Watching him when he was healthy and on his game was unreal. He had a near supernatural sense of opposing player and puck movements that made it seem like he was playing half a second into the future. To see him steal a puck behind his own goal and methodically deke each member of the opposing team (sometimes multiple times) left your jaw on the floor. And it's not like he was doing this to 3rd and 4th liners. Pavel was picking the pocket and breaking the ankles of star players while inventing new moves. He looked at the game different, he moved different, and he even looked different.
Lovely video. Only thing I can think of that's missing is mentioning how he could play so effectively without resorting to anything not allowed. Winning the Lady Byng for most gentlemanly player while also picking up the Selke for best defensive forward is pretty insane - and he did it two years in a row (and had four consecutive Lady Byngs).
Despite how skillful he was, I will never forget when Corey Perry goaded him into a fight, he dropped the gloves, and somehow gave the much larger Perry all he could handle. He could literally do it all on the ice, but was a gentleman and sportsman by choice.
Something that is never mentioned is how well Datsyuk hit people. He lead the wings in hits through both their cup runs in the late 00’s in the playoffs. He also has some of the hardest hits I’ve ever seen an undersized player perform. The man had the complete tool set and could steal a puck just as beautifully as he could score or assist it. It was a pleasure watching him play
Some of my favorite hits of his he didnt even have to do the hitting, the opposing player would incorrectly think his head was down and end up hitting a teammate or two after Pavel made him miss.
What I found amazing was that when players were polled, they consistently said he was the hardest player to take the puck away from, while simultaneously the most difficult to keep from stealing the puck from you. Today I watch players like Trevor Zegras and think "the kids all grew up practicing Datsyuk's moves and look at where it's got them". He truly changed how hockey is played, and not many players can say that.
He came in on the heels like Mario, Wayne, Stevie, Messier, Jagr, Salene, Federov, Hull, Shanahan, Sakic, Forsberg, Modano, etc. an era of legendary players. And he was as complete of a player and selfless as any of them. What’s wild is that he could have had multiple 40+ goal years but he was just such a team player that he didn’t care enough. But boy, could he dominate a period or two when he knew he had to go make a few plays for the team. Truly remarkable hands, IQ and ability to anticipate better than every player on the ice.
I went to a red wings game in 2015 and seen him and warm ups and i can’t explain how crazy his hands were. He was born with a gift to put smiles on peoples faces. Miss this guy all the time. Heres one more thing. When he retired wings havnt made the playoffs at all . That shows he was a big part of the team
I think he is the most complete player the game of hockey has ever seen. Tremendously gifted, a great learner of the NHL and likely extremely well trained in Russia. Is he an anomaly , a one of a kind or are any players coming out of Russia who possess such awesome skills and hockey intelligence? These videos will never get old .
My brother, who ONLY watches hockey and NO other sports, like myself, has always said..."Pavel Datsuyk is probably the best player to ever play pro hockey in North America." He's almost 50 and has been watching since he was a small child and he's probably right.
Legend!!! One of his Selke trophy speeches was "I want speech longer but my English short" I swear fans and media never understood how revered he was by the league.
I think Datsyuk is the most skilled player of all-time. He belongs on the first line of any all-time NHL greats team, imo. His defense was just as elite as his offense.
@Charlie B Gretzky was ahead of his time but he did not possess the same full, well-rounded skillset in my opinion. His defense wasn't as good as Pavel's and Gretzky played in an era where defensemen were mostly pylons and goalies had never heard of the butterfly technique. So while Gretzky was elite in his era, he wouldn't have been as dominant in today's NHL. He's still the GOAT though, there's no denying it. He's the GOAT of all GOATs, better than Jordan, Brady, Babe Ruth (or whoever baseball's GOAT is), Tiger Woods, GSP/Khabib, etc... Gretzky reigns supreme. But he is not the most SKILLED player of all-time. That's just my opinion though.
@Charlie B I didn't say Datsyuk was the best ever. I said he was the most skilled. He was the most well-rounded. I clearly admitted the Gretzky was the Greatest of All-Time. But his skills on defense and his hands were not as good as Datsyuk's. Relax. Your hero is still the best ever.
Born and raised a die hard Leafs fan and even as a Detroit player he was ALWAYS my absolute favourite. Absolutely magical hands. He started the wave on 'dangles'. Matthews is now my favourite.
Dude was the main reason I watched hockey back in the day. Should show the interviews of other players saying who they are most worried about when they see the puck and who they'd want on their team and all these players from other teams just kept saying Pavel datsyuk
He was so great at faceoffs I remember seeing games where if Detroit absolutely needed to win a faceoff, but it wasn't Datsyuk's shift they would put him on the ice to win the faceoff and immediately skate to the bench.
I've always described him to non-hockey fans as the "Barry Sanders of Hockey." Then I would show them some highlights, and they would say that's a spot-on comparison.
I saw him play 4 times. Two games in Detroit in 07 and 09, and games in St Louis in 08 and in Chicago in 09. All 4 games he was incredible, breathtaking really. I believe he has the highest hockey IQ of a player in the history of the NHL. Had he not missed the first 4 games of the finals in 09 because of his foot injury, they would have beat the Penguins and repeated as champs I have zero doubt.
@@samchaudhary7743 Yes. 6 games in a row he actually missed. The last two games of the conference finals vs Chicago and the first 4 of the Finals. Pav returned for games 5, 6 and 7. In game 5 the one he returned there was a real prick player for the pens that targeted Pavs foot and hit it with his stick several times. I just can't remember who it was.
One thing that I always thought was an under-rated part of his game was he was so strong on his feet. People would hit him and it wouldn't even budge him.
Honestly, I see some comparable traits of Datsyuk with Raymond. I don't imagine Raymond will reach that *Hockey God* level but at the same time, Datsyuk was 24 when he made his NHL debut and Raymond just turned 20 last month. He has that cerebral presence and moves similarly to Datsyuk on the ice. Also has that 200ft game ability already, being one of our best defensive forwards as a rookie. He needs to add more strength but that will come with time. I miss seeing Datsyuk out there on the ice. So glad I got to watch him and Zetterberg play live once in my life. I'll never forget it! #LGRW
Thanks you for making this video. Dats is truly a.azing and I am glad others know it too. The only missing from all the highlight videos I have seen on him, no one has mentioned how he great he was without the puck. His stick handling is amazing; no one has posted a comp of his skills just keeping the other teams from TOUCHING the puck. He can play keep away with the other team while staying behind the net and not lose the puck. If you ask seri on the apple phones, " who is the magic man?" She will tell you that it is Datsyuk!
I miss Pav every time i turn on hockey. Best player to ever play despite that stats he put up. hard to argue otherwise. Great video tho man, its always nice to see a new video on Datsyuk
When I was a kid (born in 02) I never got into hockey even tho my whole family was die hard isles fans. One day in like 06 or 07 the isles were playing the wings and I sat with my family to watch. when I saw datsyuk skate and how fluid he looked on the ice I fell in love with the game. He is the reason I watch and started to play hockey. I no longer play bc I was never the best but he is the reason that I still want to pursue a career in the hockey world. Idk who I’d be or what I’d be doing if I never watched that game.
@@DropthePuckHockey for sure. I subbed too! One of my fav moments was when they had the all star draft and chara selected datsyuk first so he wouldn’t have to play against him. LOL
The most talented player i've ever born whitness too.... he would do things we had never seen on a weekly basis AND he could just take over a shift single handed when the need arose!!!
@@tvelis513 valid. Kinda hard to argue against that. I guess the only thing I’d value more is the defensive skills and all around playmaking abilities. Ovi lays the body and has an amazing one timer, but I just think datsyuk reaches the same level as ovi but in a more efficient, safe way hahaha
Datsyuk changed the game with the younger generation coming up. Quite possibly the most elite stick handling of all time and amazing hand-eye coordination with puck stealing. Most of the top younger guys are heavily influenced by his style and play making.
I think we are actually seeing the effects of growing up watching him play now. Seeing people like zegras do crazy moves makes me wonder if he grew up watching Datsyuk
I remember there was a stretch between the lockout and like '08-'09 where Babcock had Datsyuk paired with Zetterberg and they were playing like the Sedin twins. It was unbelievable the chemistry they had together. Then Babcock started splitting them up to center the top 2 lines because they were both great defensive centers but they just weren't the same. But yeah that little stretch with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom, and Lidstrom was great hockey.
My Favorite modern era red wing. He should have been the Captain after Nick, but knowing Datsyuk he probably said give it to Hank. Guy changed hockey forever, all the kids from 2000s were practicing their Datsyukian Dekes, and playing his 2 way game.
I think Zetterberg just had more of that leadership quality as in the guy to rally a locker room and the guy to keep everyone focused. Also pretty sure his English was better. Datsyuk is like a lead by example kind of guy. He was a great leader for recognizing that he could lead best by wearing the A and giving Hank the C.
My friends and I made a Pavel Datsyuk drink: Equal parts strawberry flavored vodka and Faygo Redpop (another Detroit legend). It's called a Datsyukian Deke because after too many, you end up falling over.
What you see from guys like Matthews, Zegras, Draisaitl today you can attribute to Pavel Datsyuk. Hell Leon even patterned his stick with the giant paddle after Pasha.
@@DropthePuckHockey my fave player EVER!! It used toGretzky! I can watchPav play all day! My CATS name was Pavel. After BURE and Datsyuk!! His twin brother was OVi.
He was the best at take aways. At times many players would look.behind them to make sure he wasn't coming. He would always come from behind and take it right away from a player not paying attention. Not really a personal stat that is recorded. Detroit fox sports started recording them as a stat.
I saw many of his best moments live. In 2001/2002 I saw every game his rookie year. I was laid off from my job so I watched a lot of hockey. His highlight reels were fun to watch but I still think Yzerman was more fun to see.
While Datsyuk's team was based in Yekaterinburg, the team at times played in the RSL, albiet in the Eastern conference. In the relegation group of Datsyuk's draft year they did play teams based in the west such as one of the many Moscow based teams. While it's not one of the major cities in the West, it's one of the bigger cities in Russia. Far from a backwater that is often suggested. European players can be drafted into their mid 20s, and definitely wasn't uncommon in the 90s and early 00s. Keep in mind his future teammate Samuelsson was older when drafted in the same year. Also won Gagarin Cup in 04-5 with Dynamo Moskva, upon his return with SKA St. Petersburg, and Olympic Gold for team Russia.
I lived in the metro Detroit area at the time after growing up there and it's criminal that most people (if you like hockey and particularly are from the mitten) have never heard of Hakan Anderson. Myself included. This video was the first time I've ever heard of him.
He made grown men, professional hockey players look silly. Even his peers were amazed by his skill. "He could stick handle the puck in the shower and it wouldn't get wet" Pretty sure Brett Hull said that. #13 ♥️
Many don’t know this, but his 07-08 is statistically the best season of the analytics era according to most models ( analytics era is regarded as 2007-present)
In fact, I must say thanks to the scouts of Detroit that they found him and the whole world recognized Datsyuk - in Russia too many talents disappeared into obscurity...
Datsyuk is such a special hockey player. There have been a lot of greats but, for me, the two most entertaining players during my years following the sport were Datsyuk and Hasek. They were just different and in a league of their own.