It's team first for Chicago Blackhawks' Anisimov
When Artem Anisimov was in second grade, a hockey coach showed up at his school looking to recruit a few kids.
But instead of making the youngsters lace up skates, the coach had them play other sports like basketball and observed how they interacted.
Were the kids looking to shoot every shot, or did they look to pass at the right times?
That coach wanted kids who exhibited traits of being a good teammate as well as those who were coachable.
In a group of about 50, Anisimov was one of three who were chosen.
"I come home and tell my parents and they say, 'Why not? Give it a shot.' " Anisimov said.
Twenty years later, a blossoming, unselfish Anisimov continues to improve his game, help his teammates and make the Chicago Blackhawks better every day.
Where did he go?
Fans who follow the Hawks closely know Anisimov had a pretty strange 2015-16 campaign.
During the season's first few months, Anisimov was on top of the world while - somewhat quietly - centering the league's most dominant line in hockey.
He did everything asked of him, from the dirty work in front of the net, to feeding Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane, to winning ever-important board battles that led to myriad scoring chances.
The result was a fantastic first 40 games in which he was on pace for a 30-goal season.
Around that time, though, a tendon in Anisimov's right wrist started bugging him, and he struggled in the season's second half, scoring just 5 goals.
"It was sometimes sore, sometimes not," Anisimov said. "At the end of the season during the playoffs, it was sore a lot. Tried to tape it, but it (pain) always came up."
Surgery was an in-season option but the decision was to wait until after the postseason.
"It actually helped in the summer," Anisimov said. "I didn't grab my stick until August. It's healed completely. It's nice."
A new man
Hawks fans aren't going to see Anisimov interviewed very often, if for no other reason than it can be difficult to understand his thick, Russian accent. When you first meet him, Anisimov can seem quiet and reserved.
But his teammates paint a different picture.
"You know what? He's really a great person," Kane said. "I think he's one of those guys that's always calm and relaxed and at the same time he'll kind of surprise you with a comment here or there that's really funny.
"He's just a really great guy and a great teammate, too."
Anisimov's not sure where he picked up his sense of humor. He told me he "loves to smile and to make other people smile."
One of the biggest reasons fans are smiling this season is seeing Anisimov play like a man possessed, scoring goals when the Hawks need them the most.
Imagine if the 6-foot-4, 201-pound center was muddling along and didn't …
• Give the Hawks a 5-4 lead against the Flyers on Oct. 18 after Philly had stormed back from a 4-0 deficit.
• Score the first of 2 late goals against Toronto four days later in an eventual 5-4 shootout victory.
• Score the overtime winner against New Jersey on Oct. 28.
• Break a 1-1 tie against Calgary on Nov. 1 with a power-play goal off a perfect feed from Kane.
• Give the Hawks a 3-2 third-period lead against Dallas on Sunday by banging in a rebound off a shot by Jonathan Toews.
Those are 5 crucial third-period or OT goals in games that easily could have gone either way. Without them, the 9-3-1 Hawks could be 7-5-1 … or worse.
"He deserves credit for how he has approached the season (and) how he has gotten off to a strong start," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He scored some big goals and timely goals for us as well."
Said Kane: "You look at some of his goals this year, he's got a lot of patience, a lot of poise on different plays. You can't really say that about many players in the league where maybe they'll just shove it into the goalie. He's pulling the puck out, getting elevation and putting it in the net."
Work, work, work
Not every part of Anisimov's game is perfect, of course, as he has had quite a tough time over his career in the faceoff circle. This season got off to a particularly brutal start as Anisimov won just 35 percent of his faceoffs in the first seven games.
So he has put in extra time at practice, working with specialist Yanic Perreault. About two weeks ago during one such session at Johnny's IceHouse West, Perreault dropped about five pucks in a row and the result was the same: whiff, miss, whiff, miss, whiff.
Anisimov just couldn't get the timing down. After a break and a bit of instruction from Perreault, things improved.
That extra work has paid dividends, too, as Anisimov actually won 9 of 12 faceoffs against Calgary on Nov. 1. He has won 50 percent overall in the last six games.
Streaking
After Kane helped extend Anisimov's point streak to eight by assisting on that power-play goal against Calgary, I asked Kane if he was worried about the big Russian breaking his team-record 26-game streak from last year.
After a hearty laugh, a smiling Kane said: "I know, I shouldn't have passed him that one. I've got to start thinking about that on the power play, right?"
All kidding aside, Anisimov's eye-popping play is no fluke. If he stays healthy and confident, who knows what's possible?
Through Nov. 8, Anisimov led the league with 8 goals and 17 points and he was riding an 11-game point streak.
He figures to slow down at some point, but he's on pace for a whopping 47 goals and 100 points, which would blow away his career highs of 22 and 44, respectively.
"It's good to see (this) success out of him because we'll need him to be confident, especially as the season goes on and we get closer to playoffs," Kane said. "We're going to need him."
Just as they've needed him in the early going.
Last year Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said he didn't hesitate to sign Anisimov to a five-year, $22.5 million contract because it's awfully difficult to find a 6-4 center who is a great skater, great passer, great shooter and a great defender.
And, just as a coach in Russia found out two decades ago, a great teammate.
Leading the way
<b>NHL's top scorers </b>Rk. Player, Team Points
1. Artem Anisimov, HAWKS 17
2. Patrick Kane, HAWKS 16
3. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa 15
Five tied at 14
<b>NHL's top goal scorers</b>Rk. Player, Team Goals
1. Artem Anisimov, HAWKS 8
2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh 8
3. David Pastrnak, Boston 8
4. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg 8
Five tied at 7
Note: All totals through Nov. 7
Source: NHL.com
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m. Wednesday at Scottrade Center
TV: NBCSN
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: The Blues are in second place in the Central Division, 3 points behind the Blackhawks, but are just 4-4-2 since starting with 3 straight wins. One of those victories was a 5-2 triumph over the Hawks at the United Center to open the season. … Vladimir Tarasenko (5G, 6A) is St. Louis' leading scorer, but he has just 1 goal in the last nine games. … Blues goalie Jake Allen is 5-3-2 with a 2.39 goals-against-average, but his save percentage is just .903. … Corey Crawford, who has won five straight, will start in net for the Blackhawks.
Next: Washington Capitals at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Friday
- John Dietz