Galchenyuk gives back
Article By Daniel Punch, Sarnia Observer.
Link to original article with video.
Anthony Tudino pokes his head into the hallway beside the RBC Centre ice.
Dressed in full hockey gear, the eight-year-old is at practice for the Bluewater Sharks minor novice AAA team. But he’s not very focused on practice right now.
“Where’s Galchenyuk?” he asks, as his coaches send him back out to the ice.
Alex Galchenyuk slinks quietly into the Sarnia Sting dressing room a few minutes later. The 18-year-old is two months away from being a high pick in the NHL draft, but he arrives alone without fanfare.
Galchenyuk came out to practice with the Sharks Wednesday evening, giving the young hockey players a thrill.
He was a virtual giant skating next to the youngsters, and a hero to the team full of Sarnia Sting fans.
“He’s a really good player,” said Tudino. “He can hit, he can score, he can pretty much do everything.”
A lot of NHL scouts would agree with Tudino, which is why Galchenyuk is expected to be a first-round pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft.
The standout Sarnia Sting forward endured a tough season in 2011-2012. He missed nearly the entire campaign with a knee injury suffered in the preseason.
But the hard work to rehabilitate his knee should soon pay off. Now it’s just a question of where he’ll be playing.
“These are things I cannot control,” said Galchenyuk. “It’s not in my hands.”
Life’s about to get very busy for Galchenyuk. Pro teams are coming knocking and he’s preparing for workouts at the NHL draft combine.
Galchenyuk’s season ended earlier than expected when the Sting lost in the opening round of the OHL playoffs, but that doesn’t mean he gets to relax.
He’s got to be focused on working out, building his conditioning and getting stronger, he said.
But Wednesday was just about having fun playing hockey. Galchenyuk skated drills with the kids, deked out the goalies during a scrimmage, and even traded sticks with one of the Sharks players.
“I’m just trying to go and have fun with the kids,” he said. “When I was that age and I looked at the big guys, I was like ‘oh!’”
Galchenyuk was able to meet a lot of professional players because of his father’s hockey career, but some memories stand out.
“A few years ago … I met Igor Larionov and he became my agent,” Galchenyuk recalled. “That was a pretty fun experience to meet him, he’s a hall-of-famer and a great guy.”
The Sharks team is mostly made up of players from the Sarnia Sting minor team that made the provincial finals over the winter. Coach Dan Lavender thought having Galchenyuk come to practice would be a nice reward for a good season.
The kids look up to Galchenyuk, and for good reason, Lavender said.
“His work ethic is unreal, I’ve never seen a kid with a work ethic like that in my life,” Lavender said.
There was no dramatic introduction or cheesy pep talk at practice. Galchenyuk was just one of the guys, playing alongside kids who’ve watched him excel on that very same ice since 2010.
Galchenyuk gave the Sharks players a tour of the Sting locker room after practice, and got his picture taken with every kid.
“I love the fans, and I respect them a lot,” Galchenyuk said.
