#Listen to Episode 34 of ‘Up In The Blue Seat’: Hart-emi Panarin? feat Alexei Kovalev

The Rangers are a little over a week away from beginning their Stanley Cup playoff run against the Carolina Hurricanes. Things are starting to ramp up on the ice before the Blueshirts head to Toronto on Sunday. We have a packed episode of the “Up In The Blue Seats” podcast with Ron Duguay this week.

Ron opens the show talking about Artemi Panarin being one of the Hart Trophy finalists and explains why Panarin should win the league MVP award. We then welcome in hockey journalist Gilliam Kemmerer. She does a terrific job — especially covering the KHL and Russian hockey players — and broke the news that NHL great and former Ranger Alexei Kovalev would be coaching the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star Beijing team this upcoming season. Kemmerer talks about how she got into Russian hockey, the friendship between Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin, Shesterkin’s high confidence level, the difference between playing in Russian arenas vs. the NHL and women’s hockey in Russia.

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NY Post Rangers beat writer Larry Brooks then joins Doogs. Larry talks about what Rangers practice has been like this past week and if it feels any different. He dives into the goaltending situation and why Shesterkin has a hold of the starting job right now, Brendan Lemieux’s two-game suspension and his replacement and Panarin being up for the Hart Trophy.

1994 Rangers Stanley Cup champion and Kovalev then joins Ron and Gillian. Kovalev talks about being drafted by the Rangers and what the transition was like coming to the NHL. He then gets into the difference between the 1993-94 team and the years prior, and what changed for the organization to win a title. He also talks about coaching in Russia and his preparation for his new KHL head-coaching job. Kovalev also tells the funny story of taking Panarin on his plane to fly and what the experience was like.

Kovalev on taking Panarin on his plane to fly: 

“He said ‘I’d really like to learn to fly.’ I said how much do you really want to learn to fly? He said, ‘I don’t know I’m just curious, I’ve always been interested to fly.’ I said I can take you up in the air and see if you like it and then you make a decision. So we went up in the air. He looks a little scared in the beginning because being in a small plane when it shakes, you can see he’s not familiar with what the experience is like and what it would be like being in a small plane. He was a little bit nervous but you can see he was loosening up towards the end after like an hour of flying, he took control to fly around and make turns. I told him what to do and he actually was really natural. I told him, some people they start flying all over the place because they can’t get full control of the airplane…they start descending or climbing without even realizing. The one thing he did, he was making a turn and he was really funny, and the airplane shook because of the turbulence and after that he was kind of nervous to make the turn. He was like ‘Why is airplane not turning?’ And I was like well you’re leaning in with your shoulder and you’re thinking you’re turning, you’ve got to turn the yoke, not the shoulder. He was moving his body more than he was turning the yoke. But like I said he was a natural, I think he’ll be fine to fly and when we got on the ground and I said what do you think? Are you gonna start taking flying lessons? He was like “Eh, I gotta think about it maybe.’ So anyway yesterday he texted me back, “Okay where’s the next flight? When are we gonna fly again?’ I said well I guess you liked it, we had a good flight around New York City. Usually when you take people close to Manhattan the low altitude people realize the future if you have your own plane, what you can do with your family blah blah blah. I’m sure he probably had that in mind.”

Catch up on all episodes of “Up In The Blue Seats,” a New York Rangers podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ron Duguay is joined every Wednesday by special Rangers guests.