Ulanov Rock-Solid on Montreal Blueline

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999

By Lucas Aykroyd

Igor Ulanov will never equal the offensive numbers of retired all-star Russian defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov. But up close, his craggy physique bears a striking resemblance to Fetisov’s battle-tested mug. If Ulanov is ever going to resemble Fetisov on the ice, however, there’s no time like the present as far as the Montreal Canadiens are concerned.

The 30-year-old native of Krasnokamsk, Russia is entering his third season with the Canadiens, and is finally rounding into what you might call an impact player. “Impact,” that is, in the most literal sense. The 6-2, 210-pound (189-cm, 95-kg) Ulanov racked up 109 penalty minutes last season, the most he’s had since 1993-94 with the Winnipeg Jets, who originally made him their eighth choice (203rd overall) in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.

No other Montreal blueliner plays the body as consistently as Ulanov, but these days, no amount of bone-rattling hits can make up for Montreal’s lack of talent and luck. The Habs are off to a very un-Hab-like 3-6-0 start. Add to that injuries to such defenders as Patrice Brisebois, Craig Rivet, and a fellow Russian who is normally Montreal’s go-to guy on defense, and it’s clear Montreal has little choice.

“We just have to keep fighting,” Ulanov told EuroReport. “We’re missing a key defenseman in Vladimir Malakhov right now, so I have to step up defensively more, and if there’s a chance, join the rush.”

It looks like Ulanov will have to take some chances. Suffering from a torn ACL ligament he incurred in a collision with Edmonton’s Georges Laraque in preseason play, Malakhov won’t be back in the lineup until at least March. His absence hurts most of all on offense, as he’s led all Montreal defensemen in scoring every season since 1996-97.

“It’s quite a big loss,” Ulanov acknowledged. “He’s a top guy. Losing him means we lose on the power play and on the penalty kill as well.”

Pressure from the Montreal media is mounting in light of the Canadiens’ continued inability to put the puck in the net. An accusing headline in the Montreal Gazette read “How the West wasn’t won” after the Habs went 1-2 during their Western road swing through Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. But since coming to the Canadiens from laid-back Tampa Bay in a 15 January 1998 trade, Ulanov has come to accept this kind of pressure as a fact of life in Montreal.

“Definitely Montreal is a hockey town,” Ulanov said. “People wake up in the morning and they’re thinking hockey. They know everything that’s going on. You can’t fool them, and you can’t fool yourself, so you have to go on the ice and compete every single game.”

“Compete” would be a euphemistic term for what Montreal newcomer Trevor Linden and Ulanov used to do to each other when they played for Vancouver and Winnipeg respectively in the early 1990s. Though neither of the two is known as a fighter, they dropped their gloves several times, and the bitterness escalated in Vancouver-Winnipeg playoff series in 1991-92 and 1992-93, both of which the Canucks won by the narrowest of margins.

So, Igor? Still mad at Trevor? Does Trevor hate you?

“No, I don’t think so,” Ulanov chuckled when asked about the old animosity. “It was quite a few years ago. We’re teammates right now. It doesn’t matter how we used to treat each other when I was on Winnipeg. It’s a professional thing. You just have to get over it.”

But looking back at Winnipeg, the fact that there’s no longer NHL hockey in that city is tough for many Canadian hockey fans to get over–especially after seeing the tremendous support Winnipeg gave to the 1999 World Junior Championships. Still, Ulanov’s analysis of what has happened to small market teams in Canada reflects the pragmatic capitalism espoused by the NHL Player’s Association.

“Well, I would say it’s ‘money talks’ right now,” Ulanov said. “So where there is money, there will be a team. Where there is money, there will be better players. It’s the way it is. The small market teams have to struggle to find their own way to stay in the league.”

The irony is that Ulanov’s once-mighty team has gradually moved closer to reflecting the financial plight of the small market teams. Back in May, the Canadiens announced a loss of $3.8 million for 1998-99, and their home, the Molson Centre, incurs municipal taxes of $11 million annually, the highest in the NHL. Montreal has a budget roster after shipping out Vincent Damphousse and Mark Recchi at the trade deadline last season. But Ulanov doesn’t think much of the critics who predict his team will miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

“It’s too bad for those people!” Ulanov retorted. “I think we have a great chance to make the playoffs. Look at Ottawa. They don’t have many name players, but they all work hard. That’s what we have to do. We have to play one hundred and fifty percent every game and bring our performance up to the top level.”

If effort is the measure of success, then Montreal’s hopes look a little brighter for having Igor Ulanov rocking bodies on the back end.