| bobbinka | 01-21-2025 12:20 PM |
https://rg.org/news/hockey/nikita-za...ived-in-boston Quote:
Ultimately, Zadorov and his agent saw it best to request a trade and head somewhere that could help Zadorov maximize his value before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2024.
But some things simply can’t be written that poetically. Zadorov ended up in Vancouver, a move that he feels profoundly changed him as a hockey player.
“Those were probably the coolest six months of my career. It's a blast to play hockey there. The fans are awesome, the city is cool, the team is cool too. The team, the coaching staff - everything was super. Head coach [Rich] Tocchet, [Daniel and Henrik] Sedins, [Adam] Foote, [Sergei] Gonchar - wherever you look, there’s a Hall of Famer,” said Zadorov regarding his admiration for the Canucks organization. “You can learn a lot from everyone. When Sergei Gonchar came in, he worked a lot with all the defensemen individually. I think those six months were a big boost for my career, I changed a lot as a player.”
Heading to Vancouver changed his view on the game, and helped him discover new aspects of his ability on the ice. Beyond his own development, Zadorov recalls the culture and fan base surrounding the Canucks as being especially memorable.
“The playoffs in Vancouver were crazy in terms of atmosphere. I remember that before, the atmosphere during the Cup in San Jose, Nashville, Vegas, Edmonton, Calgary seemed really cool to me. But what happened in Vancouver was on another level,” said Zadorov on the fans in Vancouver. “In terms of energy, in terms of volume, in terms of how the city lived hockey. During the playoffs, you try to eat at home, but, when you go out for dinner, you don’t have a single chance to pay for it yourself. Either the restaurant owners will come over right away, or someone at the next table will pay for you. The city lived for hockey, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
When free agency came around in July 2024, Zadorov faced an intriguing decision: stay in Vancouver or test the waters to see if a big-market team would make an offer.
The Canucks remained aggressive in their approach, offering a similar contract to the one Zadorov ultimately signed with the Boston Bruins. Some things about playing in Boston simply provided too many added benefits to turn down.
“Yes, Vancouver showed interest,” he answered, confirming that he talked to about twenty teams. “And in terms of money, it was basically the same contract that I got in Boston. Vancouver didn't offend me, everything they offered was very good. There were a couple of moments in the negotiations that I didn't like - both the way they were conducted and the way the information was presented to me. But that wasn't the main thing.”
For Zadorov, there was a clear preference for playing in the United States over Canada, as is customary in the NHL. Zadorov thought about where best to raise his young family, and the attractiveness of Boston stood out much more as one of the major hubs of the United States.
“In the end, when it was time to make a decision, we weighed everything up, and a couple of factors played into the fact that it was more comfortable for our family to play in the US than in Canada,” said Zadorov. “You make a list and check off the boxes: this is more suitable here; this is more suitable there. In the end, we chose what was more relevant for hockey and more relevant for life.”
Another unexpected, yet welcomed benefit, is that playing in the Eastern Conference requires far less travel than the Pacific Division in the Western Conference.
| Big Z was actually offered same contract by Canucks, he just wanted to be in the States |
