I got to see 75 and 76 in person against the Flyers (it was Lindross' rookie season, too, what a time); I remember the out of town scoreboards updating Teemu Selanne's goal totals and him tying for the goal scoring lead. It was just insane how great Mogilny was and he was *maybe* in second gear the whole time.
Nice tribute to one of the most electrifying players I’ve had the pleasure to watch. The Mogilny-LaFontaine era of the Sabres remains one of my best hockey memories, particularly in the gloomy part of Buffalo hockey history we seemed mired in right now.
Younger fans who didn’t grow up amid the Cold War may not truly understand what a big, international deal Mogilny’s defection was. There is a YouTube video with interviews from Gerry Meehan (who, if memory serves, as an immigration lawyer as well) and Don Luce about smuggling #89 out of Sweden after a tournament, with the KGB in full pursuit. Real cloak-and-dagger, John LeCarre type stuff.
I worked with a guy in the early 90s who had somehow befriended Mogilny and he and his wife became sort of surrogate family to him. I met Mogilny at the coworker’s party once, and Mogilny talked about keeping a lit cigarette stuck between the glass at Sabreland so he could take drags on it during practice drills. (Ah,the 90s!) To think someone could play like Mogilny all while indulging in incipient COPD boggles the mind!
I also recall he had a famous fear of flying particularly early in his career and was known to have taken cars on a couple of road trips. Jeff Marek noted on his show yesterday that Mogilny refused to fly to North America to receive his Selke Trophy: Marek chalked it up to Mogilny thinking the Selke wasn’t worth it but perhaps it was that old aerophobia (or AeroFlotphobia in the case of a Russian?) acting up. If that is indeed the reason for his 16 year snub, as some have suggested, that just sucks. But better late than never!
I got to see 75 and 76 in person against the Flyers (it was Lindross' rookie season, too, what a time); I remember the out of town scoreboards updating Teemu Selanne's goal totals and him tying for the goal scoring lead. It was just insane how great Mogilny was and he was *maybe* in second gear the whole time.
Nice tribute to one of the most electrifying players I’ve had the pleasure to watch. The Mogilny-LaFontaine era of the Sabres remains one of my best hockey memories, particularly in the gloomy part of Buffalo hockey history we seemed mired in right now.
Younger fans who didn’t grow up amid the Cold War may not truly understand what a big, international deal Mogilny’s defection was. There is a YouTube video with interviews from Gerry Meehan (who, if memory serves, as an immigration lawyer as well) and Don Luce about smuggling #89 out of Sweden after a tournament, with the KGB in full pursuit. Real cloak-and-dagger, John LeCarre type stuff.
I worked with a guy in the early 90s who had somehow befriended Mogilny and he and his wife became sort of surrogate family to him. I met Mogilny at the coworker’s party once, and Mogilny talked about keeping a lit cigarette stuck between the glass at Sabreland so he could take drags on it during practice drills. (Ah,the 90s!) To think someone could play like Mogilny all while indulging in incipient COPD boggles the mind!
I also recall he had a famous fear of flying particularly early in his career and was known to have taken cars on a couple of road trips. Jeff Marek noted on his show yesterday that Mogilny refused to fly to North America to receive his Selke Trophy: Marek chalked it up to Mogilny thinking the Selke wasn’t worth it but perhaps it was that old aerophobia (or AeroFlotphobia in the case of a Russian?) acting up. If that is indeed the reason for his 16 year snub, as some have suggested, that just sucks. But better late than never!