In the end, victory went to Tverdovsky and his New Jersey. And with it, Oleg received the right to bring the Stanley Cup to his homeland and put it on public display. Such promotions have become popular among NHL players who came to North America from Europe. A company formed specifically for such occasions ensures the safety of the trophy and is responsible for its security throughout the often winding route.
This year, the trophy's travel schedule and its escort were to pass through Ukraine as well. But even the rapid processing of entry documents for the security company's employees and the resolution of other nuances did not help. Donetsk never saw the Stanley Cup. It remained in Moscow, where it was brought by New Jersey Russian forward Sergei Brylin, and was then supposed to head to Sweden.
It is a pity that it turned out that way. After all, there are not so many Stanley Cup winners among graduates of Ukrainian hockey (Tverdovsky is the first). Perhaps one could have shown more respect for such an exhibition event. The kind that was shown to the best Ukrainian footballer of recent years, Andriy Shevchenko, who brought the Champions League trophy to Kyiv. But what can you do! We will have to await a new triumph with a Ukrainian flavor. In the meantime, let's talk about the main character - hockey player Oleg Tverdovsky.
The future Stanley Cup winner was born on May 18, 1976, in Donetsk, where he began his path to big-time hockey. It is surprising that Oleg managed to break through. At that time, professional hockey teams in Ukraine existed only in Kyiv and Kharkiv. But true talents have all doors open. The Muscovites noticed the young man, and Tverdovsky landed in the solid company of "Krylya Sovetov" - one of the best clubs in Soviet hockey.
The late Igor Dmitriev - a student of the legendary Viktor Tikhonov - according to the player, became a true father-mentor for the young talent. "The 'Wings' had a fast, technical team that played typical Soviet combination hockey," Tverdovsky later recalled. "I earned the trust of such a classy specialist as Dmitriev, and that is invaluable for any young player. I started playing on the senior team at 16. And Igor Yefimovich gave me a chance, gave me confidence. So at 17, I was already regularly taking the ice in the main lineup. I played, by the way, on the first line. I think the coach was then preparing a replacement for the veterans. But I didn't stay in the Wings long. I unexpectedly got an opportunity to try my hand in the NHL. I left from Japan, where our team was at training camp. I flew without a contract, because I had a specific agreement with Dmitriev: if I didn't go straight to the NHL, there would be no talk of any farm club - I would return and continue to play for Krylya Sovetov. Of course, my warm relations with Igor Yefimovich remained. Every summer I came home and trained with him in Setun."
Tverdovsky, whom his teammates in the Wings nicknamed Tvardovsky after the famous poet, was being overly cautious when he set off across the ocean. After all, he had been selected second overall in the 1994 entry draft, which for a long time set a record for players from the former USSR. And for graduates of Ukrainian hockey, it remains the highest achievement to this day. Nevertheless, the player, who had accepted Russia's invitation to compete under its flag and had played for the Russian junior team at the 1994 World Championship, had to wait for his NHL debut. Anaheim, which had drafted Tverdovsky, sent him to a farm club to prove his readiness for the NHL. But after a few well-played games by Oleg, he returned him to the main roster. On January 21, 1995, Tverdovsky took the ice for the first time in his career in an NHL regular-season game.
The Donetsk native quickly won recognition. Showing himself to be a skillful defenseman who, among other things, can play in attack, has an excellent wrist shot, remarkable imagination, and never avoids physical play, Oleg joined the ranks of the most promising players. By the end of the decade, he was firmly among the best defensemen in the NHL, having managed to score more than 50 points twice in a row under the 'goal plus assist' system. In those seasons, only five others achieved this feat. But who! Rob Blake, Nicklas Lidstrom, Ray Bourque, and Sergei Gonchar kept company with Tverdovsky, who was the youngest on that list.
"Tverdovsky is an invaluable player for the Russian national team," Anaheim head coach Brian Murray said on the eve of the 2002 Olympic Games. "He is very mobile and fast, and that is his main strength. Oleg skates excellently, and the main thing for him is to properly make the first two moves. He handles the puck superbly even in moments when he is under enormous physical pressure from opponents. In this case, he masterfully avoids a body check, turns the other way, and in an instant breaks away from the opponent.
"Tverdovsky is solid in his own zone as well as in the offensive zone, where he often uses clever and deceptive moves. He appears to be showing with his whole appearance that he is going to break through two opposing players at his position, but unexpectedly delivers a surprisingly accurate shot. Oleg likes to sneak up to a shooting position closer to the goal rather than staying at the blue line for a long time. And there he makes an exceptional wrist shot. Also, you can't call him a heavyweight defenseman, but Tverdovsky never shies away from physical play. He is a very sturdy guy and is ready to fight for the puck on every part of the rink."
They called Tverdovsky the "Iron Man" when he played for Anaheim, where he returned after several seasons in Winnipeg and Phoenix. And for good reason. Oleg played more than 300 consecutive games in regular seasons, which is a sign of incredible stability. Not every hockey player can boast such an achievement. It is no wonder that in his junior years, coaches told Tverdovsky: "You won't be able to play only when you die!" Oleg still follows this joking instruction, taking to the ice both healthy and injured.
But there were also pauses in his career. They were connected with the desire of our fellow countryman to increase his salary. He considered that he had reached the level when the club should revise the terms of the contract upward - as had happened with all great hockey players.
The club leadership had its own point of view. Instead, they demanded that the contract be re-signed for a longer term. The hockey player and his agent refused. He had to spend some time as a holdout. But in the end, a common denominator was found. In September 2000, Oleg signed a three-year contract with Anaheim. Over three years, his total earnings were to come to $9.15 million. In the first year he received 2.5 million, in the second - 3.05, and in the third he was to receive 3.6 (compare with the 1.7 million he had received before).
However, the third year did not work out. In July 2002, Tverdovsky became one of the participants in a large-scale trade between Anaheim and New Jersey and ultimately ended up in East Rutherford, which, probably, he does not regret at all now. Although if in the final series Anaheim had prevailed over Oleg's new team, his mood would have been different.
However, even now the Stanley Cup winner has something to think about. New Jersey did not wish to renew the contract with the expensive defenseman, and Tverdovsky became an unrestricted free agent, gaining the right to choose a team on his own. Despite the crisis on the NHL transfer market, he has no shortage of offers. The most realistic option for continuing his career is considered to be Toronto.
Despite the fact that the hockey player does not like to talk about his personal life, he did not hide that he is the owner of a store selling hockey equipment, located in Moscow near the Dinamo metro station. But Oleg is not very willing to share his impressions of communicating with representatives of the Russian mafia. Like many other popular (and well-earning) hockey players, Tverdovsky fell into the sphere of interests of criminals. They kidnapped the hockey player's mother and demanded a ransom for her. (The kidnapping, by the way, was organized by Oleg's first coach, Petrov.) But everything ended well, after which Oleg moved his parents to the USA, settling them next to him, which now allows the native of Ukraine to say the following: "My business is in Moscow, my home is in Los Angeles, my homeland is in Donetsk." It is pleasing that Oleg, who made considerable efforts to bring the Stanley Cup to the capital of Donbas, does not forget about the latter. This says a lot.