Filling a Tall Order : Duck Defenseman Tverdovsky Trying to Live Up to Expectations

Oleg Tverdovsky hadn’t been a Mighty Duck for five minutes and already the expectations were as enormous and daunting as the country he’d left behind.

A hyperbolic scout in Ottawa started calling him the next Bobby Orr, and what was an 18-year-old to make of that?

Tverdovsky hadn’t played an NHL shift yet, hadn’t even practiced and he was being compared to the greatest defenseman in the history of the game. He hadn’t scored a goal, hadn’t stood up an opposing forward at the blue line and already they had him ticketed for the Hall of Fame.

It boggled the mind in any language.

Tverdovsky tried to escape at the rink, ignoring such grandiose expectations while embracing the game that took him from Donetsk, Ukraine, his birthplace, to Moscow, where his professional career began at 15, to the NHL at 18.

But that wasn’t so simple. There was a lockout (How do you say that in Russian?) that wiped out half the season. Then he was blindsided by something called Reiters Syndrome, a painful condition that often left his feet too swollen to lace up his skates.

Welcome to the NHL, eh.

Ask Tverdovsky about his rookie season now and he screws up his face into the universal look that means disgust in English.

“Last year, I was hurt all the time,” Tverdovsky said. “It wasn’t fun. I had problems with my groin and my ankles. I don’t think I was in shape. I had to miss practices.”

And now?

“I get a lot of ice time,” he said. “I play on the power play. On the penalty kill sometimes, too. It’s nice to get the ice time. You feel more comfortable, more confident.”

Today, Tverdovsky only vaguely resembles the same player. As a rookie, he was usually the last one on the ice for practice and the first one off.

To be sure, Reiters Syndrome played a part in his quick exits last season. It hurt to skate, and he had a tough time getting in shape after the lockout ended and the 48-game season began last January.

Now pain-free, Tverdovsky has impressed the Ducks with his dogged work ethic. These days, he’s often the first on the ice and the last off it, sweat pouring off his face after completing a series of wind sprints.

“He’s come so far in a year it’s unbelievable,” said Robert Dirk, Tverdovsky’s roommate on the road and frequent partner on defense. “It’s like night and day. The biggest difference is that he’s working much harder on the ice. Last year, he didn’t want to do it. Now, he realizes this is the elite league in the world and you have to do it.

“He has a different attitude and it’s definitely for the positive.”

Occasionally, there are games when it seems he’s a seasoned veteran. Wednesday’s 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins was an example.

Tverdovsky assisted on the Ducks’ first goal, was on the ice for three others and, most importantly, helped slow down such feared offensive stars such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis.

His assist was his first point since Nov. 29, but was his 10th assist and 14th point in 31 games this season. He already has surpassed his rookie totals of nine assists and 12 points in 36 games.

It’s difficult to miss Tverdovsky’s tremendous bursts of speed and skillful moves while handling the puck. But his progress extends beyond the eye-catching plays. He’s beginning to master all the requirements of a top-flight NHL defenseman.

“What he’s doing at 19 is unbelievable,” Dirk said.

Said Coach Ron Wilson: “It’s still hard to believe he’s 19 years old and he’s got tremendous room to improve.”

Most defensemen take longer than forwards to reach their prime, according to defenseman Randy Ladouceur, who is in his 14th season in the league.

“I’ve never had the natural talent Oleg has,” Ladouceur said. “Still, it took me the better part of four years in the minors before I felt comfortable enough to make the transition to the NHL.”

Tverdovsky’s exceptional skating ability and offensive skills give him a decided advantage over many other young defensemen. The experience of moving to Moscow to play in the Russian elite professional league certainly helped, too.

After all, when he played seven games for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League during last season’s lockout, it marked one of the few times since he was 15 that he faced off against players his own age.

“I left home when I was 15,” Tverdovsky said. “I lived like I was 25. It’s difficult when you move out without your family, but it’s the best way to do it.”

If he could handle Moscow on his own, he figured he could take care of himself in North America. Others weren’t so sure, particularly with a three-year, $4.2-million contract in his back pocket.

“Last year was a screwy year, especially for a new guy,” said David McNab, promoted this week by the Ducks to assistant general manager from director of player personnel.

“[Tverdovsky] was expecting to play pro hockey in North America. All of a sudden there’s a lockout and he’s hanging around with nothing to do. He was totally alone for three months and all he did was learn the language. There are a lot of other things an 18-year-old millionaire could do with no restrictions.

“[But] he’s handled himself really well.”

Perhaps equally impressive has been Tverdovsky’s level-headed responses to the comparisons to Orr, who took his last NHL shift when Tverdovsky was 3. He continues to hear his name linked to Orr and he continues to scoff.

“Nobody can play like Bobby Orr,” Tverdovsky said. “First, he was the greatest. Second, the game has changed. He was the greatest skater [of his day], and not many players could skate like that.

“Nobody can be the same player. Some are compared to Wayne Gretzky, but everybody has their own style. Maybe it’s close, but not quite the same.”

Tverdovsky would rather be compared to Ray Bourque, a current Boston Bruin defenseman who might one day join Orr in the Hall of Fame.

He admires the equal attention Bourque pays to the offensive and defensive parts of the game.

“I’d just like to be known as a two-way player,” he said.

It seems like a far more attainable goal than trying to achieve legend status while still a teenager.