I was really hoping to avoid too much Montreal Canadiens talk on my blog, but sometimes I can’t resist. It’s not my fault I bleed bleu blanc et rouge.
One of the more comforting things about this year’s Habs is that for the most part, you know what you’re going to get with this team. You’ll get solid playmaking and two-way play from Tomas Plekanec, talentless hard work from Travis Moen, and beer league skating ability from Hal Gill. (Not a knock on Gill, I think he’s a great defensive player and leader, and he’s integral to the team come playoff time).
The team plays a tight system, and is for the most part a pretty consistent bunch. But there is one player who does not fit this mould. He’s a player who is so talented and so strong, that he, as friend of mine once said, could easily score 40 goals in a season if he wanted to. He was rated higher than Alexander Ovechkin as a teenager, and he’s got so much potential, sometimes he makes you want to just yell at your TV (god knows I have). If your blood is the same colour as mine, then you know exactly who I’m talking about.
Say hello to the most inconsistent, frustrating and supremely skilled player on the Montreal Canadiens; none other than Andrei Kostitsyn.
After last night’s out of nowhere, 7-1 shellacking of the Ottawa Senators, Kostitsyn has 13 goals and 27 points in 48 games this year. Pretty average numbers. Average, maybe, for a player with an average (by NHL standards) skill set; but not for a guy like Kostitsyn.
I think the best way to put Kostitsyn’s wasted talent in perspective is by showing you a player that is the complete opposite of AK46. The fearless, toothless, warrior known as Ryan Smyth.
There are no two players in the NHL more different than these two. Whereas Smyth squeezes every last drop out of the little talent he has, Kostitsyn’s got enough talent left over to feed the entire population of Belarus. Kostitsyn can skate, stickhandle, and has one of the most lethal shots in the NHL. Smyth, in the words of the great Pierre McGuire, “can’t shoot, pass or skate”.
From these last two sentences, you would think it would be no competition between these two; and you’d be right. Smyth has had a much better career than Kostitsyn. He has made a living parking himself in front of the net, and has the bumps and bruises to prove it. Smyth simply wants it more than anyone else, while sometimes, it seems like Kostitsyn doesn’t want it at all. To sum it up, no player gets as little as Kostitsyn does out of so much talent, while no player gets as much out of as little as Ryan Smyth.
As a Habs fan, it is frustrating enough watching Kostitsyn coast around the ice like he doesn’t care. But what is even worse is watching him when he decides he does want to play. When Kostitsyn goes on one of his spurts of brilliance, you see all the potential he really has. Then you start wondering why he can’t play like this all the time, and that’s when you start yelling at your TV. (okay maybe that’s just me)
When Kostitsyn is in the mood to play, he’s like a wrecking ball out there. He’s all over the ice; forechecking hard, knocking people around, and driving hard to the net. This physicality is what sets Kostitsyn apart from the very long list of soft European danglers. While yes, Kostitsyn can dangle with the best of them, he`s also possibly one of the strongest guys in the league. You may think I’m exaggerating, but when Kostitsyn puts in the effort to drive to the net and attack, no one wants to get in his way.
Only one person has consistently gotten in Kostitsyn’s way throughout his career, and that person is Andrei Kostitsyn himself. If Kostitsyn ever wakes up and recognizes the god given talent he’s been blessed with, it will be a sight to see. He will become an elite, super skilled power forward, and could easily turn into one of the top 20 players in the league.
Tons of kids dream about being an NHL superstar, but nearly none of them will ever have the chance. No matter how hard they work, they’ll never have enough talent. Andrei Kostitsyn has an opportunity to be a superstar, and unlike most kids, it is all in his hands. He’s got size, skill, and all the tools to succeed; it is up to him to use them. Throughout sports history, there have been so many sad stories about wasted talent, missed opportunities, and squandered potential.
Let this not be one of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment