Reaching for the stars: if the skilled offense displayed at the YoungStars game is any indication, the NHL galaxy is going to get a whole lot brighter

Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2002 by Larry Wigge

Marian Gaborik is asked by a fan dressed in Minnesota Wild colors if he could pose for a photo during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. The sophomore left winger agrees. After the photo is taken, the fan's digital camera immediately displays the finished product, leading Gaborik to ask for a copy of the photo to send to his parents in Slovakia.

"You could see the `Hollywood' sign on the mountain in the background," Gaborik says. "I have sent them photos of the White House, Liberty Bell, Niagara Falls and Gateway Arch, but I think they will like this one the best. I mean, how many times do you see that sign in a TV show or movie?"

Gaborik, 19, should get used to the attention. He didn't make the star-studded debut in his rookie season that Atlanta's goal-scoring phenoms Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley are having this season, but there is no sign of a slump in Gaborik's future. He might be the brightest light in an NHL galaxy that is crowded with future stars.

"I don't remember a time when so many talented young players are coming into our game," Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman says.

The group includes Kovalchuk, Heatley, Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, Senators winger Martin Havlat, Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla and Panthers winger Kristian Huselius and goaltender Roberto Luongo, meaning the NHL looks good into the next decade.

"Gaborik is like a Ferrari--he's sleek and fast," says Mighty Ducks G.M. Pierre Gauthier. "He goes from a dead start to 60 mph faster than anyone in the game--and he's got the hands to be one of the game's best playmakers."

While growing up in his native Slovakia, Gaborik idolized international stars Peter Stastny, Peter Bondra and Pavel Bure. But even if a player has the skills of Bure and comes from a foreign land, success isn't a given.

"It's like being in school," says Jaromir Jagr. "You be quiet and listen and learn. You can't be confident in your skills because you are not totally confident in how you act."

Gaborik was aimed in the right direction by the Wild, which tried to help him through the cultural transition. He says, however, a lot of his comfort level came from watching movies.

"Jennifer Lopez's parents learned English in the movie The Wedding Planner by joining a Scrabble club," Gaborik says. "I just watch the movies to learn ... to help me become more comfortable with the language."

Now it's Gaborik who is becoming the celebrity. His maturity is evident in how he approaches the game. He's a thinking-man's player, whose 6-1, 200-pound size doesn't hurt in the physical NHL game.

"He's 19 going on 30," Wild G.M. Doug Risebrough told reporters. "If you don't help a youngster like that develop a solid base, you may not see the results you hope for when you draft him so high. That isn't the case with Marian."

At the All-Star break, Gaborik, the third pick in the 2000 draft behind Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro and Heatley, had 18 goals and 27 assists in 50 games. Along with veteran Andrew Brunette, Gaborik clearly is a key part of Minnesota's creative inverted power play, which is based from the goal line rather than from the blue line, the traditional starting point.

"Gaborik sees the ice and reacts to a potential play like a veteran," Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn says. "He no longer plays like a kid. He makes all the plays that a Mario Lemieux or Jaromir Jagr does."

At the All-Star break, Kovalchuk led all rookies with 26 goals and 20 assists in 53 games. Heatley was second, with 18 goals and 25 assists in 54 games. In the YoungStars game, which was part of All-Star Game weekend, Kovalchuk and Heatley were inseparable.

"I won't order sushi," Heatley says, laughing. "That's Ilya's favorite food, but until he learns the language better, I order all of the food. I'm getting worried because he's learning more and more each day, and pretty soon he's going to be picking up the phone and ordering some food I won't be able to eat."

The dynamic duo gave observers food for thought in the YoungStars game, when Kovalchuk scored six goals and had one assist and Heatley added one goal and two assists.

"We translate the universal language of hockey on the ice and have fun doing it," Heatley says.

"They must be talking about moves on the ice all the time when they are in their room," Quinn says, "because you can't teach the kind of rapport they already have with each other."

And if they continue to make a meal out of the opposition's defense, they will become the first teammates to finish one-two in rookie scoring since Brian Leetch (71 points) and Tony Granato (63) accomplished the feat for the Rangers in 1988-89.

Just before the All-Star break, the Red Wings rolled to a 5-2 victory in St. Louis, and reporters gathered around Brett Hull, who had three goals and two assists. But instead of going on and on about himself, Hull deflected the accolades to Datsyuk, a quiet, first-year player.

"Pavel's been our best player for more than a month," Hull says.

Naturally, in a room that includes Dominik Hasek, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Hull and Brendan Shanahan, the comment was received with skepticism. But Shanahan chimed in, "Brett's right. With all of the Hall of Famers in this locker room, that rookie has been our best player--by far."