Igor Ozhiganov didn’t play in the NHL for long, but apparently it was long enough to know that he wasn’t a huge fan of the way players and coaches interact in the western world.
Ozhiganov was on a one-year deal with the Leafs and has signed with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL for the 2019-20 season. Clearly, his time here didn’t work on multiple levels, but could part of it have been because of his relationship with Mike Babcock? Judging by his latest quote, it sounds like he definitely had no interest in being overly friendly with the coaching staff.
It seems as though he is trying to say that players suck up to coaches in the NHL and it kind of makes sense when you see how much power they have over ice time in the NHL. Being a guy that can get along well with the coaches can help put you in a position to succeed. If you’re communicating more with the coach, you’re probably more likely to play the way he wants you to play and on a night-in night-out basis, you’re more likely to be on his good side. According to Ozhiganov, that doesn’t fly in Russia.
For the top players on a team, it’s unlikely that it will affect them much either way, but for a bottom 9 forward on a team that could be the difference between getting power play time and being a healthy scratch.
And before Leafs fans go on about ice time, we’re pretty sure whatever Ozhiganov is talking about has nothing to do with how much Babcock plays his stars.
