What GM Steve Yzerman has done with the Tampa Bay Lightning looks familiar and is a mirror image of the team he helped change from the “Dead Wings” to a Stanley Cup champion. You can’t blame him. The Hall of Fame forward comes by it honestly. He lived the Red Wings way.
Losing in his first trip to the Stanley Cup Final isn’t new for Yzerman. In 1995 the Detroit Red Wings suffered being swept in the Final by the New Jersey Devils. The organization then overhauled the roster and won it all in 1997, 1998 and 2002 with Yzerman as their captain.
Similarities? Decades later “The Captain” who played with the “Russian Five” now is stockpiling his own group of Russians. Yzerman has his cornerstone defenseman, a Swede at that. He appears to have two goalies that are number ones. His superstar captain has taken a salary discount to remain with the winning franchise.
This is a Bimonthly column looking at the parallels in the building of a championship franchise using the Red Wings blueprint of the nineties.
First up, Sergei Fedorov and Nikita Kucherov.
As captain of the Red Wings, Yzerman’s teammates included Sergei Fedorov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Igor Larionov and Viacheslav Fetisov. The Red Wings success proved that Russians are adept and tenacious in their quest for the Stanley Cup. Yzerman has filled his Lightning roster with Russians: Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Nesterov and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Kucherov was drafted 58th overall at 20 years old while the 21 year old Fedorov was selected 74th. Each are left-handed shots and posses good defensive skills. Fedorov began his career as a solid defender while it took Kucherov some time to develop the ability to play the other side of the ice. Kucherov was a +50 in his first three years and Sergei Fedorov was a +70, both outstanding numbers for such young players.
Kucherov and Fedorov has/had the knack for scoring when it counts. Each had solid game winning goal statistics in their first three years, with nine and 13 respectively.
Both Russians were/are gifted skaters with a wicked wrist shot. Fedorov scored an astounding 97 goals in his first three years while Kucherov netted 68. Certainly Kucherov cannot match Fedorov’s scoring numbers but the foundation is being laid for the Lightning’s sniper to follow a similar path to recognition as a scorer and defender in the NHL.
Nikita Kucherov
Right Wing
Born Jun 17 1993 -- Moscow, Russia
Height 5.11 -- Weight 178 -- Shoots L
Selected by Tampa Bay Lightning round 2 #58 overall 2011 NHL Entry Draft
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010-11 CSKA Moscow KHL 8 0 2 2 0 -- -- -- -- --
2011-12 CSKA Moscow KHL 18 1 3 4 4
2012-13 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 6 3 7 10 2 -- -- -- -- --
2012-13 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies QMJHL 27 26 27 53 12 14 9 15 24 10
2013-14 Syracuse Crunch AHL 17 13 11 24 10 -- -- -- -- --
2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 52 9 9 18 14 2 1 0 1 0
2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 28 36 64 37 26 10 12 22 14
2015-16 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 77 30 36 66 30 17 11 8 19 8
2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 6 1 6 7 0
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NHL Totals 217 68 87 155 81 45 22 20 42 22
Sergei Fedorov
Center
Born Dec 13 1969 -- Pskov, Russia
Height 6.01 -- Weight 200
Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 4 #74 overall 1989 NHL Entry Draft
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1986-87 CSKA Moscow Russi 29 6 6 12 12
1987-88 CSKA Moscow Russi 48 7 9 16 20
1988-89 CSKA Moscow Russi 44 9 8 17 35
1989-90 CSKA Moscow Russi 48 19 10 29 20
1990-91 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 31 48 79 66 7 1 5 6 4
1991-92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 32 54 86 72 11 5 5 10 8
1992-93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 73 34 53 87 72 7 3 6 9 23
1993-94 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 56 64 120 34 7 1 7 8 6
1994-95 Detroit Red Wings NHL 42 20 30 50 24 17 7 17 24 6
1995-96 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 39 68 107 48 19 2 18 20 10
1996-97 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 30 33 63 30 20 8 12 20 12
1997-98 Detroit Red Wings NHL 21 6 11 17 25 22 10 10 20 12
1998-99 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 26 37 63 66 10 1 8 9 8
1999-00 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 27 35 62 22 9 4 4 8 4
2000-01 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 32 37 69 40 6 2 5 7 0
2001-02 Detroit Red Wings NHL 81 31 37 68 36 23 5 14 19 20
2002-03 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 36 47 83 52 4 1 2 3 0
2003-04 Anaheim Mighty Ducks NHL 80 31 34 65 42 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Anaheim Mighty Ducks NHL 5 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 62 12 31 43 64 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 73 18 24 42 56 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 50 9 19 28 30 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Washington Capitals NHL 18 2 11 13 8 7 1 4 5 8
2008-09 Washington Capitals NHL 52 11 22 33 50 14 1 7 8 12
2009-10 Magnitogorsk Metallurg KHL 50 9 20 29 47 8 1 1 2 4
2010-11 Magnitogorsk Metallurg KHL 48 7 15 22 40 20 5 7 12 16
2011-12 Magnitogorsk Metallurg KHL 43 6 16 22 36
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NHL Totals 1248 483 696 1179 839 183 52 124 176 133
(Photo/Christine Gunn)
(Feature Photoshop/Douglas Philp and Tarra Dunlop)
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