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National Post

Hockey Hall of Fame: Alex Mogilny was a Canuck like no other

When Alex Mogilny was a young boy growing up in Khabarovsk, Russia, he would practise his hockey skills on a neighbourhood outdoor rink. Article content It's a story that sounds familiar to plenty of Canadians, especially those who grew up in the latter half of the 20th century, before youth hockey became a big-money affair, with flashy jerseys and expensive coaches. Article content Article content The difference between the Canadian image and the Russian one is simple: On Mogilny's rink, there was just one puck. Article content 'That's how he got so good at controlling the puck, he once told me,' former Burnaby-born Canucks star Cliff Ronning told Postmedia on Tuesday, after word went out that the great Russian was heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame, at long last. 'He wanted to keep it.' Article content Mogilny finally getting his hall call rights a long-standing wrong — he was among the game's best during the 1980s and '90s, and indeed changed the game when he bolted from the Soviet Union in the spring of 1989, opening the door for many other Russians to head to the NHL. Article content Ronning's last season as a Canuck was 1995-96, Mogilny's first in Vancouver. On many nights, Ronning was Mogilny's centre. Mogilny's first season as a Canuck produced 107 points, a season so majestic that it is considered by some to be the finest all-around season in team history. Article content At the very least, it's up there with the power of Pavel Bure's back-to-back 60-goal campaigns, and with Henrik Sedin's masterwork of a season in 2010-11. Article content Article content 'He would tell me what he wanted, and when I did what he said he would end up scoring a goal. So I just started doing what he told me,' Ronning went on. Article content Article content Like carrying the puck in on the left wing so that Mogilny would have all the space he wanted on the right side, where he could torch opposing defencemen one-on-one. Article content 'His balance was phenomenal. He could do anything. He could pass forehand, backhand, nail your tape every time,' Ronning added.