Maven's Memories: The Stan and Nabby Show

Evgeni Nabokov is from Kazakhstan and The Maven is from Brooklyn. Nabby is a goalkeeper turned goalie coach and I'm a journalist. So how come we bonded?

I'm glad you asked.

These are questions that I'm still pondering now that our tight Islanders relationship has become long ago and far away. But we're still pals, via email.

Hey, come to think of it, "Long Ago And Far Away" happens to be a song. (So what if it's from the1940's?) and -- now, as I recall, Me and Nabby bonded because of music; yeah; that's how it all started.

First, a bit of flashback: By the time Evgeni came to the Islanders in 2011, Nabby had been a celebrity. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy and was the first non-North American netminder to score a goal, among many other feats.

By the time he began tenting on Long Island, Nabby was a certified National Hockey League celebrity.

What I didn't know is that he was a celebrity with a sense of humor. Better still, he was a goalkeeper with a sense of humor -- even after a tough game.

And that's how we bonded. It was early in the 2011-12 season when I was doing Isles post-game interviews for MSG Networks. The Isles had won, Nabby was outstanding between the pipes and I was feeling better-than-good.

Usually when I'm feeling better-than-good, I have a song in my heart. So, for me, it was only natural to open my interview with this opener:

"Guess what song your performance reminded me of?"

At first, Nabby gave me a look like I had five heads. Then he shook it off and said, "Which one?"

To which I shot back. "You Are My Sunshine." And then I explained that his outstanding performance made him "my sunshine," at night, no less.

The beauty part -- from The Maven's end, at least -- was that Nabby instantly "got it." He knew that I was there, post-game, not merely to obtain insights about the contest just completed, but to get some laughs as well.

Nor did I need any analytics to tell me I was on the track. All I had to do was look at my favorite goaltender; and he was laughing.

The other clue I had that convinced me that the Maven and Nabby "Third Degrees" were working was our audience.

Other reporters were crowding around us as if we were putting on a show -- and, in a sense, we were -- to hear what routine we had going for us on that particular night. Plus reporters even were writing about me and Nabby.

"It's a very unique reporter-player relationship," wrote Dan Saraceni in Lighthouse Hockey. "Let's hope the two get a show at NHL.com together."

Without even discussing it, Nabby and I understood that there were times when we laid off the funny stuff for another night. Like after a bad loss.

By the time we had finished our third, third-degree, Evgeni and I instinctively knew that we had our ad lib routine well in hand -- and in mouth, for that matter.

Or, as hockey people like to say, "structure."

Journalist Saraceni took note: "Stan opens by reciting a lyric from an old pop tune. Nabby smiles than goes to post-game talking points and some picture pondering. Stan will praise Nabby which the goalie humbly defuses.

"Stan will then ask about the future and Nabby will end the interview with a wisecrack or some Russian wisdom or a combination of both."

Needless to say, I was crushed when my buddy left Nassau but have stayed in touch as he became the San Jose Sharks goalie coach.

That led us to have a reunion of sorts two seasons ago when he arrived at Prudential Arena along with the Sharks. After that, we stayed in touch and it inspired me to have my pal talk about his experiences on the Island -- and especially with The Maven, on our post-game excursions on MSG Networks.

The following are the subjects we discussed and Nabby's thoughts:

THE POST-GAME INTERLUDES:"Our interviews were different because of you. What I mean is that you never asked questions that the regular media people asked; and I loved that! You let the players talk. Or, to put it another way; you had a great style."

TWO MINDS THINKING ALIKE:(He laughed.) "For me, talking to you was like having a conversation with a friend; rather than a reporter. That made it easier for me to talk about the game. Even when I lost and felt like crap, I still felt a desire to talk with you because it was something special."

THE MAVEN'S SONGS: "When you first started bringing up the song titles I had no idea what you referring to and what you were trying to say. My response was just to go along with it (the song). But, after a while, the more you'd bring up the songs, the more I began to understand it and we two had a good time with it."

ENERGY OF COLISEUM:"The fans were awesome, especially when we won, but either way, I had a good time. I felt that special quality of the Coliseum even before the warm-ups. I could feel the energy of the fans and how it was transmitted to me.

It was something I originally felt when I came out of the Shark Tank when I played in San Jose. I loved it there and loved it at The Old Barn."

NABBY AND MARK STREIT: "We sat next to each other. Mark was just to my right and we'd kid around to lighten the atmosphere. We had funny moments. Across the room from us -- on the left -- our center (John Tavares) would sit. He was the most serious one on the team. Me and Mark would try to loosen him up with a smile or two."

BEST PART OF THE 2012-13 PLAYOFFS:"The first part is important because we wanted to make it to the postseason, and we did. When you consider that long schedule - from October to April -- that's quite a marathon; not a sprint. So, beating out eight or so teams is an accomplishment in its own right. We had a wonderful group of guys -- a great young core and I was very happy for them; especially some of the boys in their first playoff."