The Habs future and the two Andreis – Part 2: Andrei the Younger

As I said in Part 1: Andrei the First, the Habs bandwagon is chugging along. And while many have a temporary fixation with the Long Island boys and a certain young goaltender, there are two Andreis who I feel will play an enormous part in the future success or failure of this team.


For Part 2, I will examine the mysterious and mysteriously overlooked prospect that is Andrei the Younger, or Kostit the Elder if you like. As Markov will have to be Doug Harvey to Price's Plante; Andrei Kostitsyn will have to play the role of offensive stalwart Dickie Moore.

Born in the USSR – like Markov – in 1985, Andrei Kostitsyn did most of his growing up in the new country of Belarus. Hi formative hockey years were also spent in Belarus, where he played in the Belarusian league, subsequently moving to his hometown club of Novopolotsk in a junior-level Russian league. After putting up excellent stats at both these levels he eventually made the move to CSKA in Moscow, where he played on their teams at various levels of Russian league play. He would eventually stick with the senior team at the CSKA club by the latter portion of the 2002-2003 season, the year he was drafted.

Kostitsyn's story leading up to the 2003 NHL entry draft, however, is not one that can be told by stats alone. Much like Anze Kopitar, he had really emerged from a country that up until the mid-90s had been a real hockey backwater. While he had impressive stats in Belarusian play, there was no benchmark for this. His play at CSKA was too limited and brief to result in bags of goals.

So why so highly touted?


Well, for one thing, his play at WJCs and under-18s for Belarus showed that when he was placed in a dominant role on a team, he responded with production. Besides that, it was the way he scored, shot and skated that made him a hot commodity.

When the Canadiens selected Andrei Kostitsyn 10th overall in the 2003 draft, there was a very mixed response. 2003, afterall, was as deep as drafts get in the first round. Before him: Fleury, Staal, Horton, Zherdev, Vanek, Michalek, Suter, Coburn, Phaneuf. After him: Getzlaf, Perry and Parise. But on the day, general consensus was a great gamble. For Kostitsyn has epilepsy, which made the teams that chose Michalek, Suter, Coburn and Phaneuf stay away. Many scouts, including Timmins had in as a top 5 talent – which obviously says a lot among those players.


What exactly are these talents then? Well, I've noticed his strength, his puck control, his shot and even his passing. But I think Hockey's Future says it best:

What sets him apart from other players is his ability to handle the puck at top speed.

In all my years of watching hockey, this quality has been the most rare. There's many a fast skater who ends up dumping and chasing and many a skilled puckhandler who can't progress quickly enough before the reinforcements come raging back. This is the kind of thing people said about Pavel Bure, which in terms of players we need, is dead on the right type. Being able to stickhandle at top speed cannot be learned at the NHL level, it has to be there from the get go, and that's why he is such an exciting player. The best thing of all is that watching him yourself, you can see the truth in that assessment, that is what makes him different.

Kostitsyn did, what by Habs standards was a short apprenticeship, of two and two thirds seasons in Hamilton. His first year was much like his time at CSKA – he was young and underplayed. His second year, he was upon a top line and second in scoring behind Corey Locke. Last season, before his call-up, he was leading the team and showing his flair and skills. So two years till take off in Hamilton, I would expect the same up in Montreal.

So far with the Habs, Andrei has been a bit quiet – 3 goals and 14 points in 34 games. But as he has shown in the past, put him in a position of responsibility, with more ice time, and he delivers returns. This year, he has been granted a place on the second line and he's already begun to flourish. One goal doesn't tell the whole story for certain. He has been confident and involved. Just last game, he had a third period to rave about – making it into Tobalev's dome for the first time this season.

Where Andrei Markov is almost the finished product, Kostitsyn is all about potential.

Of all the Habs prospects, he is the one who could one day score 50 goals. Probably the only one (the one exception possibly being his little brother). Of course, he is coming off a one-goal season, so we'll have to exercise a bit of patience (and hope) to see that day, but the fact remains of the list of players coming up, he is the premier offensive talent – Higgins will score and help us in an infinite number of other ways to win, but I don't think he has 50 goals in him (even he stated his goal is to be a 40-goal man); Latendresse too may score many, but unless we become Philadelphia won't fit well enough with the style to top the half century.

To start winning comfortably and genuinely challenging for the Cup again, I feel we need an elite scorer – one who can score against tough defenses and from out of nothing. Andrei Kostitsyn is our Great White Hope. May his time on the second line help him develop and grow so that one day soon we can put talk of even strength scoring troubles to bed for good.

The Habs future and the two Andreis – Part 1: Andrei the First

The Habs had a great start, the bandwagon is rolling. Despite it being almost exactly what I would have wished for, why do I always feel like getting off this crazy hay-cart?

It is while I was examining some of the material from those getting carried away that it dawned on me – I can disagree with the emotional flash flood and still be positive at the same time.

Let me explain, while I am as excited as anyone about Carey Price and Chris Higgins, I guess I feel that in terms of brewing the Stanley Cup champs we all want, we still need a few more ingredients. In fact, I feel we have them, but they are getting a bit slighted and overlooked at the moment. Hence, the two Andreis – two cornerstones of the team Gainey is building.


I'm staring with Andrei the First, as in Markov. The most important player in our current team, and someone who will be counted on to be Doug Harvey to Price's Jacques Plante if we're to go anywhere.

Andrei Markov was born in Voskresensk (a small town outside Moscow) in the USSR in 1978. His professional hockey career began in earnest in 1995 when he joined up with Voskresensk Khimik upon turning 17. Spotted by Habs scouts in 1998, he was drafted deep into that draft in the 6th round, 146 selections after first-round bust Eric Chouinard.

His fortunes went from long-shot prospect to top-notch prospect when he moved from his hometown club to the legendary Moscow Dynamo in 1998. In his fourth year in the men's league at the tender age of 20, he began to turn up the offensive skills that lingered from his youth as a forward. 21 points for third on his team (in 38 games). To give you an idea how good that was – his teammate Maxim Afinogenov (forward) also tallied 21, with less goals. The next year was better with 23 points in 29 games. That year he won defenseman of the year and MVP of the entire Russian (men's) league.

[So you can see why saying something like Carey Price has been the only exciting prospect the Canadiens have had in 15 odd years is a bit of a slight to a player like Markov, who despite being drafted low, ascended to can't miss star in 2 years].


With his pedigree he then made the successful adaptation to North American hockey, if not life. He was shuttled back and forth to Quebec his first two seasons, but by 2002-2003 was establishing himself as the number one offensive guy on the blue line. However, for the Canadiens, it was his eventual mastery of some English along with his improved defense that made him most valuable. This summer he became the most expensive signing in Canadiens history.


On top of all that is the Koivuesque influence Andrei has on the team's fortunes. When he's out, we lose more. I also spend a lot more time on the edge of the couch calling for zone clearances and hoping for someone that could make a pass on the PP.

In terms of the team's future, he is the foundation. Goaltending will always be a focus, just the nature of the position. But having a defenseman that can clear the zone, thread a pass, skate for miles and play more than 30 minutes makes team building that much easier – just ask Detroit, Anaheim and New Jersey. He is also capable of erasing our memories of Sheldon Souray because he can play the PP many different ways – playing the shot from the point or the pass to the open man with equal skill. Dare I say it, Price's career while mentored by Kolzig and Huet will depend very much on this man, and I am confident that means it's in good hands.

So far this season, he has played very well. He's racked up 5 points in the three games, has been among the three stars chosen by reporters, and has been in Tobalev's "Dome Hockey squad" twice already. If Komisarek wants to win the Norris trophy as he says, he shouldn't have to look much further than his current partner for an example and if he gets close his competition for the nod.

Markov is only rivalled by Koivu for the title of best player to be developed by the Habs from their own drafting since the likes of Roy, Desjardins and Schneider were in the bleu, blanc, rouge. Higgins, Komisarek, Ryder and co represent the next generation, but will need a few more lines on their resume before surpassing the man from Voskesensk.

So the next time they announce the three stars, and Markov steps out. Let's let him know how much we appreciate his skill, his effort and his commitment to our Canadiens.