Sens Prospect Nikulin Criticises Bingo Coach On His Blog

If you've been reading this site for awhile now, you'll know that Senators prospect Alex Nikulin has been writing his own blog (in Russian) and a member of HF Boards named ThirtyFive has been translating them for everyone. His entries are usually a good read as the earnest youngster describes trying to get used to life in North America while learning the language and getting homesick.

This time, I wonder if Nikulin may have said too much. Here is his most recent blog entry and you can judge for yourself. The Bingo coach by the way is Cory Clouston.

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"In America, one day it’s cold, another day it’s hot. January 13, 2008.

The main holiday in America is Christmas. We had three whole days off, all practices were cancelled, and my girlfriend Natalya and I spent all this time in New York. We took walks, did some shopping, went to restaurants. It’s true that they say it’s the capital of the world. Crazy traffic, a lot of people. All this reminds me of Moscow. I liked Manhattan the most. When you’re standing next to the skyscrapers, it’s an unforgettable feeling. Or when you’re driving across the bridge late at night. Everything’s illuminated, beautiful.

If not for Natalya, I’d have trouble with all the problems in life. No, nothing very tough, but still the monotonous lifestyle is tiresome. Road trips are ordinary, two-three hours by bus, the game, the trip back. The city is small, there’s nothing to do. Natalya also gets a little lonesome, especially when I’m on the road or at practice.

She goes to the games, she likes it. Our arena has a box for the wives and girlfriends of the players near the GM’s box. So she watches the games from there. Got acquainted with the wives of other players. For instance, with the companion of our tough guy Jeremy Yablonski. Natasha also helps me with my English. And I’m still earnestly learning the language.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with the whole team. Got together at a restaurant on the 31st and welcomed the New Year with the chime of a clock. I can’t compare this to celebrating this holiday in Russia. We never celebrated New Year’s Eve together with the CSKA. I’ve heard this year they also did not get together for a team party, although all the other Superleague teams had something like that for their players. But there were no gifts at our party. What gifts could there be with our kind of playing? But that’s another topic.

The weather is strange here. When we were in New York, it was real Russian winter there, about -15. But it’s not always like that. During December the temperature went as high as +10. I don’t understand it.

Hockey-wise, it’s not very good so far. I don’t remember when I last scored a goal. Some sort of a decline. Or just bad luck. There are chances, I shoot a lot. But the puck goes in the wrong direction. One time I was taking a penalty shot, and, if you can imagine, the puck bounced off both goal posts and flew back out. And it’s like this all the time; if it’s not one thing, it’s another. I’m thinking perhaps I should just shoot it blind. Then it’ll go in. So for now I only score during the pre-game skate.

Our hockey is like this. Can’t fault the goalie in the losses, he plays excellent, dragging us along. But the defense is a real disaster. Once the opponent starts pressuring a little, right away there’s panic. All the pucks go along the boards back and forth. And you know what’s weird? The defenseman comes out from behind the net, sees that on one side he’s got our own player, and on the other side two opposing players. And he’ll still shoot it towards where there’s a battle. Like a robot. And it repeats on and on. Why not look around, see who’s open, and pass there! You must be calm and collected. Otherwise chaos ensues. Everyone runs around screaming. What are you screaming for? That irritates many. The coach, however, approves of all this. You dump the puck along the boards—well done, you’re commended.

So the last game I played on a line with Dimitrakos and Zubov. And we enjoyed playing. We understand everything that needs to be done, no panic. The only trouble is that the lines get constantly shuffled around. Not just from game to game, but during games. I don’t even know what line I’m on. I think I was on the second, but I’m not sure where I ended up.

Good thing health problems are going away. I talked about injuring my wrist before. Well, a few days ago it got back to normal. Prior to that there were unpleasant feelings. That could’ve been a reason for shooting off target. And I’m now the fifth leading scorer on the team. Good thing the plus-minus has gotten better. I’m rarely penalized. Mostly it’s for technical fouls, like pushing someone from behind, things like that.

I don’t participate in fights. I saw the battle between Ak Bars and Traktor. That’s probably impossible here. It’s strictly forbidden to leave the bench. It seems to me Kazan was the instigator in this brawl. They jumped out first.

Here only Jeremy Yablonski fights. He’s a strong guy, he can take it. He’s always got black eyes, walks around all in bandages. But he still calls out someone for a duel during a game. But there haven’t been any bench-clearing brawls.

Some teams have made a very good impression on me. I would point out Pittsburgh as having a very strong team. The best, maybe. In the second place I’d put Toronto’s farm team. Anaheim’s farm team displays the prettiest hockey. It’s all in the passing, well-trained. Real European hockey. They just tore us up in our zone.

No news out of Ottawa yet. Too bad, of course, but I’m not getting discouraged. "

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Alex Nikulin's Latest Blog

The Sens Russian prospect keeps on blogging about his life down in Bingo. Sounds like Oleg Saprykin is one bitter player from his experience in Bytown. Here's the latest translation from a poster named ThirtyFive over at the popular HF Boards :

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" November 13: Without shots or pills.

A few games ago I was injured. I was about to pull off a wrist shot at the net, raised the stick, and was hit in the back. To be honest, I barely finished that game.

For the next game it seemed like the pain dulled, and I was on the ice again. But during the game I unfortunately collided with an opposing player and fell awkwardly on that very spot where I was hit.

Sharp pain; I couldn’t breathe. Turned out to be damaged ligaments. I couldn’t finish that second game, and went to the locker room.

I only missed two games and then was back on the ice. Through the pain, through the uncomfortable feelings, but I went for it. Interestingly, they don’t give you anesthetic shots here like they usually do in Russia. How do they treat you? With massage. No pills, nothing. When I decided to resume playing, they wrapped the damaged area and off I went onto the ice.

Nobody rushed me into coming back. But they asked, of course, if I could play. Once I declined, because I couldn’t even make one good stride. Let alone shooting or physical play. Inhuman pain. I was even taken for an x-ray. They thought it could be a broken rib. But, thankfully that didn’t prove true. Only the damaged ligaments. Still, I didn’t miss practice. I skated individually.
Now I’m fine. Obviously, some discomfort remains, but I want to play so badly and not sit in the stands. Especially since Ottawa’s general manager Bryan Murray came to watch us. Not like there was anything to see. We haven’t scored a goal in the last three games.

But I can’t say we’ve been playing worse. We just can’t score, that’s all. Plenty of good moments in each game. I hit a post in the last game against Philadelphia. Just bad luck.

During the time off with the injury I was watching the games from the stands with the other players who weren’t dressed. I have to say our team is looking good, which means that these bad breaks are temporary. Without me Binghamton won two games, once coming back to win after being down by two goals. It was interesting to watch, too. Very dynamic hockey in the AHL.

But it’s a wholly different thing to watch a game from the stands. You want to take part. Another reason I sped up my return to the ice was the realization that it would be tough for me to get back into the rhythm. Even after two games it felt difficult, but if I were to take it easy I’d spend more time later getting back into the lineup.

The injury didn’t change my place on the team. I’m on the first line. I’m playing the same minutes as before. But the partners sometimes change. On the one wing it’s always Denis Hamel, but on the other it was Greg Mauldin the last game. Now, if we could only score.

Though I haven’t noticed any nervousness due to the losing. The coach is calm, and the guys also realize we need to fix things. We had a players meeting where the veterans spoke out. We talked, analyzed mistakes. We weren’t spared the slogans, but I think even without them everyone realizes that it can’t go on like this. Mainly it was Amadio and Dimitrakos who spoke. And others over 25 years old.

Now that I’m completely used to the team, I’ll say that our group is fine. Oleg Saprykin was talking as if everyone’s by themselves in Ottawa, nobody to talk to. But I don’t have these problems. And when you have a good group of players, then the wins will come.

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See additional Nikulin blog postings by clicking on his label below this post.

Alex Nikulin Rides The Buses

Here's Alex Nikulin's newest blog. For those of you who haven't been following this story, Nikulin is a Senators prospect from Russia who has been writing a blog since he participated in the Sens rookie camp. It's notable because Nikulin is a very thoughtful individual and usually fills the reader in on inside stuff that the fans never really get to hear. See previous entries here,

here, and here.

In this latest entry, Nikulin sounds lonely as he grinds out the AHL schedule on the buses, cramming Big Mac's and watching movies.

From a translation at HFBoards.

"October 26: The Farthest Road Trip.

As it was explained to me, the road trip to Norfolk was the farthest for our team. It really did take a long time getting there, 9 hours. But I must admit everything went much easier than I anticipated. The bus had all the amenities, even wireless Internet. And after all, the roads in the US are much better than even in Moscow, to say nothing of the rest of Russia. Because of that the trip went by unnoticeably. We made just one stop at a McDonald’s, where I bought something to eat.

I’m not a big fan of looking out windows, so I can’t share much about the views. I watched movies, played computer games, browsed the Internet, slept. We arrived at our destination around 10 PM and right away checked into a hotel.

Perhaps it was the road, or something else happened, but we were a totally different team in the first game. I won’t speak for anyone else, but I personally played my worst game. I think we somehow weren’t prepared. We could do absolutely nothing. The legs did not move. You seem to make one stride, but then the legs block up. And our goalie didn’t have the best night. Anyway, I want to forget that game as quickly as possible.

But the second game turned out quite differently. We were probably angry after losing 5-1. And the opponent relaxed after an easy win. But it’s not like we had nothing to do with the success. We played a totally different game. And Norfolk is a good team. Tall defensemen, and just the whole team is very big. The forwards are technical. I liked the opposition.

By the way, these two games for Binghamton I spent on the same line. We are the first line with Danny Bois and Denis Hamel. We spend approximately 20 minutes on the ice. Our line has been the most successful thus far. Bois has five points in five games, I have four, and Hamel has three.

Do I get tired? I wouldn’t say I do, not too much. Disregarding the first game against Norfolk, where I felt exhausted after each stride, I have enough strength. But you definitely tire a lot more here than you do in the Russian Superleague. But honestly, it’s hard to compare like that. Russia has larger rinks, a wholly different type of hockey, space to skate. You skate less here, but it’s very intense. You must constantly hit your opponent and they hit you all the time. But I feel that we have a very strong team, although I’ve seen little of others. If we can avoid such setbacks like with Norfolk, then everything will be all right.

There’s no news from Ottawa. Nobody says anything. But it’s not customary to discuss that here. Anything can happen at any moment. They’ll say “get ready”, and you’ll be going up to the big team. But I’m very happy with how Ottawa is performing in the regular season. Taking out anyone who’s in their way.

By the way, a physical trainer from the Senators came to our club. The main team had four days off, and he spent a few training sessions with us. We did coordination exercises. Did things we didn’t do before. For example, running with a parachute on the back. It must be noted that that’s rather difficult.

I also want to mention that I really miss my parents, friends, my girlfriend Natasha. Even though she’s supposed to come over, there are certain difficulties with obtaining an American visa. She was already denied once. Maybe somebody at the US embassy reads this blog, or people that are in that field? Hopefully, they could help. "

Ottawa 5 Washington 4

(Tony Caldwell/Sun)

In a fairly entertaining pre-season tilt, the Sens emerged with the comeback win over a revamped Caps squad at the Palladium…errr… Corel ….. Scotia Bank Place last night.

Some thoughts:

Nick Foligno is changing my mind fairly quickly. I was skeptical about this kid precisely because he was … a kid. The local fishwraps were squealing with anticipation about a kid who was barely a first round pick and it seemed evident that there was only one spot open on the squad. Why would a 19 year old from the OHL get it?

I’m starting to drink the kool-aid.

While I don’t think Foligno was as noticeable as he was against the Flyers on Tuesday, he did score one hell of a backhand goal against Olaf Kolzig and topped it off with some very adept passing in the offensive zone throughout the game. He seems to make things happen whenever he has the puck but is getting the shit kicked out of him through the press by none other than head coach John Paddock, who claims that Foligno is getting too “fancy”. We’ll talk about that later today in the Local Fishwrap entry, but needless to say, Foligno fed that backhander not so much past Kolzig but right up Paddocks southern hole.

We also got to see goalie Brian Elliott for the first time after he relieved a very ordinary looking Martin Gerber (back to earth after all!), and Elliott looked really strong in the time he received, making some stunning saves where he was forced to move from side to side. The organization can’t believe they snagged this guy in the 9th bloody round in 2003! At 6”2 and 202 pounds, he’s almost the exact same size as Ray Emery and exhibits similar athletic skills.

Now about Martin Gerber. He definitely had a poorer game than he did against Philly and he let out so many rebounds that it looked like someone had dumped a sack of marbles in front of him. He was also doing that thing where he gets behind the play and slides himself way out of position on his recovery. I’m still not convinced that Gerber is ever going to recover his form.

Alexander Nikulin played on a line with Alfredsson and Vermette and looked very comfortable in the process, moving the puck confidently and getting in the right places to receive dishes from Alfie. Bruce Garrioch was on the Team 1200 pre-game show last night and hinted that Nikulin might stay in North America after all, even if he is sent to Bingo. Nikulin, unlike fellow countryman Ilya Zubov, has a deal back in Russia if he doesn’t make the Sens but as his much talked about blog shows, he is hellbent on playing in the NHL and seems to be have a good head on his shoulders despite his youth. At this point, both he and Zubov look like sure NHLer’s at least by next year. If these guys work out, John Muckler should receive some credit for taking the Russians during the no-transfer agreement era.

I was really looking forward to seeing Cody Bass play but he didn’t really show much except some good hustle and a hardcore shot-block in the third period. I was convinced he might be a darkhorse candidate to make the team but I’m wavering on that bet now. He looks like he needs more seasoning on the farm.

Other standouts for Sens were in the veteran category as Alfie dominated at points and Christoph Schubert played a great game on the back end, throwing around his body, making good outlet passes and even rushing the puck a few times early in the game. At one point I thought he was back on forward for a shift as he ragged the puck all the way behind the net in the first period. I’m still not sure he should be sacrificed as a forward but he did look good playing with Wade Redden. Wade started the game paired with Nycholat but Schubert seemed to take over that spot after Nycholat spent time in the box for a scrap. Nycholat looked fairly good in the game, showing some toughness and hard-hitting but he is still on the bubble.

Wade Redden played another pedestrian game, picking up where he left off in the Cup final. Let’s hope it’s just a case of the pre-season legs not being where they should be yet. He made a really bad decision early on when he pinched on a puck that he had no chance to retain. That caused a 2-on-1 that Gerber stopped.

On the Cap’s side, I was most impressed with prospect Thomas Fleischman who showed an awesome skill level and definitely outplayed promising rookie Nicklas Backstrom. Alex Ovechkin showed bursts of inspired play but there’s something different about this guy from his first year in the league. Some of the spark seems to have worn off. Maybe it’s the losing. Maybe it’s the other teams using all their strength to shut him down. Who knows. I just hope that Ovechkin doesn’t turn into another Ilya Kovalchuk, where he comes into the league on fire and then just sort of settles into average stardom. Ovechkin is way too good for that.

Post Script: The Leafs looked terrible last night against Phoenix. The highlight of that game had to be Phoenix middle-weight tough guy Daniel Carcillo absolutely crushing Matt Stajan at the blueline. He also potted two goals in the game. He’s exactly the type of player that can help Phoenix. They already have a lot of young skill coming up through the ranks but Carcillo can add that toughness and leadership which can hold it all together. Having Carcillo and Keith Ballard (one of my favourite young players) is a bonus for a soft Coyotes squad.

More Alex Nikulin Blog

This kid's blog just keeps getting better and better. Not only is he offering good insight into how the Sens training camp is progressing but we also get hilarious anecdotes from a dude who is obviously having some culture shock.

Here's the latest entry translated from Russian.

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"September 18: "Shoot more," Heatley told me in Russian.

The most important period in my life has begun, the training camp with the big club. After the prospects tournament, which we finished with a 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh, they announced that eight people have been cut and the rest are moving on. There was no discussion of the previous game, I guess the result didn’t much interest anyone.

Prior to the start of training camp everyone was called in for an individual interview with Bryan Murray’s assistant. I went with my buddy Kaspars Daugavins so he could translate. But it was short. I was told that I will remain with Ottawa and train with the big club. Keep doing what you did in the prospects tournament, and so on.

Right now we have about 40-45 guys skating. We’re split into two teams. I’m the only Russian on mine, since Anton Volchenkov, Ilja Zubov, and Kaspar are all on the other one. But this split is obviously arbitrary. If only because Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza are on my team.

We do have the first exhibition game at Philadelphia. I won’t be playing, and won’t be making the trip. But Ilja’s going. I’m not worried about this. Nothing wrong that I didn’t make that team. The head coach has to see everybody.

Pre-season training in Ottawa is very different from what I’ve experienced in Russia. The schedule is compact. At 10 AM we hit the ice, then it’s the gym, 45 minutes at max, and that’s it. Then you’re as free as a bird, do what you want.

On-ice activities also differ. Everything’s on a fast pace, there’s virtually no time to rest between exercises. We practice two-on-one and one-on-none breakaways, but not like in Russia. The speeds are really fast. Much faster than during the prospects tournament, but I already wrote how surprised I was by how quickly the guys race up and down. The easy part is that there’s just one practice a day. But still we skate an awful lot. You can tell that the best have been selected here. Each can make passes and receive them, and all at high speeds. No one’s an odd one out, which is also surprising. It’s a whole different level.

We haven’t had any cross-country. We haven’t been on the ground at all yet, actually. I think since the exhibition games have started, then we won’t be running anyway. Another curious moment is working out at the gym. In Russia we use the weights to set records. Lift some kinds of kilograms. In the NHL there are totally different exercises. I’ve discovered so many new things! How to perform balance exercises and work on your mid-section. I never did that. It wasn’t easy at first, but I’m used to it now.

I’m on a line with these two guys. One of them is Jim McKenzie, who was also at the prospects camp with me. The other one I don’t know. Haven’t really gotten to know my partners yet, and there are problems with English. It’s obvious that neither is a tough guy and both are playmakers. By the way, a guy came to camp for the “policeman” role. He used to be in cage fighting. Square kind of guy, huge.

During the intra-squad game he fought a local colleague. Had a good battle. A few punches were landed.During the intra-squad game I couldn’t really distinguish myself, although our team won. I took a penalty shot unsuccessfully, the goalie got it. Couldn’t say who he was, but definitely not Emery. He doesn’t skate with us at all. During the game I tried to take some plays upon myself, but it’s rather tough so far. I’m not as fast as most, but I’m working on that. I’ve got to keep trying. Especially since Ottawa has too many centers as it is, six or seven, I think. And roster spots on the main lineup are limited.

During the first practice I met Heatley and Spezza. Turns out Dany speaks a bit of Russian. He knows three phrases: “How are you?”, “Good evening,” and, what’s remarkable, he hinted, “Shoot more.” Probably learned from Ilya Kovalchuk. Spezza skated up to me and began talking about my stick blade. He really likes it, and plays with the same kind, only right-handed. Jason started explaining something, but I said I don’t understand English. He said “Okay” and skated away.

Too bad I don’t chat with anyone in the locker room. I can ask how it’s going, and reply that everything’s fine. But I also understand more and more now. Speaking is really hard. That will come with time.All in all, things are relatively good. I decided not to think about my chances of making the big team. Must concentrate on the training - then come what may."

More Alex Nikulin Blog

As you can find here, we've been posting a translation of Sens prospect Alexander Nikulin's blog. This guy seems to have a good head on his shoulders and genuinely wants to make the team coming off a strong rookie camp. If he doesn't he'll go back to play in Russia another year.

Here's his latest entry:

September 12: It'd be nice to see Ottawa.

"As expected, a team representative met me at the airport. Started saying something in English very rapidly. Obviously, I didn't understand anything and shied away a bit. My girlfriend helped: I phoned her and she translated. Turned out it was nothing serious. We had to wait for somebody else.What that means is that I need to work on my English as soon as possible.

The first day I had a physical. Ottawa's defenseman Anton Volchenkov helped there. Thanks to him for that. By the way, Anton is training on his own for now. The training camp for the big club hasn't started yet.We're staying at this five-star hotel, a very nice one. I'm sharing a room with Ilja Zubov, who arrived in Canada earlier and has become accustomed to the local way of life. So he's helping me.

Ilja describes his first impressions of being in Canada and they're similar to my own. He too was in shock from the practices and games, but then got used to that.Certainly, to better learn the language, it'd be best to room with a Canadian, but, truthfully, I don't think I could do it. We wouldn't understand one another and just not talk, basically. That would be tough.

Haven't been out to the city yet. Absolutely no time because of the prospects tournament. And our rink is located in the suburbs, and the hotel is nearby. I hope there will be time to see the city, though. Right after the prospects tournament.Visitors to the blog are asking if there is interest here in the Super Series between Russian and Canadian junior teams. To be honest, I haven't noticed any excitement. And no one's asked me anything.

We don't have practices as such. Prior to a game we skate a bit, and not even every time. Before the Pittsburgh game they let us sleep. And before that the practice was a simple one: we worked on shooting the puck and entering the zone. Nothing supernatural.

Haven't made friends with any of the locals as yet. Spend all the time with Kasper from Latvia (Kaspars Daugavins), my linemate, and Ilja Zubov. By the way, Kasper speaks Russian and English well. He helps whenever any problems arise. And another curious detail. We've played three games, but I haven't met any other Russian players. In Ottawa it's just us two, and that's it for now.

I saw that the visitors to the blog were asking about my chances with Ottawa. Said I couldn't count on the first two lines of the roster. Let's wait until the main training camp starts. Undoubtedly, it will be extremely hard but I'll try to make the team. Even on the third line. That's still not bad.

Want to say to Denis Parshin that I haven't gotten the jumpsuit for him yet. Let him cope on his own, there's no problem in Russia with it. I'll buy it only in case I'll have to go back. And I wouldn't want to go back - I'd really like to cement my place in the NHL. "

Alexander Nikulin's Blog!

Someone over at the Sportsnet forums found Senator prospect Alex Nikulin's blog and translated it for us. There's some interesting thoughts about coming to Ottawa as well as his idea that Oleg Saprykin left Ottawa because he wasn't getting along with "someone".

Here's the full translation:

"September 4: Why I'm going there, and some are coming back.

Since childhood I've dreamed of playing in the NHL. Why? It can be explained with a trite but true phrase: it's the best league in the world. For me it's a real challenge.Yes, I know that many guys are returning now to the Russian league. Some due to age and injuries. I'm talking about Alexei Yashin. Oleg Saprykin just returned to CSKA, and from Ottawa, where I'm headed. What was his reason, I don't know. Perhaps he didn't get along with someone. But I looked over his stats, they're good. He was playing and scoring.At any rate, I'm sure Oleg will be back. If not now, then in a year. He'll play here and get a decent invitation. I think he had problems with someone there.

I also don't know why Alexander Perezhogin returned. Looks like he spent too much time in the farm club. Perhaps they didn't trust him enough. But when I think about the fates of my countrymen in North America, I see Nashville's Alexander Radulov as an example. Because he left long ago and went through all the stages and is playing on the big team. And it wasn't smooth for him. But he went through it with clenched teeth and hard work. He set a goal for himself and reached it. Others did not endure as long, but I don't blame them, of course.

Who else came back? Alexei Kaigorodov. I heard he's got back problems. Maybe that was the reason, but as far as I know they were happy with him. Enver Lisin shouldn't have even returned. They were letting him play there, but somehow he ended up in the farm club. And he didn't like that. I believe Enver made a mistake. At any rate, he's gone back to the NHL now.

Certainly they pay a lot of money now in Russia. And to be honest I was offered a contract that was higher than that of the Senators. But for now money's the last thing on my mind. I'll get that later, probably, but my chance now is the trip to the NHL.I haven't even mentioned contractual bonuses to the team. I've got a two-way contract. I fully allow that I may get sent down, and I'm ready for such a challenge. Only I have to know that I'm playing for the farm team with the prospect of making the big club. Otherwise I'll return to CSKA where they're waiting for me.

Many people are asking me whether I'm scared. I'd have to say no. The main thing is to get there. The flight is a really tough one, with two stopovers, in Frankfurt and Toronto. In Ottawa, though, I'm sure everything will be fine. They'll meet me, lodge me at a hotel. And it should get easier from there.

By the way, Ilja Zubov and Anton Volchenkov are already in Ottawa. I hope they'll help me out, especially since my English is not so good. I know some things, tried working with a tutor, but to study a foreign language during the season is very difficult, as you can imagine. Hopefully I'll quickly catch on during training camp.I only know the plans going forward in very broad terms. I think it's practicing until September 13, and then all the prospects are gathered. There will even be three games. Oleg Saprykin says they show the fastest hockey in the world during these games. Everyone's flying, showing themselves off. Twice as interesting. "

"September 5: Jumpsuit for Parshin.

I kept thinking here about what sets the National Hockey League apart from others. Probably it's that if you've made the team, it's because of you. Doesn't matter who your agent is or who your father is. They don't pull strings over there. You get your spot in the lineup yourself, without anyone's help.

I didn't take a lot of things with me to North America. Some clothes, my laptop, some equipment. Not everything, of course, but it's better to have your own skates and shin guards. Took a couple of sticks, but obviously also ordered some in Ottawa. But what if they won't be there right away? You still have to skate.

Don't know how I'll cope with acclimatization. First time in Canada, I can't imagine what awaits me. And there's a practice on the day I get there. Maybe they'll let me just skate around and not ride me too hard right away.

My CSKA teammates for the most part were really good about my leaving. They joked, of course. Denis Parshin and Sergei Shirokov, my linemates, ordered a bunch of things and said to come back quickly. Not that they wished I'd fail, but we've really gotten used to one another. Finish each others' sentences. Too bad our line's breaking up.

By the way, Denis ordered a jumpsuit. Gave me his size. If I come back, I'll definitely bring him a present. I want to stress that I'll return only to the CSKA. It was very important for me to leave the team on good terms with everybody. And we settled everything with the team president and the head coach. When will I be back? We'll see how it goes. Maybe in time for the New Year, but I'll reiterate that my goal is to secure a place in the Ottawa organization.

I feel confident, however the only thing I lack is the physical part. But everyone who went through the North American system says I'll pick up on that in no time. The physical conditioning will improve, the shot will become more powerful, endurance will rise. The rest is pretty much in order.

Also it's curious just to live in another country. Everyone says Western people have a different mentality. Not that many NHLers played for the CSKA. Peter Skudra, David Nemirovsky, but they're almost Russians. As far as actual Westerners, only this year Dragan Umichevich, a Swede, arrived. I didn't have a problem communicating with him. We attempted conversation. I was using my mixture of English and Russian. Yes, English is a weak point for now. But I'll try learning it. Perhaps in October my girlfriend will arrive, she's fluent in English. She'll help.

I'll be staying at a hotel for the time being. If everything goes well, then certainly it's possible to start thinking about real estate. But that's really far off. "

Anyways, here's Nikulin's page over at Hockeys Future if you want to get a better view of his skills.