Going Home

If the old adage stating that one can never go home again is true, it seems that Pavel Datsyuk is intent on testing that theory. It was announced early today that Pavel Datsyuk is heading back to Yekaterinburg after signing a one-year deal with Avtomobilist in the KHL. I don't know if Datsyuk just likes the colour red as seen in the picture, but he goes to a team that wears red and black after spending his NHL time in red with the Detroit Red Wings. While most 41 year-old professional hockey players are thinking about hanging up the skates, Datsyuk seems content in avoiding Father Time for at least one more season while pursuing a Gagarin Cup championship with his hometown team.

Back on May 1, I wrote here on this very blog, "My guess is he's going home to retire in the next few years." After starting his career with Dynamo Yekaterinburg in the Russian Super League prior to the formation of the KHL, he left Russia to find a home in Detroit where he assembled his own trophy case that saw him win two Stanley Cups, three Selke Trophies and four consecutive Lady Byng Memorial Trophies to go along with 918 points in 953 career games. He did record 12 goals and 30 assists last year in St. Petersburg, but the chances of him coming back to the NHL - only to Detroit, as per his agent - were closer to none than slim with the Red Wings going through a major rebuild both on and off the ice.

While he helped St. Petersburg to a Gagarin Cup championship in 2017 and then became the oldest member of the Triple Gold Club after the Olympic Athletes from Russia won the men's hockey competition in Pyeongchang in 2018, Datsyuk had clearly lost a step or two when it came to his once-elusive speed. The hands and the vision were certainly still there, but he visually looked slower than most had remembered him from his days in Detroit. Those hands and vision join a solid Avtomobilist team that looks like it should compete for the Gagarin Cup next season with the likes of Nigel Dawes and Geoff Platt there, but nothing is ever given in pro sports. The Yekaterinburg team will certainly have challenges next season, but Datsyuk's talent and experience should prove very valuable for the club in overcoming these challenges.

Datsyuk released a statement that read,

Dear Friends, The St. Petersburg stage of my career has come to an end. These were the memorable years. I want to say thank you to the SKA club. In St. Petersburg there are wonderful conditions for games and training, attentive staff - all this helps to concentrate exclusively on hockey. Such a system is not a single year, and this is a huge merit of the club's leadership.

And with that, Datsyuk's era in St. Petersburg ends and a new one begins in Yekaterinburg.

If the Magic Man is officially going home to end his career, he deserves to be honoured in his hometown. For all he's done in his career and for his country, a proper send-off in his hometown would be appropriate. There's no guarantee that this is Datsyuk's last kick at the can, though, and he could pull a "Chris Chelios" and play until he's like 300. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that one can indeed go home again. For Pavel Datsyuk, it seems to be the most appropriate place for him at this point in his career.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!