Alexander Radulov // Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
Alexander Radulov spent only one season with the Montreal Canadiens, but it was one of the most memorable in his career. In 2016-17, the forward played 76 games for the Canadiens, scoring 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists), and six more games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"People are crazy in a good way in Quebec, they are crazy about hockey," Radulov said in an exclusive interview with RG.org. "I don't know anyone like that anywhere else. The atmosphere at the games in Montreal can't be explained in words. That's why [Ivan] Demidov, who might go there next year, should enjoy it all. Because it's pure fun, he'll be having a blast.
Yes, he will be pressured, and he should understand that. But he should turn that pressure to his advantage. In Quebec, fans understand hockey. If you give it all, they see it and appreciate it. They even have hockey on their five-dollar bill."
Radulov, who currently plays for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL, told a story that made a big impression on him.
"It was a month or two into the regular season," Radulov said. "We were playing against an Original Six team, I don't remember which one. And it was really loud. It was the first time I'd ever been in that situation. It was like the quarterfinals of the 2010 Olympics against Canada. Only here they were rooting for us. And I'm sitting in the locker room, stretching. Carey Price is sitting next to me. So I ask him, 'Carey, this is some other world. What's going on? I've never played in an environment like this.' And he says, 'Wait, you don't know what the real atmosphere in Montreal is like. We have to get to the playoffs, and then you'll find out.' I say, 'What could be better than today?'
And so, at the end of the season, we made the playoffs and got to the Rangers. And that's when it hit me. Then I realized everything Carey talked about."
Radulov, who spent five years with the Dallas Stars after his contract with the Canadiens expired, also shared his thoughts on the trade of Patrik Laine to Montreal.
"I think he has a chance to find himself in the Canadiens," Radulov said. "He is a very strong hockey player with great talent. Not everything worked out for him. Maybe because of injuries. Maybe because of something else. But now he has a new chapter in his career. I think he will show himself. I want the Canadiens to make the playoffs and the fans enjoy it."
Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.
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