I remember being seven, black and white tv in front of me and my great gramma eating sunflower seeds on a rocking chair, yelling at the tv.
“Are they on ice?”, I asked
“Yes, why do you think they have those razors on their boots” my great gramma replied.
From that day, I was glued to the tv with her. To be honest, it wasn’t the hockey at first, it was her infectious rooting that got me
as excited as she was.
I never understood, till later, why Russians loved their Central Red Army team (think how vast the Soviet empire was, and how this one team had the best of the best) but that’s who we rooted for in Soviet Ukraine, 1975. Fetisov was a defenseman and while most kids my age were
enthralled with Maltsev and Kharlamov, some others loved Tretiak. Me? I loved my defense and Fetisov was my favorite. Something about how he would be just as part of the offense as he was defense would mesmerize me, the transition was like art, the execution of plays were just as aggressive as they were making opposition translucent.
Fast forward to 1990, New Year’s Day. My friend, a massive Rangers friend, had free ticket to an exhibition game at MSG. Rangers were going to play Soviet Wings (in the same Super Series that had Dynamo play Devils). At this time, I didn’t follow many teams. Loved the Islanders at some point, liked the Devils because they were such an underdog in those days, but never liked the Rangers. Always thought that they resembled the Red Army team than most other NHL games – as they were able to buy players. The game was a thing of beauty at MSG. The Wings were like robots – reminded me of that Gilligans Island movie in which the Harlem Globetrotters were up against evil robots – their passes were flawless, their shots were deliberate and accurate, they moved with flow, they were fast, they were skittish, and if not for one of the first games of Mike Richter’s NHL career, it would have been much worse than the 3-1 loss for the Rangers. My friend and I walked out of that building in awe, it was seeing a game on a an entire different level and until you had a comparison of an NHL team (live, not on tv) it left you feeling even more impressed about Miracle of Ice win.
The day I learned that Fetisov (and Starikov) were acquired… let’s just say it was a day I’ll never forget. To see Fetisov in Devils uniform and play HIS hockey was incredible. Will never forget the first time he passed back to the goalie, man. The body language of Sean Burke… Priceless, but remember that Soviet Hockey is all about using every part and player. See, until recently, not many knew or gave Lou the amount of respect he deserves. Soviet Union was never a joke and for him to press for Fetisov the way he did, that’s just another level of a human being and epic level for a GM.
Anyway, don’t want to write a tome on this, Fetisov stapled my love for the Devils and I’ve been a hardcore fan since that day.