Nabokov nabs backup job with San Jose

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd

You might associate the “Changing of the Guard” with Buckingham Palace or Red Square, but a recent changing of the “Keepers of the Goal” with the San Jose Sharks has given a 25-year-old netminder from Kazakhstan his big shot in a different arena. Evgeni (John) Nabokov benefited from the 30 December deal that sent veteran goalie Mike Vernon to the Florida Panthers, as he was called up from San Jose’s IHL affiliate, the Cleveland Lumberjacks, where he had posted a 12-4-3 record with a 2.68 GAA. The 5-11, 165-pound native of Ust Kamenogorsk made an immediate impact. Registering 39 saves en route to a scoreless tie against Colorado on 19 January, Nabokov became the first rookie goalie in NHL history to achieve a 0-0 shutout in his first start. But this graduate of Dynamo Moscow isn’t about to get a swelled head. Instead, he’s showing remarkable composure, which was evident in a 28 January game against the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place. Nabokov replaced Steve Shields in the San Jose cage at 17:09 of the second period after Shields let in a long shot by Donald Brashear. Although the Sharks lost 4-1, nobody could fault Nabokov, who made 10 saves in the third period. He spoke candidly with EuroReport’s Lucas Aykroyd after the game.

EuroReport: Were you surprised when coach Darryl Sutter put you in after the 3-1 goal?

Evgeni Nabokov: No, I wasn’t surprised. I’m always ready to get in the game. It’s just his style, I guess.

EuroReport: How does it feel to finally get your chance to play in the NHL?

Nabokov: It feels really good! Every day I feel more and more confident. There are so many skilled guys up here. I learn something from them every day. It’s a huge experience.

EuroReport: Tell me about your shutout against Colorado.

Nabokov: That was an exciting moment. But I prepared for the game as I normally do. I tried not to be too nervous and play my game like I did in the minors. I reminded myself about things like “don’t chase the puck, be focused, be square to the shooter.”

EuroReport: What was the biggest adjustment you had to make as a goaltender when you came to North America?

Nabokov: The toughest thing for me was that I don’t think I got to play enough games when I arrived here. I was kind of nervous about it, because I played all the time, every game for Dynamo Moscow in Russia. And over here I didn’t play. I was really, really pissed about it. I just didn’t like that. The second thing was learning how to deal with so many shots. In the minor leagues they shoot from everywhere. I’m not saying it was too difficult to deal with, but it was something I needed to go through.

EuroReport: Who’s the toughest shooter you’ve faced in your career so far?

Nabokov: I don’t know. Owen Nolan shoots the puck pretty hard!

EuroReport: But you only have to face him in practice.

Nabokov: Yeah, that’s right. Lots of guys have great shots up here. It’s tough to pick one.

EuroReport: Who was your favorite goalie when you were growing up?

Nabokov: My father.

EuroReport: Who did he play for?

Nabokov: Ust Kamenogorsk, where I played too.

EuroReport: Why does Kamenogorsk produce so many good young Kazakhstani players?

Nabokov: You know what? I saw in the papers one time that it was the best hockey school in the Soviet Union before everything separated. For Russia, for everybody. Everybody tried to steal our players, like the Moscow teams. Nikolai Antropov was one guy who went to Moscow. So did I. We have a small town, and the Kamenogorsk team didn’t have much money. Moscow is a big city, and when you’re from a small place, you want to go up and up and get to the NHL.

EuroReport: You mentioned Antropov, who’s playing well in Toronto, and it seems like Kazakhstani hockey is on the rise right now. What do you think?

Nabokov: Ever since 1992, when things broke up, the Kazakhstan government stopped giving enough money to hockey. The teams stopped playing well. Sometimes the players wouldn’t get their salaries for two or three months. And then, like I said, the Moscow teams would invite you to come up. So you get five guys from my hometown playing for Dynamo, ten guys for Metallurg Magnitogorsk right now. At least our national team is getting better. I wish I could help somehow, but I don’t think things will change until the government does.

EuroReport: On a more personal note, are you related to Dmitri Nabokov of the New York Islanders?

Nabokov: Nope!

EuroReport: How about Vladimir Nabokov, the famous Russian-American novelist?

Nabokov: No, no, no, no! [laughs]

EuroReport: Finally, what are your goals for this season?

Nabokov: I just want to prove I can play in this league. That’s the biggest thing in my mind. I think I can. I’m going to keep working hard and telling myself, “You can do it!”