As Pavel Datsyuk's magic still reigns, Olympics could put exclamation on his career

Kevin Allen | USA TODAY

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GANGNEUNG, South Korea — Former NHL player Ray Ferraro has such respect and fascination for Pavel Datsyuk that he reminds himself “not to be the president of his fan club” when he’s a color analyst on one of Datsyuk’s games.

“He is by far my favorite player,” the broadcaster said. “I love the way he plays. I love his skill. ... He’s an amazing player, and an incredible role model for young players.”

Ferraro’s admiration for the way Datsyuk plays is an opinion commonly held in the hockey world. That’s why Datsyuk’s presence as the Olympic Athletes from Russia’s captain should be viewed as one last opportunity to see one of the sport’s most unique players compete in an international tournament.

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He turns 40 in five months, and it’s anticipated that he will retire after the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs. He has played two seasons in his native Russia since leaving the NHL after the 2015-16 season.

“His head, hands, and the DNA of his work ethic, are still there,” Ferraro said. “He doesn’t have the same foot speed he used to have, but at 39 who does?”

The Russians are considered the favorite to win the gold medal in men’s hockey.

“The last chance for a gold medal is motivation for him,” said Russian great Igor Larionov, Datsyuk’s teammate with the Detroit Red Wings. “He has a Stanley Cup, but he doesn’t have a gold.”

Datsyuk looked highly motivated, playing surprisingly physical, in his team’s 4-0 win against the Americans. He has two points in three games.

“Pavel is a fantastic player,” said Russian forward Nikolai Prokhorkin, a Los Angeles Kings prospect. “We all know how much he has achieved during his career. He helps us in every way he can. Above all, with his game and experience.”

He has only briefly talked to the media at the Olympics, perhaps another indication of how focused he is.

The uniqueness of Datsyuk has always been that he is both an offensive dazzler and one of the league’s most conscientious defensive forwards.

“When people started talking about the 200-foot player they were talking about Pavel Datsyuk,” Ferraro said.

Former NHLer Andrew Ebbett, now playing for Canada at the Olympics, lives in Michigan in the offseason and briefly trained with Datsyuk.

“The strength and puck control he has is amazing,” Ebbett said. “Everyone talks about his offense, but his defensive game is complete.”

In Ebbett’s first NHL season, his Anaheim team played the Red Wings in the second round of the playoffs.

“It went seven games and he was the best player on the ice in every game,” Ebbett said.

Ebbett said one of Datsyuk strengths was an ability to beat you without making it easy for you to understand how he did it.

“You think you have him boxed in – you think you have him in a corner,” Ebbett said. “Then all of a sudden he’s on the other side of you going to the net. He’s hard to play against, and fun to watch.”

Datsyuk’s team downed Slovenia 8-2 Friday and Datsyuk was playing defensively like it was a one-goal game.

“Even when the score was 7-2, he was backtracking on the puck,” Ferraro said. “He’s 39 and he doesn’t need to do that, but he does.”

Ferraro has intimate knowledge of Datsyuk’s role model status because his son Landon was Datsyuk’s teammate in Detroit.

“He would tell me that when they were finishing their work, Pav would be hauling out hurdles into the back hallway to do extra work,” Ferraro said. “When they talked about the Red Wing way, it was (Nicklas) Lidstrom, (Henrik) Zetterberg and Datsyuk.”

What should we remember about Datsyuk? “First, his brilliance, his skill and second, how humble he was,” Ferraro said.

When Datsyuk was in the NHL, players often said that he was the player they most liked to watch play. His ability to stickhandle in traffic is legendary.

With his shiftiness, Datsyuk could beat one opponent twice on the same drive to the net. He often left defenders spinning in his wake. He finished his NHL career with 314 goals and 918 points in 953 games.

“How many times have we seen him go into a pack of players, and somehow, without smashing people around, he comes out with the puck,” Ferraro said. “We were lucky to have been able to have watched him play.”