Kravchuk settling in with Flames

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001

By Lucas Aykroyd

And then there were three. Igor Kravchuk recently became the third current Russian member of the Calgary Flames, joining Valeri Bure and Oleg Saprykin when he was picked up on waivers from Ottawa on 10 November 2000. The 34-year-old defenseman didn’t see the move coming, but it was evidently intended to dump his $2.5-million salary. This is Kravchuk’s fifth NHL team and his ninth NHL season. He broke in with Chicago in 1992 and went on to stints with Edmonton and St. Louis. Sometimes classed as an underachiever, the 6-1, 218-pound veteran is unlikely to match the 50 points he put up for the Oilers in 1993-94. He had just 13 at the halfway mark this year. Still, he should provide a steadying influence for the young Flames defense corps. Kravchuk’s international resumé includes four gold medals, one silver and one bronze in world and Olympic competition since 1986. The Ufa native spoke with EuroReport after Calgary dropped a 5-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place on 14 January 2001.

EuroReport: Two months into your career as a Calgary Flame, how are you adjusting to your new team and city?

Kravchuk: I enjoy it very much. It’s a bit of a different game, but I’m adjusting myself, like you said, and we’ll go from there.

EuroReport: Still surprised Marshall Johnston made the move he did?

Kravchuk: I don’t know about that. That’s the business and I don’t want to go over it again. It’s in the past. We have an expression: “He who lives in the past turns into a stone.” So I don’t want to talk about it.

EuroReport: Which players on the Flames have impressed you the most?

Kravchuk: Everybody! It’s just a matter of time and we’ll turn things around.

EuroReport: Tell me about your partnership with Derek Morris.

Kravchuk: It happened quite suddenly. When I got to the team, he wasn’t signed yet. When they signed him, we didn’t play together for the first couple of games, but then after that the coaches decided to put me with him on the left side. We have the same kind of touch, I guess, and it’s worked well for us.

EuroReport: Calgary’s power play has struggled at home, ranking 29th heading into tonight. What’s it going to take to turn that around?

Kravchuk: Work, work, and work, I guess! We’ve been trying a lot of different things. It’s not clicking now, but I have a lot of trust in my partners and I’m sure one day it will.

EuroReport: Looking back over your career, you had the opportunity to play for Mike Keenan in Chicago and St. Louis. What did you think of the Bruins hiring him this year?

Kravchuk: It’s hard for me to say. They got into a situation where they needed an experienced coach and Mike was one of those guys. I guess it was a good move for them.

EuroReport: You’re one of five Russian NHLers remaining from the 1987 Canada Cup, along with Igor Larionov, Sergei Nemchinov, Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky. What are your memories of that tournament?

Kravchuk: It was one of my first big tournaments, and I guess it’s going to stay in my mind forever. When you come into a tournament of that caliber and you’re 21, you can’t even imagine that you would make it there. I guess I was lucky. We had a great team and Canada had a great team, so it was a super series.

EuroReport: How did you react to the news of Mario Lemieux’s return this season?

Kravchuk: It’s a great return for probably most of us. He’s one of the best players I ever played against, and I’m sure everybody is thinking that way. It’s good for kids, for communities, for people, for hockey. His return can really make things better.

EuroReport: Andrei Zyuzin with Tampa Bay and Vadim Sharifijanov in Vancouver’s system are both from Ufa like yourself. Do you keep in touch with those guys?

Kravchuk: Very seldom, because now we’re playing in different conferences. Before, we kind of met each other four times a year. That is, Zyuzin, in my case. I don’t think I ever got to meet Sharifijanov.