Photo courtesy, Dan Hickiling
Mikhail Grigorenko has broken down the language barrier that he feels impeded his ability to interact with teammates in his first two seasons in Buffalo.
Speaking with Grigo after Wednesday night’s win over Washington, I came away amazed at how far his English has really come. He set his mind to improving his physical fitness and his use of the English language this past summer. The kid is 2 for 2 as he has transformed his body from that of a teenager to that of a man. He has also perfected the English language.
He's on the verge of earning a final roster spot on the Sabres roster after his remarkably consistent high-end performances at Sabres rookie development camp and in the exhibition games that he has played in thus far.
Its easy to see where he is getting all of his confidence from right now. He’s comfortable in his own skin. He’s finally comfortable engaging his teammates, coaches, trainers and media in conversation. His English is spot-on. Its really remarkable how much more confident he is in the room now that he has a better command of the English language.Unlike fellow Russian and former Sabres phenom Max Afinogenov, Grigorenko has put his mind to improving his English. Max hid behind his bad English so that he didn’t have to speak. I’m still convinced that Afinogenov’s English was better than what he led on in front of the cameras when reporters were in the room. That’s why I praise Grigorenko. He saw his English as a barrier to communicating and to forming relationships with his teammates. Now, he’s a chatter box and its great to see and here how his teammates have gravitated to him in the room and on the bench. Chemistry is being formed as we speak .
In our chat on Wednesday night, I reminded him of the first time that he and I had ever spoken. It was in January2013, directly following his first skate with his new NHL team. The NHL lockout had just ended and the Buffalo room was buzzing with laughter and camaraderie. Grigo, the 18 year old rookie sat meekly and quietly in his makeshift locker stall next to the white board in the front of the room.
I clicked this photo of the newbie on his first day of pro hockey on January 13, 2013.
The trainers had nowhere else to put him so they gave him a stool in an awkward place. He was cool with it. He told me that day that he didn’t care where he sat in the room as long as he was actually a part of the Buffalo Sabres. He was a shy, quite kid back then. Come to find out, he wasn’t really confident in his ability to speak the language that was being used in the room, therefore, he kept to himself. Another factor is Grigo’s shyness in his rookie year may have been the lack of oxygen in the room, which was loaded with older, more vocal teammates like Ryan Miller, Steve Ott, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold, and Ville Leino to name a few. Grigo was content to just blend in and to not draw any negative attention to himself.
Oh my how times have changed.
He’s been Cody Hodgson’s neighbor for all of training camp. Its easy to see their instant chemistry both off and on the ice. CoHo set up Grigo for his beautiful goal in Toronto on Sunday night. Grigo has been repaying the favor ever since by hitting CoHo on the tape.
Grigo, CoHo and Jake McCabe nearly scored on a well executed 3-on-1 breakaway on Wednesday night. Grigo told me that he was bummed because he was raedy for McCabe’s one-timer. He wanted badly to score on that play. It didn’t happen , however, the two buds laughed about it in the room after the game.
I chuckled when Grigo and CoHo were talking back and forth. I complimented him play and his language.
He looked me in the eye and told me:
“ I just feel so much better around the guys. Even if I don’t talk, just walking around I(the room) I feel unbelievable. “
Grigo likes that he can share in the locker room smack talk now. He also likes being involved in discussions regarding current events.
He’s playing unbelievably, too. Grigo told me that he credits Ted Nolan for helping him to become the player that he is today. Grigo told me that he really responds well to Nolan’s mentoring style. He also told me that he thinks its great that Nolan has a son, Jordan, who is an NHL player and has won two Stanley Cups with the LA Kings. Grigo said that playing for Nolan has been a great experience because he’s learning while having fun.
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I happened upon Tyler Ennis is his locker stall after Buffalo’s 6-1 waxing of Washington on Wednesday night. Per usual, Ennis was grinning ear to ear. He didn’t even look winded or appear as though he had just skated a high tempo 60 minute game. Frankly, Ennis looked like he could go back out and play another three periods of hockey. I wasn’t so sure about his elder linies Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta. He had every right to be happy because the 26-63-12 line had just dropped a serious butt kicking on Barry Trotz’s smothering, structured system.
Ennis scored a beauty of a goal and assisted on Moulson’s double-shot of red light fireball. All Gionta did was add three pretty assists.
“Pretty nice game, right?” Ennis asked me. I agreed with him and told him that it appeared to me that his feet never touched the ice the entire game. Seriously. From my vantage point, it appeared to me that Ennis was levitating above the ice, rather than skating on it.
“I had a couple of coffees before the game”, he quipped, still beaming.
I cautioned him that he must pace himself otherwise he’ll be expected to deliver a 200 point season for the Sabres this season. Ok, I’m embellishing a bit .A 100 point season will be more the expectation. The way that the 26-63-12 line looked against Washington, I’m not going to rule out a 100 point season for Ennis, or Moulson. Gionta will have 50 assists if he plays his cards right with his new linemates.
Why the instant karma for the 26-63-12 line?
“ “Mouls” is so cool out there. He knows where I’m going to be. Brian is just so smart”.
Ennis scored a beauty of a goal on NHL stalwart Braden Holty with a little help from his friends.
“On my goal, I won the draw, Moulson made a nice play up to Mysie. Mysie drove it to Gio, off the pads. Its kind of a good example of the work We’ve been putting in in the D-zone. We are getting things squared away and getting thing right with systems Last year, we would run around a little bit and rely on adrenaline without a chance to see what was happening. This year, we are taking our time to work on structure and systems and it showed tonight. We’ve got a long way to go and have stuff to work on but it’s a good start.”
I commented to Ennis that it appears to me that he has broken free of the mental chains that used to bind he and his creativity.
“ That’s the best part of Teddy for me is that there’s a structure there, but, on the offensive side, he lets me be me. You know? In the past, with different guys (translated: “head coaches”) I kind of had to even stay within a structure offensively. I’m more of a creative guy and I’m now using my instincts a little more and just not skating straight lines, and stuff like tha. I like to be creative and Teddy’s smart. He lets me and other guys play to our strengths”.
Take that Ron Rolston! Ennis is free-wheeling and ad -ibbing again like he had when he was torching the AHL while playing for Kevin Dineen’s Portland Pirates and in The Dub with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Ted Nolan immediately recognized Ennis’ off the charts offensive skill set and has given him permission to play his game, his way. I told Ennis that he’s like a musician who has studied his sheet music. Nolan recognized that Enzo is at his best when he’s flowing extemporaneously and free styling like Marshall Mathers.
Ennis smirked and pumped up his shoulders. Eminen, eh?
“Its nice. Its really nice to have that chemistry with “Mouls”, and “Gio” played up with us tonight and it clicked, you know? I’ve never really come into a season playing with a 30-goal guy. You know, I’ve been switching around a lot with different line mates, but me and ‘Mouls” have really good chemistry going and “Gio” really added an extra speed level.. he’s so smart, and made really smart chip plays and he can score, too”.
Ennis said that it can be as easy as playing a discipline chip-chase-bang style.
"Its a fun game. You know, we played really well the first game and kind of let up the second game. We feel like we have to keep going strong every game”.
Enzo bein' Enzo.
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