- Ivan Demidov tipped his cap to Carolina after Friday’s 6-1 series-ending loss in Game 5
- The 20-year-old stuck around to talk with three Russian Hurricanes after the final horn
- Read below for the rookie’s full quote and the post-game video
Ivan Demidov tipped his cap to Carolina on the way out the door.
The Canadiens rookie was asked Friday how the Hurricanes stacked up against the Lightning and Sabres, the two teams Montreal had already beaten in the first two rounds. His read was short and honest.
“I would say yeah, it’s pretty similar, but [the Hurricanes] do everything faster,” Demidov said. “It’s just, you know, you have to do everything better. Do everything faster. That’s how it works.”
Watch the full Game 5 post-game media availability:
That faster brand of hockey is exactly what punched Carolina’s ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years.
Carolina wore down a Montreal forward group that managed 18 or fewer shots in three straight playoff games, a first in franchise history. Friday’s 6-1 hammering at Lenovo Center ended what had still been a breakout run for the young Canadiens core.
After the final horn, Demidov stuck around for a different kind of post-game. He shared a long chat at center ice with Alexander Nikishin, Andrei Svechnikov, and Pyotr Kochetkov, the three Russian Hurricanes who had just ended his season.
There’s real history there. Demidov and Nikishin came up together with SKA St. Petersburg, and Svechnikov sat down with Demidov for dinner earlier in the winter. The handshake line was done, but the Russian group wasn’t ready to split off just yet.
For Demidov personally, the bigger picture is tough to argue with. The 20-year-old finished the regular season with 62 points (19 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games and added nine points in 19 playoff contests, all without a true top-six center to play with. He’ll spend the summer thinking about what Carolina just showed him.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final drops Tuesday night in Raleigh, with Carolina hosting Vegas.
