Maven's Memories: King Kvasha

There was a lot to like about Oleg Kvasha in the year 2000.
He was big, handsome, shot hard pucks and had the most unusual middle name of anyone in Islanders history -- Vladimirovich.
"Oleg looked like a winner," said general manager Mike Milbury. "We expected big things from him."

Well, he was big -- 6-5, 230 pounds worth of bigness -- and he oozed with talent whether it was stickhandling or skating.
Milbury: "Oleg was a good skater and good passer. He was a gamble, but we hoped young enough to mature. Plus we were desperate for help at center and he was a center.
"Florida wasn't using him much and there were flashes of brilliance in his game. Those were the assets we saw in him."
That's why Milbury completed one of the most controversial deals in franchise history on June 24, 2000.
To obtain the Moscow native from Florida -- along with forward Mark Parrish -- the Islanders relinquished goalie Roberto Luongo and forward Olli Jokinen.
At the time the deal spread hope among the Islanders faithful. Luongo was replaced by young goaltending prodigy, Rick DiPietro, while Parrish -- according to scouts -- had all the potential of Jokinen.
"We had no question about Kvasha's talent," Alexei Yashin, then the team's top forward told me. "The real question had to do with how much of it would come out. He was still young with time to develop."
Oleg's rookie season, 2000-01, was a bit to the left of impressive. Over 62 games, he scored 11 goals and 20 points.
"He needed time," said coach Peter Laviolette who took over the bench in 2001. "We knew that. He was still young and we had high hopes."
MAVEN'S MEMORIES
WRITTEN COVERAGE
How 50-in-50 was Born
Trottier Wins Hart Trophy
Behind the Scenes with Bryan Trottier
Stan's Fans: Jake April
Terrific Pierre Turgeon
Mike Bossy, My Son and a Third Cup
The 1988 Division Title
Catching Up With Darius Kasparaitis
Maven's Haven
Sure enough, Kvasha's sophomore season featured a 13-25-38 mark, which was a large 18-point leap over his frosh year, but he regressed in 2002-03 (69 games; 12-14-26).
Still, there was something about Oleg's persona that tickled the fan's fancy. In his book -- which I co-authored -- "Rangers vs. Islanders," author Zachary Weinstock captured the Kvasha spirit at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
"As Oleg started making the occasional big plays," wrote Weinstock. "Kvasha was soon bestowed with the highest honor of a player of his skill set - ironic, cult-hero adulation.
"Fans began singing the Spanish soccer chant Ole, Ole, Ole with Kvasha's name. It came out, 'O-lehhhhg, O-leg-O-leg-O-leg!'"
Although the newest cult hero enjoyed his best scoring season in 2003-04 (81 games, 15-36-51 points), one of the Russian's signature games took place on March 25, 2002. Naturally, it had to be against the Rangers.
Not that the contest needed further motivation for the Nassaumen, but the Blueshirts were battling for a playoff berth and the Isles were there with the Detour sign.
Not surprisingly it was a nasty match in which the Visitors led 2-1 early in the third period while the Isles searched for a hero.
"It almost had to be Kvasha," Weinstock wrote in Rangers vs. Islanders.
And, sure enough, it was!
Oleg fired a shot that caromed off a Rangers' skate and, suddenly, with 6:42 to play, it was a 2-2 game and the rooters of Orange knew that their boys had momentum on their side.
Also O-leg, the missing peg.
Now he had the puck again; back went his stick -- as if he was on the green at Meadowbrook -- wham! -- the rubber ricocheted off another Blueshirt skate; and red light, 3-2 Islanders advantage.
The jubilant goal-scorer pumped his fist to the rafters where songs of "O-Lehhlgg-O-Leg-O-Leg-O-Leg" filled the Coliseum air.
Having tallied the tying goal and the winner, Kvasha could claim that he personally torpedoed the Rangers playoff chances.

Thus, the Blueshirts would be out of it for the fifth consecutive year while the Isles would make it for the first time since 1994. The media mob around Oleg in the Isles dressing room was pumped.
So was the cult hero who proclaimed, "It's obviously better than being booed."
Kvasha's smile grew broader the next morning when he picked up his copy of Newsday where the back cover headline proclaimed: OLEG THE EXECUTIONER!
A week later Kvasha spurred another big third period comeback and the fans began singing "The Oleg Song" once more.
Weinstock: "Things felt so good in Islanderland and the fans were so happy they wanted to serenade Oleg with love because now he was scoring essential goals and he was starting to do post-game interviews.
"This fed into the Oleg-mania because his KGB-like tone and deadpan delivery were classic. It turned out that 'Oleg The Executioner' sounded like a real executioner. He talked like Ivan Drago from 'Rocky IV'."
But the best was yet to come and that evolved on April 4, 2002 in Boston against the top team in the league while the Isles were closing in on a postseason clincher.
It was late in overtime when Kvasha picked up a loose puck at the New York blue line and executed a one-against-two maneuver.
"Like always," said Weinstock, "he had no plan whatsoever."
Bruins defenseman Sean O'Donnell was on the strong side and Hal Gill on the weak side; both in position to nail their foe. Oleg decided to try to pass the puck to himself through Gill's legs; Hal was the further defender.
Oleg's choice was so unusual that both Bruins were befuddled and neither knew what to do about it. Then, it happened:
As O'Donnell floored Kvasha, the Islander managed to poke the puck behind goalie Byron Dafoe for the winning goal. Oleg completed his successful expedition by sliding into the right corner on his back.
Each of his appreciative teammates gave Oleg's considerable mop of hair a dry shampoo as he tried to lift himself off the ice. All he really wanted to do was get to the dressing room.
But that was not the end of it. He still had to do a post-game interview and, of course, the obvious question was about this special moment in the season and the goal he'll never forget.
"No," Kvasha shot back, "is no special."
If that wasn't the highest of the high points in his Isles life, then it had to be the following game; the one that clinched a playoff berth for the Nassaumen. It was the club's first postseason since 1994.
To construct that victory, Ollie scored the first Isles goal of the night -- a one-timer with no helmet on, or as Weinstock remembered, "Russian locks blowing in the early April wind -- ushering in the loudest, 'Oleg, Oleg, OLEG,OLEG 'of them all."
The roars of applause underlined the arithmetic. It was his sixth goal in eight games yet only his 12th of the season. He'd closed the schedule with 13 goals in 71 games.
A year later -- during the deadest puck year of the dead puck era -- he tallied 15 goals and 51 points. By today's standards that would be the equivalent to 75 points.
Granted that "The Executioner" didn't quite execute to his early notices but -- when all was said and done -- he sure gave The Faithful plenty to cheer about.