1992 Olympic champion, 1994 Stanley Cup winner Alexei Kovalev in an interview with , he stated that over the decades hockey has undergone significant changes with respect to assisted shots and their execution.
Kovalev played in the NHL from 1992 to 2013, playing for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
Why didn’t you play lacrosse in the 90s?
– Then the fanciful goals were not welcome. I remember them looking askance at you even for a throw under your foot. And now it is believed that if you score an unusual goal, you are no longer a hockey player, but a god.
I’ve never been a lacrosse coach, I wasn’t interested. There are certain fakes – so, I remember, everyone liked the way I was throwing nines, holding the stick in one hand. These things can be used in the game if you jump from the side and put down the shell. You have a stick in one hand. Once – and scored. And the guard did not expect it.
I remember I was doing a feint, which was also performed by Pasha Datsyuk. You stand outside the goal, shoot and so the puck lands on the goalie’s back and he goes into the net with it. Or you just throw it at a penny, and there it bounces back into the goal. I tried several times, but it didn’t work.
The butt is beautiful, unusual, masterful. But for me, it’s not a “wow” movement. Now, if you, like Connor McDavid, score a goal, starting from the “mustache” to the gate, circling three players – it’s “wow”. What is lacrosse? You place the puck on the stick and shoot from behind the net. If the goalkeeper misses the moment, then you have scored. Well done. But I’m a different style player and like different stuff.
If you had played fantasy lacrosse in 1994, what would Rangers head coach Mike Keenan have done to you?
– If I had scored, I wouldn’t have done anything. And if he had missed the feint, he would have started shouting, “What kind of frills?” Why did you waste the moment?
Then even hockey players were afraid to do it because it would be considered high stick play. After all, you can give a pass or go out yourself. In my day, nobody showed off, and they just played. The puck must be on the ice. And if you can beat two people in three meters, then that’s cool,” Kovalev told .
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
