BLOG: The master of the block

PITTSBURGH, PA - It's the shots you don't expect to hurt that often do the most damage.
Take it from Oilers defenceman Kris Russell, who's taken more shots to the body than anyone else in NHL history.
There's been plenty of bruises, breaks and instances where it was difficult to get off the ice for the Caroline, AB product after taking one of the 2,042 blocked shots -- an all-time NHL record -- he's absorbed during his 910-game NHL career.
"Yeah, a few things," Russell said of the bones he's broken laying his body on the line.
"Sometimes the heavy and hard big ones hit you in the shin pads and everything's great, and then this little snapper gets you in the right spot and that's the one that you feel for a month or so," he added. "You just hope to get it in a good spot, I guess."
It shouldn't be any bit of a surprise that Russell received the nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey, but it was for the 34-year-old who received the commendation on Monday morning from the Edmonton chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
"I don't know. I'm a little surprised actually, but obviously, it's a huge honour," Russell said. "It's something that I think is voted on by the media so I'm very appreciative, but I think a lot of guys in this room could've been up for that."

Russell battled through three separate extended layoffs from action due to injury or illness and has since returned to the lineup over the previous six games playing some of his best hockey at the perfect moment, recording two goals and two assists while continuing to lay the body on the line for the Oilers as the Stanley Cup Playoffs approach.
"It wasn't the way I wanted to start it for sure, but I got feeling good again, so credit to the training staff," Russell said. "I've felt like I've played pretty well this last little bit, so I'm just trying to keep helping this team wherever I can."
It's that very-same selflessness, both on and off the ice, that's drawn plenty of appreciation from his Oilers teammates and the extended Oil Country fanbase -- including a pre-game ceremony at Rogers Place the game after he recorded his 1,999th career blocked shot during the first period of a game on Nov. 27 against the Vegas Golden Knights to pass Brent Seabrook for the record. Teammate Duncan Keith is not far behind, currently third all-time on 1,998 blocks.
"They've always been behind me, especially when I broke the record there," Russell said. "The appreciation they showed me was obviously big, but at the same time I feel like a lot of us do that and a lot of us have stepped in. [Duncan Keith] is right beside me, so we've got guys who'll commit to doing that kind of stuff and I think that's what makes us a good team. We kind of have everything."

Elite offensive options and a teammate like Leon Draisaitl, who makes their name depositing pucks into the back of the net, are in awe of Russell's ability to step in front of the puck without hesitation on a night-in-night-out basis.
"I think Rusty's obviously, as we all know, the ultimate warrior," Draisaitl said. "It's pretty crazy to think that he does this night after night getting in front of this little rubber puck that seems to be pretty hard."
Draisaitl continued: "It's hard to put into words how much we appreciate him. It obviously doesn't always show up on the scoreboard and he's not the flashiest guy, but he's done so much for our team, so much for our culture, and so much for this team. We appreciate him so much and I don't even think he knows. It's pretty cool to be one of his teammates."