Behind the Jersey: No. 13
We all remember Pavel Datsyuk embarrass Dallas Stars’ goalie, Marty Turco, with a quick deke resulting in a gorgeous goal. While Pavel had a very strong rookie season, this season seems to be his breakout season- the season where everyone around the league stops and takes notice of his talents. “Pavel has taken over the team. He has taken the responsibility and run with it. Every time he’s on the ice, he’s dangerous,†head coach Dave Lewis said.
In 1998, Datsyuk was selected as the Red Wings’ eighth choice in the sixth round of the draft, making him the 171st overall pick. Hakan Andersson, the Wings European scout was the first person to spot Pavel and the Wings assistant general manager, Jim Nill, drafted Datsyuk. “Pavel had very good skills, but was very small and weak. When we drafted him he was 5′8″ and about 145 pounds soaking wet. We liked his skills, but did not know if he would every grow enough and/or get strong enough to play in the NHL. As we can all see now he did develop,†Nill said.
After signing with the Red Wings organization, Datsyuk became only the third Red Wing to wear the No. 13. As a rookie, Datsyuk played 70 games with 35 points, including one game winner goal. His first NHL season ended with a Stanley Cup win, not too bad for a rookie. Pavel traveled with the Stanley Cup to Yekaterinburg, Russia taking it the greatest distance ever traveled by the Cup with any player.
The next season, Datsyuk only played 64 games due to a knee injury and finished the season with 51 points. He later represented the Russian National Team during the 2003 World Championships in Finland. When Sergei Federov decided to leave Detroit for the warmer climate in Anaheim, Datsyuk took advantage of the extra ice time available to him. “Sergei’s not here anymore. Now you’re the man,†Brett Hull said. As his stats prove thus far this year, Pavel hasn’t let his teammate, Brett Hull, down.
Last season, Igor Larionov helped young Pavel adjust to the life of a professional hockey player and life in North America. “He listens and learns. He wants to be a good player, and he wants to learn how to become a player like that. He’s willing to wait for his chance and he’s patient. He’s going to be a good player for many years,†Larionov said. Since Larionov left for the New Jersey Devils, Hull has taken over as the mentor figure to Datsyuk. “But Brett’s a shooter and wants the puck, and Pavel’s a playmaker, so you put two and two together … sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But this works, it really works,†Lewis said. Hull encourages Pavel to keep up the great effort and performance, but not to be content with that. “I keep telling him, ‘Don’t get satisfied. Keep working. You could lead this league in scoring,†Hull said.
Leading the team with 23 goals, Datsyuk has dazzled fans and teammates alike with a 23.9 shooting percentage, second in the NHL. In the month of December, he was named the NHL Offensive Player of the Month and on January 22 he was invited to participate in the All-Star game this season in Minnesota. Even opposing teams sing their praises about Pavel: “Those aren’t normal skills. Not when he makes you shake your head in amazement time after time with the moves he makes. He is clearly a very special player,†St. Louis Blues center Doug Weight.
Datsyuk isn’t the only young Red Wing player having a breakout season this year. Henrik Zetterberg, one of Datsyuk’s closest friends on the team, has been named the next Steve Yzerman. Both individuals are more of a quiet type with a deep passion for hockey. “We are good friends. We’re kind of the same age (Zetterberg is two years older than Datsyuk), and we are sort of the same kind of people. On the road, we were roommates early in the season. We spent a lot of time together doing things, all sort of things, mostly movies. We go to the movies a lot, just hang around,†Zetterberg said.
But the Wings organization isn’t complaining about the success of their young stars. “Pavel has exceeded our expectations, when we brought him over to play 2 years ago we knew he could play in the NHL, but we did not expect him to reach this level of stardom so quickly,†Nill said. The coaches have been pleased with the performance of their talented young players. “We’ve had Datsyuk and Zetterberg come right in here and make our team without spending a day in the minors - and that’s with a lineup that experts say has eight or ten future Hall of Famers. You know something, I’d take another two or three kids like that,†Lewis said.
Along with his improvement on the ice, Datsyuk’s English is seeing better days. In previous seasons, former Wings defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov filled in as an interpreter for Pavel when reporters interviewed him. Now he feels much more confident with interviews, even television ones, after taking an English class. “Datsyuk took an English class, but simply being around the locker room and watching television has helped him pick up the language better,†Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News said.
Sources:
The Detroit News
Sports Illustrated
NHL.com
The Oakland Press
My Interview w/ Mr. Jim Nill
Interview with Jim Nill
This interview was not conducted in person, but through email instead. Mr. Nill has played on numerous professional hockey teams, including the Red Wings, before becoming the Wings’ assistant general manager.
Christy: What do you find as the most rewarding aspect of your job? The most challenging?
Nill: The most rewarding aspect of my job is having the opportunity to see the next stars that will someday play in the NHL. With my job I am able to see these players when they are 16-17 years of age and I know that someday they will be playing somewhere in the NHL. It’s a great challenge to scout and recruit the next players for the Detroit Red Wings organization. Due to our success as a franchise we are always selecting low in the draft where it is harder to find players, but it is a great challenge to find the next “diamond in the rough”.
Christy: How much of a change was it to go from a job being a professional player to scouting for future prospects?
Nill: During my 12 years of professional hockey I played for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, and Vancouver Canucks. It was a huge change to go from playing to scouting. As a player you were always looking at players who were 20 to 35 years of age. In the scouting business you are looking at young men who are 16-17 years of age. Some have developed physicall and mentally, others have not, so you must try to project what they will develop into when they are 20-30 years of age. You are dealing with human beings and it is not always easy to figure people out. All different factors can affect their development, ie.. money, school, friends, family, outside influences, their commitment and drive, etc… It is not an exact science to figure out people.
Christy: Pavel Datsyuk seems to have really stepped up this year following Sergei’s leave. Who was it that ‘found’ Datsyuk? Did you have any role in his discovery?
Nill: Hakan Andersson, our European scout was the first person to see Pavel. I was the person who drafted him and then I worked on his development after we drafted Pavel.
Christy: What made them think Pavel was so special when other teams passed him up?
Nill: Pavel had very good skills, but was very small and weak. When we drafted him he was 5′8″ and about 145 pounds soaking wet. We liked his skills, but did not know if he would every grow enough and/or get strong enough to play in the NHL. As we can all see now he did develop.
Christy: Has Pavel met or exceeded the team’s expectations? Is he a big surprise?
Nill: Pavel has exceeded our expectations, When we brought him over to play 2 years ago we knew he could play in the NHL, but we did not expect him to reach this level of stardom so quickly.
Christy: After deciding that you would like to see a certain player (like Datsyuk) play for the Wings, what process or steps do you follow to get him on the team?
Nill: Once we have drafted the player we monitor his development wherever he is playing. We analyze whether he is in a good environment to develop and monitor his progress. We watch the level of competition he is playing at, watch his strength development, and talk with the player to see if it is better for him to remain in his home environment or should he be somewhere else. There are all different factors to take into consideration. Once we feel that he is mature enough physically and mentally we must determine if he is able to play at either the AHL level (Grand Rapids) or do we feel he can step right into playing for Detroit Red Wings. The final piece of the puzzle is to get him signed to a contract.
Christy: If you had to define your job and role in the Wings organization in a few sentences, what would they be?
Nill: My job description is being in charge of all drafting and developing of players for the Detroit Red Wings. To continue the success of our franchise we must have a steady influx of young players developing in our system at all times.
Christy: How often do you go on scouting trips in lets say a months time? How do you balance work and family?
Nill: I am at a hockey game 5 nights out of 7 during every week from October to May. I travel to Europe 5-6 times a year for a week to 10 days at a time. I am fortunate that I make my own schedule so I am always around for any family function. Also I live in a great hockey location, there is every level of hockey around the Michigan area which allows me to be home every night. I am also very fortunate that I have a great family who can tolerate my travels and they are very indepedent.
Behind the Jersey: No. 25
Loyal. The perfect word to describe right wing 31-year old Darren McCarty. McCarty is known for his loyalty to family, to teammates, and to Hockeytown.
By the age of five, McCarty already decided what he wanted to do in his life - play in the NHL. His parents, Craig and Roberta, had strong doubts about him being capable of fulfilling his lifelong goal. “We were constantly telling Darren he had to have a dream other than the NHL. We encouraged him to work at his school classes so he could have an education if his dreams of hockey did not come through,†Craig McCarty said. However, Darren was determined to get to the NHL and through the many ups and downs of his hockey career he succeeded. In 1992, the Detroit Red Wings selected Darren as their second pick of the draft. Darren and his family were ecstatic as the Wings were the closest NHL team to his hometown: Leamington, Ontario.
McCarty made his NHL debut in the ’93-’94 season and scored his first goal against the Winnipeg Jets on October 21, 1993. Even as a rookie, McCarty was known for his fighting. “Fighting may have gotten Darren on the team but he had to develop his other skills if he was to stay. He would stay after practice for an hour to work on his skating and stick handling. As the season progressed he was improving and getting more playing time,†Craig said. He finished the season with 17 assists, 9 goals, and 181 penalty minutes in 67 games.
Darren’s father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood and bone. In July of 1996, Craig was going to Toronto for a stem cell transplant while Darren headed to rehab to fight his alcoholism. The two decided to work together and fight the two battles together no matter what. “Cancer is a disease that is bigger than both Darren and me. Alcoholism is also a disease that is bigger than both Darren and me. Unfortunately, I have cancer. And unfortunately, Darren is an alcoholic. We decided to deal with our diseases together, no matter what the outcome, to be there for each other,†Craig said.
In 1997, Darren called his father the day before Father’s Day telling him that he was going to start a foundation to raise money for research for multiple myeloma. Together they ran the foundation called The McCarty Cancer Foundation. Craig lost his fight with cancer in 1999 and Darren continues to run the foundation with his mother. To date the foundation has raised over 3 million dollars through raffling memorabilia, the foundation’s annual “Golfing for the Goal” event at the Birmingham Golf and Country Club, and many other fundraising events.
Darren is loyal to his fellow teammates. For example, Colorado Avalanche player Claude Lemieux drilled Kris Draper, McCarty’s current roommate on the road, head first into the boards inflicting serious injuries to Draper requiring reconstructive facial surgery. March 26, 1997- the next time McCarty played the Avs he fought Lemieux to avenge his friend’s injuries. Darren also supported his three teammates, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, and Sergei Mnatsakanov, after the limousine accident shortly after the 1997 Stanley Cup win. “It was John Morton, our trainer’s idea for me to form a band and do a song for the local tribute album to raise funds for the injured Red Wings,†McCarty said. This past summer, Darren spent time touring around the Midwest with his band, Grinder. A portion of all proceeds earned by the band and by the book Rinkside, written by Craig McCarty, goes to the McCarty Cancer Foundation.
Darren’s loyalty extends to Hockeytown, both the city and the fans. Early this summer, the Wings were uncertain if Darren would be playing for them next season, as he became an unrestricted free agent. He never wanted to leave Detroit, but at first it looked like a deal suitable to both sides couldn’t be made. “I mean, where do I start? My family loves it here, the schools, the golf courses, the McCarty Cancer Foundation, all the friends I’ve made here the past 10 years. It’s everything. But to be a Red Wing, that’s first and foremost. It’s just home, that’s what this is. And I couldn’t imagine myself not being here,†McCarty said. After many negotiations, a deal was made for four years and worth 8.75 million dollars.
Darren has ties to the community as well. McCarty, along with many other Wings, makes solo trips to Children’s Hospital in Detroit. “We get to know them, their families and what they’re going through. It’s sad to have to see the same kids over the years, still fighting to get better. This really makes you count your blessings. This is the best part of being a hockey player: helping these kids. You can’t beat that,†McCarty said. He’s active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is the team spokesman for Motor City Mitten Madness, a collection of items such as coats, hats, and gloves for the homeless and less fortunate in the Detroit area. This past summer, Darren was awarded a $25,000 grant to advance his work with the McCarty Cancer Foundation after receiving the sixth annual NHL Foundation Player Award.
“We have a tremendous level of interest in Darren the person, Darren the family man, Darren the hockey player. That’s something we all care about. He’s not just a jersey number. He has a lot of support from his teammates,†head coach Dave Lewis said. Speaking of jersey numbers, McCarty did not get the jersey number that he would have liked. He originally wanted the jersey number 19 or 10 because he wore both of those numbers before reaching the NHL. However, Captain Steve Yzerman already wore 19 and Alex Delvecchio’s No. 10 had been retired in 1991. So he had decided on No. 27, but someone else snatched that number up. “Micah Aivaoff had more minor league games than me. He was older and got to pick first, he picked 27. I would have picked 27 if I had first choice. It’s just a cool number,†McCarty said. So he went with the next best number – No. 25. “It was my second choice, my first year. Twenty-five was better than 14 or 18, whatever was left,” McCarty said. Nowadays, it just wouldn’t seem right for McCarty to be any other number, as No. 25 has become a staple to the Grind Line and the Detroit Red Wings. “It’s sort of synonymous. I wouldn’t know how to write another number on my autograph,†McCarty said.
Sources:
Rinkside (book written by Craig McCarty)
Inside Hockeytown- Feb/March 2002 issue & Feb 2003 issue
Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
Score! Music Magazine