A fan of Afanasenkov

Let me tell you the story of a man named Affy.

Here's a guy who was banished to the Swiss league last year after failing in the bottom lines of a bottom-level AHL club ... a guy who was billed a "sure-fire NHLer from the blueline in" when signed out of Sherbrooke, where he was a 50+ goal scorer, but the terms "defensive zone" and "backcheck" were not even close to being in his vocablulary - in Russian, French, or English ... a guy who wasn't expected to be wanted in either Hershey or Hamilton after he surely would be cut early in camp ... and a guy who raised eyebrows when Feaster qualified him in June because few could figure out why, and if not for a shortage of wingers with pro experience to put in the minors, he may not have been qualified.

If I were to have told you last summer that with less than 25 seconds left in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Philadelphia Flyers ... the biggest defensive shift in Lightning history ... playing the right side for the Tampa Bay Lightning would be none other than Dmitry freakin' Afanasenkov ... which mental hospital would you have sent me to after you demanded I could no longer write for Hockey's Future?

I have so much respect for Dave Andreychuk for changing his game... but no one overlook Dmitry Afanasenkov.

In case anyone was wondering, the following five were on the ice for TB the last 30 or so seconds:

Modin-Richards-Afanasenkov
Sydor-Kubina

Amen to that! (Kudos to Roy and Dingman for playing a solid game 7 too)

Amen to that! (Kudos to Roy and Dingman for playing a solid game 7 too)
The third and fourth liners can make all the difference to a team, and it's good to see them being recognized. Andreychuk, Taylor, Afanasenkov, Roy, Dingman and Grahame are just as much a part of this as the rest, even if that means that they pump the team up on the bench, play a checking role, stand up for teammates, throw checks, police the ice, win faceoffs, or penalty kill. It's a team effort all around, and that's a great story about Afanasenkov.

Best game of the post-season for both Roy and Dingman.

Affy's come so far so fast it's hard to believe.