Article on how Kovalev develop his stickhandling..

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Sorry, I could not link the page since we need to be a member of highbeam to see it.

THE BEST OF THE NHL; THE STICK-HANDLER; ALEXEI KOVALEV (27).(SPECIAL)

From: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) | Date: February 6, 2004 | Author: Snow, Chris | More results for: Kovalev best stickhandler

Byline: Chris Snow; Staff Writer

By Chris Snow

Star Tribune Staff Writer

To this day, on the brink of his 31st birthday, Alexei Kovalev can hear the words of his father, Vicheslav.

"He'd always tell me, `Gotta do it, 15 or 20 minutes,' " Kovalev said. "Sometimes I'd get lazy, and he always forced me to do it."

"It" was a drill Kovalev learned as an 8-year-old from coach Vladimir Gujenkov in Kovalev's hometown of Togliatti, Russia. The coach lined up three pucks in the shape a triangle, the pucks 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart, and told Kovalev to stickhandle through them. He also recommended that Kovalev mimic the drill at home with a ball.

At age 14, Kovalev moved to a hotel in Moscow to further his hockey career. He lived alone, and he would practice the drill in his room, controlling the ball through each chair leg. Even now, he will perform the on-ice drill at Madison Square Garden and improvise at his New York home.

It is no accident or shock, therefore, that a poll of NHL general managers found Kovalev to be a stickhandler unequaled in the NHL.

One recent morning at Madison Square Garden, Kovalev outlined the drill in the dressing room.

"It could be two pucks, it could be four pucks, it doesn't matter," he said. "First, you're trying to get confidence, trying not to hit any pucks in different directions. Then you try to look up, look around, and just do it by feel."

Kovalev's feel is remarkable. That morning, following a game-day skate, he juggled the puck, as a soccer player would a ball. He scooped it up, twice volleying the black rubber disk with his stick, then once with his head and back onto the stick.

At one point, he chased down a puck and passed to a teammate. The teammate arched the puck high and over Kovalev's head. He wheeled, reached a few feet over his head and picked the puck from the air, sending it back in the direction from whence it came.

In a game, that would be whistled down for a high stick. In practice, players whistle at a brilliant demonstration of hand-eye coordination.

Other days, at the conclusion of practice, Kovalev will lure two teammates into a faceoff circle and play keepaway. During games, he'll study other players' moves, whether that player is Marian Gaborik or a rookie with hands of cement.

"As many times happens, not in the NHL [as much as] back then [in Russia], someone's not a really good player but he's done something, maybe accidentally, but it really looks good," Kovalev said. "He's just surprised. And personally he can't repeat it."

And Kovalev, more often than not, can. And he's not shy about it. In New York, under the Garden lights, theater sells, and temptation more often than not gives way to inclination.

"This game is so much ability, and there's so many things you can do in this game," he said. "It depends if you really want to focus on it and do something different."

[jjtt99 0]

Good timing for the article Kovy. Yesterday the wife video taped my game and I'm concluding (modestly) that I'm a pretty good skater. Too bad I have hands of stone and I think it's time I started working on that. :(

Tough to resist the temptation to keep building on your strengths, but there was a couple of instances where my bad hands hurt the team. Good thing I could catch up on the back check! :lol:

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Good timing for the article Kovy. Yesterday the wife video taped my game and I'm concluding (modestly) that I'm a pretty good skater. Too bad I have hands of stone and I think it's time I started working on that. :(

Tough to resist the temptation to keep building on your strengths, but there was a couple of instances where my bad hands hurt the team. Good thing I could catch up on the back check! :lol:

LOL

[DarkStar50 679]

My wood chopping skills on ice are excellent. In other words, my stick-handling sucks. I usually get some ice before work and the other day decided to put out 3 orange cones to work on the wood chopping. MSG showed Straka stick-handling in and out of the cones before the Leafs game a week ago. I put in about 20 minutes of just weaving in and out with the puck around the cones. It helped a lot when I played the next day. Sometimes we do spend too much time working on our strengths and not nearly enough time on our weaknesses.

Kovalev's stick-handling is awesome. The other night against Toronto though he screwed up and skated himself right outside the blueline with the puck. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

[Vic 0]

Good article.

Practice makes perfect.

Wish it would have outlined the drills, but I guess they're no different than the usuals we all know.

Vic

[shute 4]

ya to bad there isn't a skill for him to build up his heart... :P put his hands on to a player like ryan smyth and you'll have a hockey player. B)

[odp 0]

I remember reading an SI article back when Lemieux first came back to the Pens and played with Kovalev. He commented about Kovalev being able to skate at full stride, step on the puck with one skate, spin 360 degrees on it, and continue, hardly losing any speed or looking off balance. Or something to that effect.

[TBLfan 25]

it's amazing how "hacky sacking" a ball or puck can help with your hands. I amaze my teammates and friends with how good my hands are, I knock down almost anything near me.

I just wish I could puckhandle better... but I'm working on it. Kovy says 20 mins a day, i'll do it 25 mins a day! :P

[Jake 0]

There's that one vid on youtube that shows a brief portion of his practice habits. From what I remember he had 12-15 pucks and even a few water bottles all spread out and he was dipsy-doodling through them.

Wonder if there's a full version of that vid.

[jbyun04 7]

i just did about 20 min of that stuff and when i try to write with a pen it feels like im holding a stick

[RadioGaGa 162]

There's that one vid on youtube that shows a brief portion of his practice habits. From what I remember he had 12-15 pucks and even a few water bottles all spread out and he was dipsy-doodling through them.

Wonder if there's a full version of that vid.

If you are talking about the one I think you are...(was it in French?) it was a short clip that was taken during priactice, but they showed it on the RDS broadcast one night...to the best of my knowledge...that was the entire clip.

[opus22 0]

There's that one vid on youtube that shows a brief portion of his practice habits. From what I remember he had 12-15 pucks and even a few water bottles all spread out and he was dipsy-doodling through them.

Wonder if there's a full version of that vid.

i went to youtube and couldnt find this video. can anyone help find it?

[Fletch 219]

It's at the beginning of this clip -

Not the greatest quality though....sorry!

[Vic 0]

This google video is better (larger and loads faster)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2763706318232115993

[stick9 884]

Has to be a Russian thing. Sergei Samsonov is known for doing the same type of drill. He actually skates around the pucks while doing it.

[willc7786 0]

Samsonov (when he was a Bruin) went down once or twice to a local rink where my college team played and played in a few pick up games. He'd use the butt-end of the stick, place it on top of the puck, and skate around everybody.

[hockechamp14 0]

It's at the beginning of this clip -

Not the greatest quality though....sorry!

Is that kovy_ribs and his brother at 1:12?

[Quintin 16]

He's also good at this too:

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

He's also good at this too:

look, Kovalev vs Ovechkin, 1vs1, I take Kovalev anytime.

[J-Shera 0]

He's also good at this too:

look, Kovalev vs Ovechkin, 1vs1, I take Kovalev anytime.

You have the funniest jokes on the board :D

Guys got great skills, but would you take the chance of him in a 1vs1 game. I mean the guy would probably go to the bench cause he's tired while he's playing ovechkin. He sorta seems like the guy who has the motto "let someone else do it"

[mack 44]

He's also good at this too:

look, Kovalev vs Ovechkin, 1vs1, I take Kovalev anytime.

This just makes you look retarded. I seriously expect a day to come where I see in some headline that you hunted Kovalev down and made a skin-suit out of his carcass.

[Storm 0]

He's also good at this too:

look, Kovalev vs Ovechkin, 1vs1, I take Kovalev anytime.

This just makes you look retarded. I seriously expect a day to come where I see in some headline that you hunted Kovalev down and made a skin-suit out of his carcass.

You might think he already did if you ever watched him play. :)

Actually Kovy you remind me more of Youngblood. Did you finally get to see the movie?

[mack 44]

I pray he doesn't play like Kovalev. It'd be a shame to see someone his age play with passion in 30% of their games.

[TBLfan 25]

Kovalev is about the only guy in the NHL that I've seen that half-asses more than Lecavalier. It's a shame because both could have been two of the greats, especially considering that their half-assing and still as good as they are. What both of them need is a coach that can light a fire under their ass and get some hustle.

[hockechamp14 0]

Kovalev is about the only guy in the NHL that I've seen that half-asses more than Lecavalier. It's a shame because both could have been two of the greats, especially considering that their half-assing and still as good as they are. What both of them need is a coach that can light a fire under their ass and get some hustle.

They might not be as good if they didn't half ass it. Maybe it allows them to relax more and show thier talent. Not advocating lack of hustle, just if it aint broke don't fix it.

If the guys are some of the best in the NHL, why change thier mindset.