With all of the attention rightfully placed on Mikhail Grigorenko as the 2012 NHL Entry Draft approaches, it was another Russian who found himself leading the charge toward a Memorial Cup for the Québec Remparts a few years ago.
That Russian was Alexander Radulov, who terrorized opposing defenders with his skill in setting a team record with 152 points in 2005-06, setting team records in goals (61) and assists (91) while maintaining a mind-boggling 50-game point streak.
Radulov’s efforts led to him capturing the major junior’s Triple Crown: The Michel Brière Memorial Trophy (QMJHL MVP), CHL Player of the Year, and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP).
He’d accomplished something not even Sidney Crosby can claim, and nobody has done it since. In fact, you have to go back to Brad Richards in 1999-2000 to find the next most recent Triple Crown winner from any of the three major junior leagues.
The Nashville Predators must have thought they were sitting on the next big NHL star when they signed him to his entry-level contract. He made his debut during the 2006-07 season, and he stuck around while scoring at a rate of 0.65 points per game through his first two seasons as a Predator.
Then, in the summer of 2008, a 22-year-old Radulov bolted back to Russia to play in the KHL to play for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. This came in spite of having the Predators, the NHL and the IIHF all release statements stating Radulov would be breaching his contract if he returned to Russia.
Nevertheless, Radulov went to the KHL citing better conditions, and he’s been a point-per-game player ever since while capturing the 2010 KHL MVP honours.
Radulov was enjoying his career out of the North American hockey spotlight, setting KHL records while helping Ufa to the 2011 Gagarin Cup.
Then, this happened.
Now, I’m not exactly sure what happened to cause the stick-swinging in the first place. Maybe it was a bad shift for Radulov, maybe a fan was heckling him, or maybe he wasn’t happy with his playing time, it could be just about anything. I’m not one to convict without a fair trial and argument, because it could have been accidental for all we know.
With that said, the constant line we hear from analysts when a stick infraction gets called is ‘You have to be in control of your stick at all times, regardless of where you are.’
Evidently, Radulov didn’t get the memo that the rule also applies while you’re on the bench. If it didn’t, professional hockey would be an extended Slap Shot movie.
More importantly, regardless of the scenario, you DO NOT hit one of your coaches. It’s often said coaches are merely ‘hired to be fired,’ but they should be respected while they’re coaching you. From Alexander Ovechkin’s saga with Bruce Boudreau earlier this season to Radulov’s actions here, it looks as if that respect is slowly starting to go the way of the 1-3-1 trap system.
Would Tiger Williams have struck Roger Neilson in the late 1970s and early 1980s while ‘Captain Video’ coached him? I’m sure he would have wanted to by times, but I couldn’t see him doing it out of respect for Neilson.
To Radulov’s partial credit, he does appear to wave as if to apologize to the coach, but it appears to be half-hearted. It’s just my observation (Note: My views are mine alone, and they certainly don’t reflect those of the rest of The Q Spot staff), but if I were in Radulov’s situation and was truly remorseful, I’d check with the coach to see if he was OK instead of turning my attention back to the play. I’m also fully aware that it could have just happened in the heat of the moment, but there’s no excuse for what he did because Radulov should have had control of his stick, plain and simple.
Even a more sincere acknowledgment of wrongdoing would have sufficed, because he seemed to shrug it off without any further communication.
Sadly, this will be the memory of Radulov that permeates our minds unless he returns to North America to play again someday. He may well be the most talented hockey player not currently in the NHL right now, but unless he does something magical, he could become the next Alexander Perezhogin.
Radulov has a world of talent, but he needs to keep his stick on the ice if he hopes to capitalize on it.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
