7 fun facts about Canucks' defensive development coach Sergei Gonchar
All three of the newest Vancouver Canucks coaches have something in common.
They’ve all won Stanley Cups.
However, Canucks’ defensive development coach Sergei Gonchar had to wait longer than his counterparts, Rick Tocchet and Adam Foote, to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail. Gonchar finally won the ultimate prize with the Pittsburgh Penguins during his 14th NHL season, at the age of 34.
What’s more surprising is that the Russian defenceman didn’t play in an NHL playoff game until 2008 – 904 regular-season games into his career.
Gonchar will hopefully pass along that message of hard work and persistence to the Canucks.
In the meantime, here are seven things you should know about one of the newest faces behind the Canucks’ bench.
1. Malkin dedicated his MVP speech to Gonchar
Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin have a history. Then won a Stanley Cup together in Pittsburgh. They played on the same KHL team together in 2004-05. Heck, Malkin even lived with Gonchar at the beginning of his NHL career.
Years later after Gonchar had moved on from the Penguins, his former roommate Malkin won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.
During his acceptance speech in 2012, Malkin dedicated the award to Gonchar.
According to Gonchar, Malkin showed up at his house the next afternoon following the NHL awards, and the two spent the next 10 days fishing and swimming together.
2. Gonchar met his wife at the Olympics
The bond with Malkin wasn’t Gonchar’s only meaningful relationship that was formed on the ice.
Back in 1998, Gonchar skated with Russia at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. It was there where he met his future wife, Ksenia Smetanenko, an ice dancer for Armenia.
The couple later got married and had two daughters, Natalie and Victoria.
3. Advice from first GM “changed Gonchar’s life”
Gonchar’s lethal slapshot wasn’t always part of his toolkit.
He received some advice that “changed his life” after he was drafted 14th overall by the Washington Capitals back in 1992.
“[The Capitals former assistant GM] told me he wanted me to shoot the puck,” Gonchar said in this interview with The Athletic. “He said the problem most Russian defensemen had in the NHL was they didn’t shoot enough.
“I don’t think my shot was very good. But every day we practiced, I stayed out and shot 100 pucks, then 200, and I kept shooting pucks every day until I felt like my shot was good enough for the NHL.”
Well, Gonchar ended up having one of the hardest shots of his generation. Just ask goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
“He’s, like, one of the hardest shooters, and he keeps it low so it might hit something,” Fleury said to The Athletic. “Not fun for a goalie. If a guy can shoot like Gonch and keep it low, that’s trouble.”
4. First Russian defenceman to score 20 goals in a season
Gonchar was an electrifying offensive defenceman in an era where scoring was down. He finished his career with the most points among any Russian NHL defenceman in NHL history.
Back in 1998-99, Gonchar became the first Russian defenceman to score 20 goals in a season. He accomplished the feat in just 51 games.
5. Never a finalist for the Norris
Although he was one of the best defenders in hockey for a generation, Gonchar never won a Norris Trophy. Heck, he was never even a finalist.
From 2000 until 2010, only one defenceman had more points than Gonchar.
That was three-time Stanley Cup champion, Nicklas Lidstrom, who won seven Norris Trophies while Gonchar was in the NHL. Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer also won the Norris during Gonchar’s prime.
During a 10-year stretch, Gonchar finished in the top 10 for Norris Trophy voting on nine occasions. However, he never finished higher than fourth in voting.
6. Gonchar has a strong case for the Hockey Hall of Fame
Despite one heck of a career, Gonchar hasn’t been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He’s been eligible since 2018.
“He 100% should be in the Hall of Fame,” Mike Sullivan told The Athletic.
Sullivan coached Gonchar with the Boston Bruins, along with having him on his coaching staff in Pittsburgh.
“We got him in Boston to run the power play. And no one did it better,” Sullivan said. “He just had incredible offensive instincts as a player, could help you so much in the transition game. He was good defensively too. He really was. He wasn’t physical, but he played the game with courage and bravery.”
“The Hall of Fame is for the best players to ever play,” former teammate and Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin added in conversation with The Athletic. “Gonch is one of those players. To me, it’s that simple.”
7. Helped develop Pens reclamation projects on defence
If Canucks management truly does want to retool instead or rebuild, it makes sense why they’d want Gonchar on their staff.
With the Penguins, Gonchar was credited for helping defenders such as Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz, and Jamie Oleksiak rehabilitate their value. More importantly, those players helped Pittsburgh win Stanley Cups.
All three defencemen were not at the apex of their careers at the time they were traded. They were acquired in three separate deals for the cost of defenceman Rod Scuderi, a third-round draft pick, and a fourth-round draft pick.
Gonchar will certainly earn his pay if he can rehabilitate the careers of more defencemen in Vancouver.
Follow Channels and Categories