Jan. 29--Brent Sopel was playing in Russia near the end of a distinguished hockey career when he would throw a few choice words at Artemi Panarin as the flashy young winger raced up and down the ice.
"I yelled at him many times in English and I tried to swear at him in Russian a few times too," Sopel said with a laugh. "If you think he's skilled in what he's doing now, give him four extra feet everywhere. It was almost impossible to get the puck off of him."
Sopel, a key member of the Hawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship team, said he faced Panarin about a dozen times while the defenseman was in Russia from 2011-14 with Metallurg Novokuznetsk and later Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Meanwhile, Panarin was starring in the KHL and led league champion SKA Saint Petersburg in scoring in 2014-15 before the Blackhawks signed him.
Panarin has become a sensation in North America with the Hawks, ranking second on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 29 assists in 53 games and he's a leading candidate to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
Now a broadcaster with 120 Sports, Sopel said he isn't surprised at the talent Panarin has displayed but he is amazed at how quickly the 24-year-old Russian has adapted to the NHL.
"I never thought he would make the transition this quickly, this well," Sopel said. "Skill level was never a question. In the KHL there are a ton of guys who have the skill to play in the NHL. There's no doubt about it. But the difference is making the transition to a different game. It's more of a North-South game rather than East-West. And that language barrier: A lot of players over there don't speak English.
"People don't realize how tough that is and how different the Russian culture is compared to ours -- it's completely different. And he's still 24. I went over there at 34 and it was a hell of a transition for me. The success he has had is pretty impressive."
The Hawks helped matters, trading for Panarin's Russian countryman Artem Anisimov and signing Viktor Tikhonov (now playing for the Coyotes) during the summer. Recently, they brought in an interpreter to help Panarin handle the language barrier.
On the ice, coach Joel Quenneville's teaming of Panarin on a line with Anisimov and Patrick Kane has developed quickly into one of the top trios in the NHL.
"(Panarin) just didn't all of a sudden become talented over here," Sopel said. "They brought him over for a reason and his play speaks for itself. Paired with Kane, they're feeding off each other. It's two highly-skilled players playing well together."
Sopel said other big factors in Panarin's success have been his ability to adjust to the smaller ice surfaces in the NHL (85 feet wide compared to 100 in international rinks) and a heavier workload.
"It's always hit and miss, you never know how they're going to transition to the smaller ice, the speed and skill level and contact," Sopel said of players who come from Europe. "It's hard to go from the big ice to the small ice."
"(And) in the KHL you only play back-to-back games in the playoffs, not during the regular season," Sopel added. "He has played almost a full season to what he's used to. The biggest thing is how Joel manages the bench. I see (Panarin) maybe hitting a bit of a wall but with the way management and Joel handles him he'll be just fine."
ckuc@tribpub.com
