From Belarus to best in league
Jan 14, 2006 7:24:25 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2006 7:24:25 GMT -5
www.thelondoner.ca/sport/index.htm
London Knights rookie sensation Sergei Kostitsyn, a native of Belarus, is shy in public – partly because he’s just learning English – but he’s grace under pressure on the ice. He finds the Canadian game faster and tougher, but he’s adapting quickly.
Sergei Kostitsyn immediately catches your eye with his speed and talent.
He has scored 50 points so far in his first season with the London Knights – to lead all Ontario Hockey League rookies – and has done it with the flair of a future big league star.
During a recent practice, as the Knights skated out on the ice, Sergei was one of the last through the gate. Shy, not talking to anybody, he looked down at the ice and started skating, keeping his distance from the other players.
Suddenly, when the team was ready and the formal practice started, he transformed into a completely different person. The shy boy turned into a man passionate about his game.
He was smiling and joking with his teammates and made his workout seem like child’s play.
“He’s a great kid,” says Don Brankley, head trainer of the Knights. “He’s a very talented hockey player and what I like the best about him, he’s got that fantastic personality. He’s funny, he’s charming, just look at his face – he is always happy.”
Practice lasted longer than planned as the Knights had a shootout to wind up their morning. Those who scored got to try again until there was one man left standing.
“Sergei is usually really good at that,” Don says. Sure enough, the puck flew past the goalie into the net on his first try.
Arriving in Canada was a big challenge for a young man who spoke no English. Everything looked new, strange and was different from his homeland Belarus, a small eastern European country, when he moved to Canada to continue his hockey career.
“I was really excited. It was hard, but it was a fun change for me,” Sergei says.
The 18-year-old forward was drafted by the Knights in the first round, 57th overall, in the 2005 Canadian Hockey League import draft.
“He’s been very good for us. He’s come over with great skills and his workout is great. He’s one of my top five guys in the power play,” says Dale Hunter, president and head coach of the London Knights.
The team accepted Sergei very well. Although they had to communicate using sign language at first, they understood each other.
“He is coming along with his English very nicely. He is joking all the time, the guys on the team like him. He is probably the best European player so far,” Don says. “He is getting along very well. It’s helping him to become a better player. It’s easier for him to play and it’s easy for guys to play with him. He’s the best.”
It was a big change for Sergei, not only because of the move from his home country to a completely different world, but also because he had to get used to a whole new hockey game.
“North American hockey is not the same as it is in Europe,” Sergei says. “The rink is smaller here and the rules are different. Canada has NHL rules, Europe still uses traditional hockey rules. North American hockey is more physical. The speed of the game is faster here, too.
“In Belarus adults are playing professional hockey. Here you can see mostly young guys. In Canada one of the important components of the game is its speed. In Belarus it’s experience.”
It wasn’t easy but now he is very confident playing Canadian hockey.
“He’s a really skilled kid and he really works hard and he enjoys the game. It’s nice to see. He came over here and he fit in really well out of a different culture,” Dale says.
Hockey is a real family thing for Sergei. His father was a famous Belarusian hockey player and his elder brother, Andrei Kostitsyn, is now playing for the Montreal Canadiens and its American League franchise the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Sergei remembers the day his father first brought him to the sports school to play hockey when he was six years old. It was the beginning of a career which would see him playing for his home town of Novopolotsk and by the time he was 15 he was invited to join a big-city team in Gomel which led to a position on the Belarusian national team.
Just over a year ago Sergei had no plans to play hockey anywhere abroad.
In an interview then with a Belarusian newspaper, Pressball, he said it’s not necessary to go elsewhere if you really want to become a professional. It didn’t take him long to change his mind when he started getting offers from Canada and Russia.
“I talked to my agent, to my brother and to my parents and decided this is the best thing to do because I have more opportunities for my hockey career here, in Canada,” Sergei says.
The first time Sergei came to London was during the Memorial Cup last summer. He was here with his agent to negotiate with the London Knights and was drafted soon afterwards. “I was really nervous and excited at that time but now it feels like the right decision.”
Sergei starts his day with team practice and spends time with his teammates away from the ice.
“We like to go to the movies. I don’t remember what I saw last time we were at the theatre because it was all in English but that’s not the point of our visits there,” Sergei says. “If there is no game for a long time we go to night clubs. We have a lot of fun going there.”
When they don’t go to the movies or night clubs, Sergei likes to stay at home with his host family which includes three little children. “They are very friendly and accepted me just great. One time during dinner the kids called me their brother. It felt awesome.”
It was difficult for Sergei to get used to the local food. It is completely different from Belarusian cuisine.
“What is Canadian food? I don’t even know. There are so many things. They are not really Canadian because they are from all over the world. I like it, but I hate hamburgers,” Sergei says. “Before games we have a tradition of going to Spaghetti Eddie’s. Spaghetti and chicken on the game night is the best.”
When he has time he likes to surf the internet checking out Russian news and hockey life in particular. He also watches sport channels on TV.
“There is nothing more to watch especially when I don’t understand anything they are talking about,” he says.
Although he enjoys his life in London, very often Sergei feels homesick. He misses his friends. He misses talking in Russian and having fun in Russian ways. “I didn’t meet any Russian people in London yet, just my English tutor.”
Sergei’s older brother lives just down the road in Hamilton which Sergei says helps his homesickness a lot. They often see each other, going back and forth to support each others game.
Sergei was also selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round of the 2005 draft and now he is dreaming about playing in the NHL.
Sergei said the key to his success is he doesn’t let anybody touch his stick before the game. Then he smiled and added: “And you have to work hard. Work, work, work – and everything will come.”
Shortly before the New Year, Sergei got back from Belarus. He brought a new title with him – he was named top forward and most valuable player of the 2005 World Junior Pool B Championships held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in December for his part in leading the Belarus team to victory.
London Knights rookie sensation Sergei Kostitsyn, a native of Belarus, is shy in public – partly because he’s just learning English – but he’s grace under pressure on the ice. He finds the Canadian game faster and tougher, but he’s adapting quickly.
Sergei Kostitsyn immediately catches your eye with his speed and talent.
He has scored 50 points so far in his first season with the London Knights – to lead all Ontario Hockey League rookies – and has done it with the flair of a future big league star.
During a recent practice, as the Knights skated out on the ice, Sergei was one of the last through the gate. Shy, not talking to anybody, he looked down at the ice and started skating, keeping his distance from the other players.
Suddenly, when the team was ready and the formal practice started, he transformed into a completely different person. The shy boy turned into a man passionate about his game.
He was smiling and joking with his teammates and made his workout seem like child’s play.
“He’s a great kid,” says Don Brankley, head trainer of the Knights. “He’s a very talented hockey player and what I like the best about him, he’s got that fantastic personality. He’s funny, he’s charming, just look at his face – he is always happy.”
Practice lasted longer than planned as the Knights had a shootout to wind up their morning. Those who scored got to try again until there was one man left standing.
“Sergei is usually really good at that,” Don says. Sure enough, the puck flew past the goalie into the net on his first try.
Arriving in Canada was a big challenge for a young man who spoke no English. Everything looked new, strange and was different from his homeland Belarus, a small eastern European country, when he moved to Canada to continue his hockey career.
“I was really excited. It was hard, but it was a fun change for me,” Sergei says.
The 18-year-old forward was drafted by the Knights in the first round, 57th overall, in the 2005 Canadian Hockey League import draft.
“He’s been very good for us. He’s come over with great skills and his workout is great. He’s one of my top five guys in the power play,” says Dale Hunter, president and head coach of the London Knights.
The team accepted Sergei very well. Although they had to communicate using sign language at first, they understood each other.
“He is coming along with his English very nicely. He is joking all the time, the guys on the team like him. He is probably the best European player so far,” Don says. “He is getting along very well. It’s helping him to become a better player. It’s easier for him to play and it’s easy for guys to play with him. He’s the best.”
It was a big change for Sergei, not only because of the move from his home country to a completely different world, but also because he had to get used to a whole new hockey game.
“North American hockey is not the same as it is in Europe,” Sergei says. “The rink is smaller here and the rules are different. Canada has NHL rules, Europe still uses traditional hockey rules. North American hockey is more physical. The speed of the game is faster here, too.
“In Belarus adults are playing professional hockey. Here you can see mostly young guys. In Canada one of the important components of the game is its speed. In Belarus it’s experience.”
It wasn’t easy but now he is very confident playing Canadian hockey.
“He’s a really skilled kid and he really works hard and he enjoys the game. It’s nice to see. He came over here and he fit in really well out of a different culture,” Dale says.
Hockey is a real family thing for Sergei. His father was a famous Belarusian hockey player and his elder brother, Andrei Kostitsyn, is now playing for the Montreal Canadiens and its American League franchise the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Sergei remembers the day his father first brought him to the sports school to play hockey when he was six years old. It was the beginning of a career which would see him playing for his home town of Novopolotsk and by the time he was 15 he was invited to join a big-city team in Gomel which led to a position on the Belarusian national team.
Just over a year ago Sergei had no plans to play hockey anywhere abroad.
In an interview then with a Belarusian newspaper, Pressball, he said it’s not necessary to go elsewhere if you really want to become a professional. It didn’t take him long to change his mind when he started getting offers from Canada and Russia.
“I talked to my agent, to my brother and to my parents and decided this is the best thing to do because I have more opportunities for my hockey career here, in Canada,” Sergei says.
The first time Sergei came to London was during the Memorial Cup last summer. He was here with his agent to negotiate with the London Knights and was drafted soon afterwards. “I was really nervous and excited at that time but now it feels like the right decision.”
Sergei starts his day with team practice and spends time with his teammates away from the ice.
“We like to go to the movies. I don’t remember what I saw last time we were at the theatre because it was all in English but that’s not the point of our visits there,” Sergei says. “If there is no game for a long time we go to night clubs. We have a lot of fun going there.”
When they don’t go to the movies or night clubs, Sergei likes to stay at home with his host family which includes three little children. “They are very friendly and accepted me just great. One time during dinner the kids called me their brother. It felt awesome.”
It was difficult for Sergei to get used to the local food. It is completely different from Belarusian cuisine.
“What is Canadian food? I don’t even know. There are so many things. They are not really Canadian because they are from all over the world. I like it, but I hate hamburgers,” Sergei says. “Before games we have a tradition of going to Spaghetti Eddie’s. Spaghetti and chicken on the game night is the best.”
When he has time he likes to surf the internet checking out Russian news and hockey life in particular. He also watches sport channels on TV.
“There is nothing more to watch especially when I don’t understand anything they are talking about,” he says.
Although he enjoys his life in London, very often Sergei feels homesick. He misses his friends. He misses talking in Russian and having fun in Russian ways. “I didn’t meet any Russian people in London yet, just my English tutor.”
Sergei’s older brother lives just down the road in Hamilton which Sergei says helps his homesickness a lot. They often see each other, going back and forth to support each others game.
Sergei was also selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round of the 2005 draft and now he is dreaming about playing in the NHL.
Sergei said the key to his success is he doesn’t let anybody touch his stick before the game. Then he smiled and added: “And you have to work hard. Work, work, work – and everything will come.”
Shortly before the New Year, Sergei got back from Belarus. He brought a new title with him – he was named top forward and most valuable player of the 2005 World Junior Pool B Championships held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in December for his part in leading the Belarus team to victory.
