Pavel Datsuyk

Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings is my favorite professional hockey player. Pavel Datsyuk is a fast playing hockey man who has had great careers with both the Russian hockey league as well as the NHL. This is a report about his life and accomplishments.

Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk was born on July 20, 1978 in Sverlovsk, USSR. Through his childhood he went to a special hockey school, which is what people credit for his extraordinary skills.

PAST

RSL

Pavel Datsyuk started his career out in his home country’s professional hockey league the R(ussian) S(uper) L(eague). “Dats” started out playing for the RHL in the 1996-97 season with Spartak Yekaterinburg. By the end of that season he had scored 2 goals and 2 assists, but he was just a rookie he would soon be recognized as more. A better-ranked Dynamo Yekaterinburg signed him the next year and in the next two seasons with them he scored altogether 15 goals and 20 assists.

Pavel continued playing hockey with Ak Bars Kazan, going to the Detroit Red wings training camp for two summers because of the invitation he had received from Håkan Andersson, the wings Russian recruiter during the 1997-98 season. Those seasons he scored 10 goals and 20 assists. He knew he was ready for the big leagues.

NHL

Datsyuk was drafted 171^st overall in 1998 and began his training in the off-season. In the 2001-02 season Datsyuk hit the ice as a #13 red wing for the first time. People say he was trained by the best, for at that time legendary Russians Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov were still playing for Detroit’s team. Other than the Russians, he was mentored by Steve Yzerman the truly amazing captain who’s jersey now lies in the rafters of Joe Louis and whose Name runs deep in hall of fame history. That first NHL season he was on a line with Brett Hull and Boyd Devereaux and scored 11 times and assisted in scoring 24 times. That was the most he had ever assisted in one season. Also during that same season the Red Wings won the Stanley cup, Datsyuk’s very first.

In the 2002-03 season Devereaux was traded to a different line and Henrik Zetterberg was drafted on to the same line as “pavs” forming the “two kids and an old goat’ line with Hull. On this line Datsyuk scored 12 times and assisted 39. “Moves” got a knee injury so the team was beaten down by Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs. By this time Datsyuk had learned English and purposely put on some weight for a harder check. In the Olympics of that year he led the Russians to a bronze medal.

In “Dats” third season, Sergei Fedorov left the team for the Anaheim ducks giving

Pavel more ice time. He managed to make 30 goals and 38 assists in just that season and during the playoffs another 6 assists.  Dec. 2003he was voted NHL offensive player of the month. Although the Wings did not win that season Pavel had more cups coming.

The 04-05 season was the hockey lockout year no teams competed and most players went on strike. Datsyuk was forced to go back and play for HC dynamo Moscow. He scored 15 times and assisted 17 and lead to victory over the other teams of the league. In Sept. of 2005 he received several small offers from RSL teams to join their rosters but on Sept. 19^th of 2005, the Red Wings resigned him onto theirs. Datsyuk was constantly the top scorer for the red wings that season he scored 28 times and assisted 59 times, the most in his career at that time. He also won his first of three in a row Lady Byng trophies for most gentlemanly player.  He also started his first three in a row for leading his team in most points just like legends Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman. Even with his scoring, the team only made division champs. He wanted more.

The Russian hockey team barely missed the mark for 3^rd falling to fourth under the Czech republic in the 2006 winter Olympics. Datsyuk disappointed and discouraged returned home to the Joe.

In the 06-07 season he scored 27 and 60 assists. The wings were once again the division champs. This was the first year he was nominated for the All-Star game.

“Dats” went on to win the Stanley cup last year with 31 goals and 66 assists in the regular season and 10 goals and 13 assists in the playoffs. He also won his third Lady Byng in a row, his Frank j. Selke trophy and his NHL plus-minus award for the most in that stat, passing the stars Mike Modano by 58.  That year he went to the all-stars with Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik “Zetty” Zetterberg.

That amazing game vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins (Crosby’s) in which I watched till two in the morning on a TV screen, Pavel Datsyuk assisted in two out of the three goals scored. You could say that he was the reason they won the cup, or you could say that he saved us from Dominick Hasek (our goalie who is now retired) giving the Stanley to Sidney Crosby.

Present

2008-2009 Season

Pavel Datsyuk is 30 years old. He lives with his wife Svetlana and his daughter Elizabeth. He is 5ft 11In and weights 194 lbs. His hobbies include tennis, soccer, billiards, and fishing. He learned tennis just two years ago and makes most of his friends through it. “Pavs” likes soccer because you can play it with any air filled ball on any piece of ground. He learned it when he was seven. He has taken billiards seriously since he was 17. “Though it requires some practice” he says “the game is easy to follow and often relaxed.” Fishing has been a long time passion of his since he was five when his dad first took him out to a dock and he has loved it ever since.

He has a $6,700,000 salary and this year the only rough spot was getting used to Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin as teammate’s rather than opponents. Both he faced on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This season so far he has scored 25 points and 49 assists his plus-minus stat is still the best on his team at 30 and his PIM (penalty’s in minutes) is 16. On Sat. Jan. 3. 2009 vs. the Minnesota wild he scored the winning goal, “a Datsyukian deke that turns goalies into a collapsing pile of limbs” in a shootout.

“ Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom form the league’s best line not only because they dominate offensively, but also because they can defend a lead late in the third period” says Sports Illustrated”s Pierre McGuire.

However it isn’t just his line that makes him so good with a stick ”He can pretty much put the puck wherever he likes” Dave Waddell, Windsor star says then adds“ Detroit red wings stick handling wizard claiming the inspiration for his unpredictable moves come from chasing his young daughter at home” in his article IT’S CHILDS PLAY FOR DATSYUK.

Future

 This season as I said after 6 seasons Datsyuk’s salary has finally reached $6,700,00. That is one reason we believe he will stay with the red wings for as long as possible, along with the fact that he signed a five year contract with the red wings this past season. Without question it would seem that he has no desire to leave as Brendan Shannahan did just this year.

Pavel Datsyuk is both my favorite and in my opinion most devoted hockey player. He has had great careers with the both the RSL and NHl and I hope you have enjoyed them through my words.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mcguire, Pierre. "In the Crease "what a catch what an upset"." Sports Illustrated Feb. 11 2008: 82.

Waddell, Dave. "It's child's play for Datsyuk." 16 Feb 2009 <http://www.windsorstar.com/sports/child+play+datsyuk/1144514/story.html>.

“#13 Pavel Datsyuk, C” 16 Feb 2009 <http://www.cbssport.com/nhl/players/playerpage/274244>. CBS NHl.

"Pavel Datsyuk." Wikipedia. 13 Feb 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/pavel_datsyuk>.

“Hobby” 13 Feb 2009 <http://www.datsyuk13.com/index.html>.

“Pavel Datsyuk” 15 Feb 2009 <www.geocities.come_ouzikovdatsyuk.html>.

     “#13 Datsyuk, Pavel” 25 Feb 2009 <http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com            

          /hockeyplayer.cgi?2049&showallmoves=1>.