John Kreiser – NHL.com The surprising Edmonton Oilers have gotten a lot of attention because of young stars like Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. However, it’s 38-year-old goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin who’s been the biggest difference between the team that finished 30th in the standings in 2010-11 and the one that takes a Northwest Division-leading 9-4-2
Tag: Nikolai Khabibulin
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin ignores rave reviews on his stellar game
Via Joanne Ireland – Edmonton Journal Nikolai Khabibulin, the Edmonton Oilers rejuvenated goaltender, has become a curiosity of sorts, dusting off a game that hasn’t been in vogue since he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. He was 31-years-old back then, not 38, and he wasn’t coming off the kind of season he
The renaissance of Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin
Via Tim Kavanagh – ESPN.com Before the start of the 2011-12 season, Nikolai Khabibulin was left for dead by just about everyone in the fantasy hockey world. Based on what we’d seen during his trying 2010-11 season — on and off the ice — it appeared that the former star had nothing left in the
Nikolai Khabibulin: Edmonton Oilers Goalie Is NHL’s Biggest Surprise
Via Adam Graham – Bleacher Report If I asked you who the best goaltending duo in the NHL was, what would your answer be? Would it be Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider in Vancouver? Perhaps it’s Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask in Boston. How about Martin Brodeur and the resurging Johan Hedberg in New Jersey?
Ilya Bryzgalov and Nikolai Khabibulin’s reversal of fortunes
Via Ken Baker – NHL.com It’s a tale of two Russians. One’s a comeback story starring Edmonton’s 38-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin, who, after a lackluster 2010-11 season and then a summer in which he spent 15 days in an Arizona jail on a driving-under-the-influence charge, was not expected to do great things this year. The other
Nikolai Khabibulin may be returning to his old form
Via John Kreiser – NHL.com Nikolai Khabibulin has been reminding NHL shooters that he used to be one of the League’s premier goaltenders. Khabibulin and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers had a miserable season in 2010-11 — they finished last overall for the second straight season, and he went 10-32-4 with a 3.40 goals-against
Puck Daddy chats with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin
via Yahoo’s Puck Daddy Has there been a more surprising resurgence in the NHL this season than that of Nikolai Khabibulin(notes)? Last year saw the Edmonton Oilers goaltender playing in the shadow of his DUI charges from Feb. 2010, for which he’d eventually spend 15 days in an Arizona detention facility. He played 47 games
Nikolai Khabibulin’s Netminding Making All The Noise
Via ESPN’s Cross Checks Blog A tip of the old blocker to veteran netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, whose career looked to be in shambles both physically and emotionally after last season. The veteran netminder was hampered by ongoing back issues, then was arrested for extreme drunken driving in the Phoenix area while rehabbing in February 2010. Khabibulin
Nikolai Khabibulin steps up for Edmonton Oilers
Via Jim Jamieson – The Province With everybody expecting the Oilers’ young guns to be scoring their way out of trouble this season, not many saw the resurgence of goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin leading the team to early season respectability. The Oilers are right where they left off last season in terms of producing goals. A
Khabibulin Humbled By Experience
Jim Matheson, Yahoo! Sports September 13, 2011 Edmonton Oilers’ goalie Nikolai Khabibulin says his incarceration at the Tent City in Arizona for drunk driving earlier this summer was a sobering experience, something he’s very glad is over with as he tries to rebound from last year’s miserable season. “I’m not going to lie … it