Antropov pushes forward after tragedy

Winnipeg Jets center Nik Antropov is currently in mourning after the horrific plane crash which resulted in the deaths of many Russian hockey players on the Lokomotiv Yarosavl team. With the NHL preseason so near, it must weigh heavily on Antropov, who played for The Lokomotiv team a while back. My heart goes out to Antropov and the families and fans of the Lokomotiv team.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

WINNIPEG — Nik Antropov has had moments in his NHL career where he’s lived up to the promise of his huge body and soft hands. The Winnipeg Jets are hoping the 31-year-old has some magic left.

Antropov is expected to eat up minutes in the club’s top six forwards and if he’s healthy — and working with the right people — there’s potential for production.

A 20-goal scorer on three different occasions during his time in the NHL, Antropov has had consistency issues due to injury. But he’s big, has elite ice vision and despite what many outside the game say, has a reputation for being engaged.

“The first time I was in Winnipeg was in 1999 in the world juniors and I always remember it was -48 C but this seems like a great community and it’s good to be back in a market where people care about hockey,” said Antropov, a 6-6, 240-pound winger.

Antropov is busy getting used to the new surroundings of Winnipeg and a fresh direction in his hockey career, but for the most part is mind is elsewhere.

Antropov had nine friends die in Wednesday’s horrific plane crash that wiped out the Lokomotiv team of the KHL and considered former Winnipeg Jets forward Igor Korolev to be “like a brother.”

“Igor was my good friend and this is very sad for me. I knew Igor for 11 years since I first came to North American and he took me under his wing,” said Antropov, who is entering his 12th NHL season. “He did a lot of good things for me.”

Antropov has scored 172 goals and 240 assists in 679 career NHL games. He arrived in North America as a lanky kid out of Kazakhstan with lots of hockey ability but limited life skills.

“It’s a tough loss for us. He’s the godfather of my son,” said Antropov, selected 10th overall in the first round of the 1998 entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I couldn’t speak English and didn’t know where to go for something to eat. Igor showed me everything. I called his wife and didn’t know what to say. I told her I hoped he wasn’t one of them but then we found out it was.”

Hockey is a brief refuge for Antropov right now.

Read more of the story on the Montreal Gazette.