Top 10 Unsung Heroes: Kris Russell (6)
6 years ago
I admire and respect players like Kris Russell because he’s one of those guys willing to contribute what he can and do whatever it takes to win — dirty, grunt work like blocking shots and banging bodies. Russell gives you all he’s got, even if, in the eyes of some, it’s just never good enough. Then again, it doesn’t really matter what I, or those prone to discount or dismiss such attributes, think. What matters is what Russell’s teammates with the Edmonton Oilers think.
In that regard, there was no doubt what Russell’s teammates thought in the wake of his own-goal in a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Nov. 30. Russell got righteously roasted by many after the gaffe and faced the music in the dressing room after the game. As you’d expect, teammates had his back because that’s what teammates do. It went a step beyond the norm, though, two days later when coach Todd McLellan levelled a blast at “all the analytic nerds out there” who seem to take great delight in hammering Russell every chance they get. That right there tells me how valuable Russell is to the people who matter — his teammates. Unsung hero? Damn straight.
Kris Russell
Defense — shoots L
Born May 2, 1987 — Caroline, ALTA
Height 5.10 — Weight 173 [178 cm/78 kg]
Born May 2, 1987 — Caroline, ALTA
Height 5.10 — Weight 173 [178 cm/78 kg]
Drafted by Columbus Blue Jackets
Round 3 #67 overall 2005 NHL Entry Draft
BY THE NUMBERS
| Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI | HIT | BLK |
| 2007-08 | 20 | CBJ | 67 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -12 | 14 | 90 | 2.2 | 991 | 14:47 | 31 | 64 |
| 2008-09 | 21 | CBJ | 66 | 2 | 19 | 21 | -10 | 28 | 86 | 2.3 | 1064 | 16:07 | 50 | 62 |
| 2009-10 | 22 | CBJ | 70 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 3 | 32 | 108 | 6.5 | 1301 | 18:35 | 101 | 96 |
| 2010-11 | 23 | CBJ | 73 | 5 | 18 | 23 | -9 | 37 | 88 | 5.7 | 1279 | 17:31 | 63 | 128 |
| 2011-12 | 24 | TOT | 55 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 25 | 56 | 10.7 | 936 | 17:01 | 61 | 78 |
| 2011-12 | 24 | CBJ | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 13 | 20 | 10.0 | 211 | 17:34 | 9 | 15 |
| 2011-12 | 24 | STL | 43 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 36 | 11.1 | 725 | 16:51 | 52 | 63 |
| 2012-13 | 25 | STL | 33 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 41 | 2.4 | 530 | 16:03 | 26 | 57 |
| 2013-14 | 26 | CGY | 68 | 7 | 22 | 29 | -11 | 15 | 109 | 6.4 | 1573 | 23:08 | 42 | 201 |
| 2014-15 | 27 | CGY | 79 | 4 | 30 | 34 | 18 | 17 | 111 | 3.6 | 1892 | 23:57 | 61 | 283 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | TOT | 62 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -5 | 10 | 70 | 5.7 | 1431 | 23:05 | 40 | 210 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | CGY | 51 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 8 | 56 | 7.1 | 1166 | 22:52 | 31 | 174 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | DAL | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 2 | 14 | 0.0 | 264 | 24:02 | 9 | 36 |
| 2016-17 | 29 | EDM | 68 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 23 | 68 | 1.5 | 1443 | 21:13 | 67 | 213 |
| 2017-18 | 30 | EDM | 26 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 6.1 | 463 | 17:50 | 26 | 67 |
| 5 yrs | CBJ | 288 | 18 | 61 | 79 | -29 | 124 | 392 | 4.6 | 4845 | 16:49 | 254 | 365 | |
| 3 yrs | CGY | 198 | 15 | 63 | 78 | 3 | 40 | 276 | 5.4 | 4632 | 23:23 | 134 | 658 | |
| 2 yrs | EDM | 94 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 9 | 25 | 101 | 3.0 | 1906 | 20:17 | 93 | 280 | |
| 2 yrs | STL | 76 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 77 | 6.5 | 1255 | 16:30 | 78 | 120 | |
| 1 yr | DAL | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 2 | 14 | 0.0 | 264 | 24:02 | 9 | 36 | |
| Career | 667 | 41 | 160 | 201 | 1 | 212 | 860 | 4.8 | 12902 | 19:21 | 568 | 1459 |
PLAYOFFS
| Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI | HIT | BLK |
| 2008-09 | 21 | CBJ | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 20.0 | 67 | 16:40 | 1 | 4 |
| 2011-12 | 24 | STL | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0.0 | 175 | 19:27 | 8 | 19 |
| 2014-15 | 27 | CGY | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -9 | 7 | 13 | 15.4 | 294 | 26:45 | 11 | 54 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | DAL | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0.0 | 239 | 19:57 | 14 | 24 |
| 2016-17 | 29 | EDM | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0.0 | 286 | 22:02 | 21 | 54 |
| Career | 49 | 3 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 22 | 49 | 6.1 | 1062 | 21:40 | 55 | 155 |
WHY HE MAKES IT
Feb 2, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (26) skates with the puck as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Kris Russell (4) defends in front of Predators left wing Cody McLeod (55) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
I was going to have Russell on this list regardless of what happened against Toronto. In the name of timeliness, I’ve moved him a spot down in the aftermath of what McLellan had to say about the hard-nosed cowboy’s kid from Caroline and the over-the-top criticism he took after his Steve Smith moment. It’s not what McLellan’s words say about those who seem to make sport of kicking Russell around that stuck with me, it’s what those words say about his value to the team.
“Kris Russell is a character individual and that’s why our team cares so much about him,” McLellan said. “Whoever’s criticizing this individual probably has never played a competitive sport in their life and if they have and they’ve been perfect and that event never occurred to them, then they should be in the Hall of Fame somewhere. Mistakes happen.
“But what he means to our team — and I know all the analytic nerds out there find ways to run him into the ground — but he means a lot to our team. Every single one of those players, regardless of the goal the other night he put into his own net, will tell you that any day in any place. … so, analytics that, if you want.” The full interview is here.
THE FINE PRINT
Feb 24, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Kris Russell (4) passes the puck as Washington Capitals center Marcus Johansson (90) defends in the first period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
I spent enough seasons inside NHL dressing rooms to know players circle the wagons when it comes to dealing with outside criticism of a teammate. The question is the degree to which it’s done — that’s where you get a real read on how any given player is regarded by his teammates and how much he is respected for his overall contribution. Russell rates as high as any player in the Unsung Hero category as anybody I’ve seen on this team in the post-Cup era — he’s up there with Mike Grier and Matt Hendricks and on and on.
As close as I was in my years on the beat, I learned that you can’t get the full measure of a player within the framework of a team solely by what happens on the ice during games and practices, even supplemented by being a regular in the dressing room, on the bus and flying on the team charter. That shouldn’t be confused with not being allowed to have an opinion and make it known — that goes for MSM people, bloggers and fans in general. It just means those takes are weighted accordingly by coaches and players who spend a lot of time together behind closed doors outsiders of all stripes are not party to.
“He’s a guy you would go to war for,” captain Connor McDavid said after the Toronto game. “He does everything for us. He throws himself in shooting lanes where most guys would be diving to get out of the way. He puts himself in harm’s way. He battles so hard each and every night . . .” Those who believe McDavid, McLellan and the teammates who have Russell’s back are somehow mistaken because what they say doesn’t align with their assessment or because they can’t (or refuse to) measure the value of the attributes he brings to the team, are welcome to that opinion. They don’t share it. Neither do I.
This series of various Top 10 lists will focus on the post-1990 Oilers – the players who haven’t played on a Stanley Cup winner in Edmonton.
The List:
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