In life and in hockey, I try very hard to be a skeptical person, but to not succumb to cynicism. I think that it’s very important to differentiate between the two, and to try to remain balanced and not become jaded or morose…
But in this case, you’re going to have to label me a cynic, because the Russian player’s complaint that teams won’t let them play “their game” and insist upon turning big, tough players into “tafgai” (a transliteration of “tough guy”) is a tired old plot point by now.
Anyway, former Red Wing Klim Kostin, who’s currently looking for an NHL home, spoke with Sport-Express recently, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Kostin claims that the Red Wings only wanted Kostin to fight during his short tenure with the team:
“I was counting on a different role,” Kostin explained in an interview with writer Alexey Shevchenko of the Russian website Sport-Express. “I signed the contract hoping to play, but after my arrival, they made it clear: your task is to fight. It was a shock for me. They left no room for maneuver.”
Kostin insists that what Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman told him they were looking for as his contribution to the club was completely different than what they were demanding of him once the season began.
“When I was talking to (Detroit GM) Steve Yzerman, they explained to me a completely different role,” Kostin said. “I thought there would be room to play, a chance to prove myself. But in the end, they immediately made it clear: a fight was needed. I was shocked, but there was nowhere to go.”
In 33 games with Detroit, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Kostin fought twice. He tangled with Erik Gudbranson of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nicolas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers. He also scored three goals. The Red Wings dealt Kostin to the San Jose Sharks at the 2023-24 NHL deadline.
Duff continues, and I’m sorry, but I’m not going to side with Kostin here. The plight of a “tafgai” in the NHL is so old that it’s become a trope of Russian sports journalism.
I understand that Kostin probably wanted to play more minutes for the Red Wings and that he may feel that coach Lalonde short-changed him the opportunity to become a more established “power forward,” but he wasn’t signed…Erm, traded for, allowed to test the free agent marketplace, and then signed…for what he did with his gloves on, and we all knew it at the time.
Things may have not worked out for Kostin in Detroit or San Jose, but I’d argue that the 6’4,” 231-pound Kostin had as much trouble because his mobility wasn’t as advertised and because the 26-year-old wasn’t always willing to play the kind of physical game that his size affords him on a regular basis.
I never felt that Kostin’s heart was in it–to that end, he’s got a point, because Kostin sure as hell never looked like someone who wanted to play his role–but that’s a problem that you address while you’re with a team, not wait until September 4th of a year that you’re a free agent looking for a pro try-out to express.
