Tarasenko

1
What an awesome player, and person :)

Thought I'd share this (which perhaps you saw, but just in case): http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... d3142.html
"In perhaps the most important manner, Vladimir Tarasenko was much like every Blues fan who attended the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium.

Ignore for a second that Tarasenko scored two goals, including the winner, to beat the Blackhawks 4-1 on Monday afternoon.

To appreciate the entire Tarasenko story and truly identify with the young Russian superstar, this story must start about 23 hours before he took over the third period.

It begins with a proud young father, just like many proud parents — young and old — who trekked from all over the St. Louis area and the Midwest to see their beloved Blues against the hated Blackhawks. Many among the sellout crowd of 46,556 could identify with Tarasenko’s emotions.

He admittedly could barely hear the thunderous roars from the crowd after his goals, but he felt the family bonds that prompted fans to make a pilgrimage to Busch Stadium for the Blues’ first outdoor game.

If you’ve ever laced on skates and passed along that joy to your children, you’ll surely identify with the tears Tarasenko had in his eyes as he skated on the Busch Stadium outdoor rink a day before his game-winning heroics.

Tarasenko grew up playing outdoor hockey in his native Yaroslavl, Russia, where coaches wouldn’t cancel his daily 7 a.m. practices unless the temperature was colder than 25 below zero.

Tarasenko, the son of a former Russian Kontinental Hockey League scoring champ, never truly understood what his grandfather Vladimir and his father Andrei felt the first time they put him on the ice. That all changed Sunday evening after the Blues finished their practice and were allowed to have a family skate on the outdoor rink.

Tarasenko, 25, cradled his seven-month-old son Aleksandr and skated around the rink with tears of joy. His wife Yana also..."

Read rest of article: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... d3142.html
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