situation Radulov finds himself, be it the tip of the attack or participating in a charity dinner, he is always distinguished by a unique style. “He entertains the audience on the ice and continues to do shows outside of it,” says Nashville head coach Barry Trotz with a smile. “It seems like Alex is always fueled by Red Bull - the energy from him is so rushing! If we hadn’t pushed him from the site, then he would spend on it for three to four hours in a row. The guy loves the game. "
Commendable. Although how can you not love her if she reciprocates? In 10 matches after a call from AHLovsky “Milwaukee” Radulov scored 6 goals, three of which were victorious!
It is a pity that the NHL does not keep statistics that assess the productivity of a hockey player per unit of playing time. After all, if there was one, then Radulov would surely have settled at the very top of the rating. A guy spends an evening on ice for an average of only 9 minutes 33 seconds, and he has already 8 abandoned goals and second place in the list of club snipers! It’s incredible, but true: the three main suppliers of points for the “predators” piggy bank - Steve Sullivan, Paul Kariya and Martin Erat - are on the ice at 18.39, 19.57 and 18.23, respectively, and the Russian scored a couple more goals than the last two, and the same how much is Sullivan.
Tennessee fans, who received their Alexander Mogilny and Alexander Ovechkin in one bottle, loudly chant the name of the striker, urging coaches to more often issue a child prodigy.
However, not all so simple. Last week, Nashville coach Barry Trotz identified three reasons that prevent Alex from playing longer. Firstly, the team has four qualified extreme forwards, and the transfer of Radulov to the first or second links will automatically lead to the demotion of one of the quartet of authorities: Caria, Erath, Sullivan or Dumont. Secondly, our scorer, due to the small NHL experience, has not yet been fixed in either the majority implementation teams or the minority special teams. And this, as you know, is also a significant piece of cake. Finally, thirdly, Radulov, like all his peers, who jumped into the elite from youth leagues, is aimed exclusively at the attack. “His defensive actions cannot be called nightmarish. It’s just that a guy needs to learn how to read the game better and competently settle in the neutral zone. I’m sure it will come with time, but the process should move forward gradually, without too much haste,” said Trotz.
“Every moment in the NHL I try to improve my game, to prove to everyone and myself, in the first place, that I earned the right to be here,” says Alex. In fairness, the guy still at the training camp staked out a place at the base. However, the objective circumstances outlined earlier prevented him from starting in the elite. Radulov responded to the high distrust of the coaches with seven points on the goal + pass system in three games for Milwaukee and the title of best player in the AHL debut week. “I understand that they didn’t take me right away, not because I wasn’t ready. It just happened. There are a lot of good hockey players in the team,” the Russian explains. “But I didn’t give up. I worked, worked and worked while I was working not paying attention again. "
The Predators were fabulously lucky when they chose Radulov under the rather distant 15th number in the 2004 draft. Last year, the forward outlined the contours of the scorer gift, gaining a fantastic 152 points in the Quebec Youth League. This season, a Russian cannon without a missile is already firing on shot sparrows of world hockey.
However, the first acquaintance with the “shot” took place back then, in the 2005/2006 season, when Radulov lived under the same roof not with anyone, but with Patrick Roy, the most victorious goalkeeper of the NHL! Now the legend of the goalkeeper's workshop is the owner and head coach of the Quebec Remparts, in which Alex took his first steps in North American hockey.
According to Russian agent Jay Grossman, close communication with Roy has left an indelible mark in the soul of his ward. “Fortune smiled on Alex. On his way there was a man who knew literally everything about hockey,” says Grossman. “I can’t say how well Patrick understood Alex, but he definitely gave the guy an impulse in the right direction, taught him to be a leader.”
Radulov agrees. He still calls up from time to time with his guru, shares his joys, and seeks advice. In the summer, she firmly plans to visit Rua, and at the same time other friends from the Canadian province of Quebec. “Patrick is the greatest person of all with whom fate has brought me together,” Radulov is sure. “He is a great guy and an excellent coach. It was he who hit my head that you never need to give up and even in the most difficult moments of life you have to plow till the sweat "There are no difficulties that would not yield to hard work. Patrick has gone through this. He knows what he is talking about."
Well, now it’s the turn of the right forward from Nizhny Tagil to tread the road to glory. The main thing has already been done: the carriage is filed, all the doors are open. It remains only not to get lost in the midst of a noisy ball and not to hear the beat of the clock announcing the onset of midnight for as long as possible. However, the happy, as you know, do not watch hours.
Vladimir BYCHEK