Kukla's Korner Hockey
A Look At Pavel Datsyuk
by Paul on 01/18/09 at 10:21 AM ET
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from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
Those who remember Datsyuk as a rookie, when he was a lanky little thing with deft hands and the shiest smile, aren’t the least bit surprised he has become a luminous star.
“His first day of training camp he had the flu,” former captain Steve Yzerman said. “From the second day on, he wowed us.”
Yzerman played with Datsyuk from 2001-02 until he retired in the summer of 2006. Now a member of the front office, Yzerman has vivid memories of Datsyuk’s first year.
“His stickhandling stood out immediately,” Yzerman said. “He just shoots more now. He was really good back then; he just didn’t play a lot.”
It spoke volumes about Datsyuk that, even as a rookie, veteran Brett Hull wanted to play with him, because Hull wasn’t the type to tolerate linemates who didn’t get him the puck.
“Brett recognized a good player there, for sure,” Yzerman said. “Pavel was so good right off the bat. Had we needed him to, he could have played a lot more than he did. He was phenomenal.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Pavel+Datsyuk,
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