It is the end of an era in Detroit. Pavel Datsyuk will be returning to his home country, Russia, to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He is going back to Russia to be with his teenage daughter. According to ESPN, Datsyuk said, “My family and I are grateful for our time here in Detroit. This was not an easy decision, but it is time for us to return home.” How should we remember Datsyuk ?
Datsyuk spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. They drafted him in the 6th round of the 1998 NHL Draft. Datsyuk wouldn’t appear in the NHL until the 2001-2002 season. That year he scored 11 goals and added 24 assists for 35 points. This was a taste of what he would accomplish in the NHL. His best season with the Red Wings was in 2008-2009 when he lit the lamp 32 times.
Datsyuk was always a threat to score goals no matter what the situation was. He scored them on the power play, short-handed, and on full strength. Datsyuk would always be able to find his teammates on the open ice. In his career Datsyuk had 314 goals and 604 assists for a total of 918 points.
Datsyuk had nothing left to prove in the NHL, his accomplishments tell it all. Datsyuk lifted the Stanley Cup twice and was selected to the NHL All-Star Game four times. In 2008 he had the best plus minus with a plus 41. He even won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the player with the best sportsmanship, four years in a row, from 2006-2009. Datsyuk also took home the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best forward who also plays great defense. The award was given to him three straight years from 2008 to 2010. The only accomplishment left is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Datsyuk is making the right decision. He could have earned $7.5 million this year. That is a lot of money, but it was time for him to go home. Family is more important.
How do you feel about Pavel Datsyuk’s decision to return to Russia?
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