It should be remembered for those who do not know – Mikhail Kravets in his youth was a very decent power forward. For example, in the 1990/91 season, he scored 16 (8+8) points in 25 league appearances for SKA, while picking up 28 penalty minutes. That same year, he was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the 243rd pick in the 1991 rookie draft.
Thus, Kravets has only played two NHL games in his career, and that’s not entirely indicative. But he played 222 games in the East Coast League (ECHL), where he not only scored 232 (71+161) points, but also took 425 penalty minutes. But there were still 259 games in the International Hockey League, where the Kravets had 191 (50+141) points with 529 penalty minutes. Strong, stocky (178 cm / 88 kg) – he always knew how to fight and did not put a word in his pocket.
Not so long ago, flew to Omsk and spoke with Kravets about this period of his North American career.
“They didn’t make me a fighter, I’ve been like that since childhood”
How did you know you were drafted? After all, the Internet was not in the project at the time.
– Suddenly. Someone called … In my opinion, Konstantin Krylov. He was then working as a scout for San Jose.
– The NHL team just appeared and immediately drew attention to you. What attracted you to her?
– At that time, I often played for the second team of the Leningrad Pravda tournament. And the scouts often came there. And one of them was just Chuck Greal, director of players at San Jose. Apparently he liked me with my game.
– So you already had your own agent?
– There were, but then… Then it got more serious.
– You arrive in New York, there is no change, no one meets you. Frame directly with Danila Bagrov from the movie “Brother-2”.
– And it happened! The taxi driver explained to me how to use the phone in a call format, which is quite unusual for a Soviet. It turned out that you can call and talk at the expense of the subscriber. The taxi driver explained everything to me, I knew the phone number of my North American agent. I composed it and the movement has already continued.
– SKA is unlikely to have made you a badass. When did they start making you an overseas ice fighter?
– Yes, none of me did, I’ve been like this since childhood. And he always played hockey so combatively. It has always bothered me that there are such Canadians who beat everyone, and ours always lose to them in fights too. Therefore, across the ocean, I immediately understood that we must not lose this power struggle. If necessary, he could fight and fold under the puck. But at the same time, I loved to score and pass. I tried to do everything on the pitch.
“Shanahan first knocked out my tooth with a club”
October 8, 1991 vs. Calgary, San Jose wins 4-3. How would you rate your debut? You have two shots on target. Could enter?
“Something must have happened!” It was a big surprise for me that after the winning match I was sent to the farm club again. But it was good to win anyway. Also, it was San Jose’s first win in the NHL and I was part of that win.
– In San Jose, you crossed paths with Vasily Tikhonov, who came there with his whole family, as well as his son Viktor.
– Vitya was still very small then. And with Vasily Viktorovich we had warm and very friendly relations. His wife taught us English. Later, when we met in Moscow, we talked with Vasily. It was the same with Viktor when he played for SKA.
– After San Jose, you had a hard time. Now when a player is sent to the East Coast League, a lot of people say, ‘Yes, I’d rather finish my career there.’ And you spent three years there. We saw the whole American hinterland – Milwaukee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas… What do you remember from the time when you toured the USA by bus?
– Then it was already easier for me to live in America after playing for several years in the San Jose system. I had already spent four years in the United States at that time, so I just decided to stay, not move and play hockey in the ECHL. In principle, everything suited me. I can say that great people live in all this hinterland, who have a good attitude towards Russians and especially towards my family. Everything was great. I liked the game and life.
– Which of your ECHL teams was the most colorful – Sea Wolves (Mississippi), Ice Alligators (Louisiana), Royal Fish (Baton Rouge)?
– These are just the most serious teams in this league. Yes, everything was fine, hockey is hockey everywhere.
– How did you get into a fight with future three-time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic champion Brendan Shanahan?
– It was a practice match, we played in Kansas City, there was a clash. Then it all ended in a fight, and for me too the loss of a tooth. Specifically, Shanahan broke my tooth with a club first, because of this the fight started.
“I would advance Mikhail Kravets to Avangard”
– As a Kravets coach, would you now take the Kravets player to Avangard – a striker who fights often, scores a little, but a role player with character?
– Where does this “small score” come from? I never scored a lot.
– Exactly, you were SKA’s second or third goalscorer. It’s only in the NHL that you don’t have a lot of goals.
– But in other overseas leagues, he scored even more. Yes, of course I would. I think such a player would help the team.
Would it be difficult for you to find a common language with him? After all, player Mikhail Kravets cut the truth in the face of the coaches.
– You know, that’s exactly what helps me now as a coach. I appreciate and understand these players. I could see everything in my face. If they changed me, then my face immediately changed the wrong way. It was immediately obvious that I was dissatisfied.
Know that I was not a gift. But, going out on the ice, he did his job. I could say something to the coach. But it happened one-on-one, when we looked into each other’s eyes. I have had such incidents in North America. Analyzing my actions now, I understand that somewhere I had to hold back, behave differently. But now I know that such a player helps the team more. Therefore, as a coach, I can endure certain things, because I understand why they happen.
– Danila Markov almost beat Peter Laviolette. His teammates held him back. Have you had something similar?
– There were fights, but, of course, not with coaches. I have always respected the coaches of the team. Even though he broke down, he came over and apologized. And in training with teammates, he happened to fight.
Why do players fight in training? What’s there to share?
– They don’t share anything. Just go, let’s say, the “one to one” exercise. And the striker didn’t like the way the defender played against him in the body. It’s such a man fight, you don’t want to back down.
Watch live broadcasts of KHL matches on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
