Tanev made name for himself in Vancouver, now returns in Flaming C

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Dave Gagner had, manner again when, coached Chris Tanev on a spring inline squad.

He was a proficient child, a reliable defender even on wheels, however he was just a bit squirt, so tiny that he seemed like a bit of brother whereas tagging alongside along with his teammates.

Quick-forward a number of years … It’s 2010 and Gagner, after a prolonged NHL profession of his personal, is now working in participant improvement for the Vancouver Canucks.

The Rochester Institute of Expertise (RIT) Tigers are on the tube and unbeknownst to his former curler hockey skipper, the once-wee Tanev has sprouted.

It’s your story, Dave, you’re taking it from right here …

“I used to be watching the NCAA match on TV and I knew we had scouts there current on the sport,” recalled Gagner, who skated 16 seasons in The Present and had additionally labored with this teenager within the winter months within the minor-hockey ranks. “I noticed Chris rating a aim and I’m pondering, ‘Chris Tanev?!? That’s bizarre. This child is 6-foot-2.’ So I seemed on the bench and certain sufficient, it’s the identical head nevertheless it was on a much bigger physique.

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“I remembered that he was all the time good and fearless. As a smaller defenceman, he would go to the nook and simply get pasted to make a play. It was a kind of issues the place he was only a late grower, however he all the time had high-end hockey sense, cherished to defend and would do something to cease the very best gamers on the opposite staff. And he’d do it quietly. Everyone cherished being on Chris’ staff as a result of he was only a competitor that didn’t bug anyone. He was only a very, very good and humble younger man.

“So I referred to as one among our scouts I knew was on the sport and I mentioned, ‘Are you able to watch this child and do a report on him?’ And he preferred him, too.”

Extra of Vancouver’s talent-hounds have been quickly concerned.

And there was rising consensus — this Tanev child, by no means on the radar to be drafted however now skating on RIT’s prime pairing as an NCAA rookie, may very well be a gem.

“So we ended up pitching Chris and his dad on the finish of the season,” mentioned Gagner, who has since switched to the agent facet of the enterprise. “He was solely a freshman however I knew different groups have been concerned with him as effectively, so we satisfied him to check in Vancouver on the time. Our entire group did. And the remaining is historical past, as they are saying.”

Tanev would spend a decade with the Canucks group, the majority of it on the big-league degree.

On Thursday, the 31-year-old blue-liner — signed this fall by the Calgary Flames and to date making a heck of an impression along with his new membership — will for the primary time return to Rogers Area in Vancouver as one of many dangerous guys (8 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).

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The Flames will keep on the West Coast for 3 straight dates. That is additionally a homecoming-of-sorts for star netminder Jacob Markstrom and right-winger Josh Leivo. Because of back-to-back wins in Calgary final month, they’re presently undefeated towards their previous buddies.

“Going to the rink goes to be a bit of totally different — being on the guests’ facet of the sector,” Tanev mentioned previous to Wednesday’s afternoon flight to his previous stomping grounds. “I believe early on it’s clearly going to be a bit of emotional. I’m going to see a number of faces that I’ve grown to love across the area for fairly a while. However as the sport progresses, I believe it’s going to turn out to be simply one other sport the place we’re making an attempt to win.”

There have been some groans when the Flames signed Tanev to a four-year, US$18-million deal in free company — the critics argued that’s an excessive amount of time period for a 30-something — however the brand new man in No. 8 has proved to date to be an excellent addition in a second-pairing position.

The extra you watch Tanev, the extra you admire his skating and puck-moving talents and his knack for nearly all the time being in the precise spot.

You possibly can see what former teammate Kevin Bieksa was speaking about when he quipped through the 2011 Stanley Cup remaining, “He might have performed the sport with a cigarette in his mouth, he’s so calm and funky on the market.”

It’s probably not a complete coincidence that Tanev’s new associate, Noah Hanifin, is taking part in arguably the very best hockey of his profession. Hanifin, 24, will inform you as a lot.

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“He simply quietly does his job and makes everybody round him higher,” mentioned Tanev’s faculty bench boss, Wayne Wilson. “I’m certain when the coaches watch the tape, they most likely simply discover so many small issues about his sport that make you go, ‘Wow, nice play there. That was nice, an actual good go … ’ ”

That appears to be a recurring theme as you hint the path of Tanev.

“I do know (former Canucks coach) Alain Vigneault, he was simply amazed there have been no scoring possibilities when he was on the ice,” Gagner recalled.

Tanev’s countables in a dozen appearances within the Flaming C embody one aim — a bouncer from inside his personal blue-line — and a pair of assists. He has a plus-4 ranking, a team-high 24 blocked pictures and has been on the ice for under 5 objectives towards at even-strength.

Factor is, with a shutdown type, the numbers by no means inform all the story. This remark from Keith McCambridge, who helped tutor Tanev in his first professional marketing campaign as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, finest sums up the enchantment of the under-rated defenceman.

“He does all of the non-highlight issues which may go unnoticed by some individuals — the little issues like stick element, physique positioning, hole management, good first passes,” mentioned McCambridge, who was drafted by the Flames again in 1994, has gobs of expertise as each a skater and a skipper within the minors and is now an affiliate coach for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. “The one factor that I’ve discovered through the years is elite NHL gamers do easy higher than anyone else. He does all of these issues. And people little issues, as coaches know, give your staff an opportunity to play within the offensive zone and to win hockey video games.”

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The Canucks, presently permitting a cringe-worthy 3.94 objectives per sport, actually appear to overlook each Tanev and Markstrom, who spent a mixed 17 seasons with the group earlier than crossing enemy strains to check in Calgary.

To understand what Thursday’s return should imply to Tanev, it helps to grasp how the Toronto-raised rock wound up in Vancouver within the first place.

With all due respect to the Tigers, Rochester Institute of Expertise just isn’t precisely a manufacturing facility for future NHLers.

Tanev, in actual fact, was the primary of two alums to ascend to the very best degree.

“Folks all the time say, ‘Whoa, how’d you get him?’ ” mentioned Wilson, now in his twenty second season as RIT’s head coach. “We didn’t assume he was going to be that good. We thought he was going to be good, however by no means one-and-done and off to the NHL. By no means dreamed of it.”

The Tigers have been initially badgered by Rick Cornacchia — then Tanev’s coach with the Junior A-level Markham Waxers — to take a gander at a dude who’d grown a foot over a one-year span previous to high-school commencement.

Wilson and Co. trusted Cornacchia’s knowledge. He had, in any case, guided Eric Lindros and the Oshawa Generals to each an OHL championship and Memorial Cup crown in 1990 and later helmed Crew Canada on the world juniors.

And so they trusted that he needed the very best for RIT. His son was then skating as a ahead for the Tigers.

“If individuals have been to observe the Flames and it’s only one sport, you’re not going to come back away and say, ‘Wow, have a look at him.’ He’s not Johnny Gaudreau,” Wilson mentioned of Tanev. “We preferred him however solely as a result of we obtained tipped off and we might actually zero in on him a bit of bit extra. In order that’s how we form of stumbled into him.”

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Cornacchia was proper about this child.

He had, nevertheless, been incorrect earlier than. Tanev had as soon as attended a spring camp with the Waxers however the staff mentioned no because of a man the coach remembers as about 5-foot-8 and “perhaps a-buck-forty.” They needed to swing a commerce to carry him again.

Tanev’s progress was maybe stalled as he waited for that development spurt — he performed high-school hockey when he couldn’t catch on with a AAA staff — however he may additionally owe a few of his success to what he discovered as a runt rearguard.

“His positional play is unbelievable,” Cornacchia praised. “As you’ll be able to see now, he doesn’t get himself in hassle very a lot, that means that he’s in the precise place and the precise spot. And he doesn’t take a number of penalties due to his footwork and likewise his positioning.

“Once you’re small, you must develop your hockey IQ and you must just be sure you have good positioning towards larger, stronger youngsters so that you don’t get beat. In order that’s one thing that he’s developed over time. The opposite factor you’ve most likely seen is he has no panic level. He doesn’t panic with the puck. He’s very calm and makes the precise determination 99% of the time.”

McCambridge remembers his first glimpse of a just-signed Tanev at Vancouver’s summer time improvement camp in 2010. He recollects being impressed along with his consciousness, his anticipation, his aggressive drive in drills and scrimmages.

“Everytime you see a participant that has that burning need, that burning fireplace inside him … You possibly can’t educate that. The athlete both has that or doesn’t,” McCambridge mentioned. “And you may simply inform from Chris that he cherished taking part in hockey. You would inform he cherished each a part of it. And from my expertise through the years teaching, if the athlete loves what they’re doing, they’ll often discover a method to make it. And he did.”

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On Thursday, he makes his manner again to Rogers Area.

Over the last decade he referred to as that his house rink, Tanev totalled 547 appearances in Canucks silks.

It’s a great factor Gagner turned on the tube that day.

“He’s simply dependable. He’s quietly environment friendly day-after-day. You simply don’t have to fret about him,” Gagner mentioned of Tanev. “The most effective factor about teaching Chris is you realize what you’re going to get out of him day-after-day. That’s what coaches need, you realize? You have a look at your lineup and also you have a look at a man and for those who’re undecided what you’re going to get, then it’s robust to play them. However Chris is identical manner day-after-day. His reliability is what I believe stands out to me. He’s simply stable, and he does it quietly. You don’t even know he’s round. He simply goes about his enterprise. He’s actually a coach’s dream.”