Richard Cloutier: Who is Nail Yakupov?

I am Nail Yakupov.

A loser from the Canada - Russia Challenge?

No seriously, Nail looked great out there!

I am Nail Yakupov.
- ShudBeFamous

Wow

Wow
- Bieksa#3

The thing is i never was one to care about being first.. even if i see no comments i prefer to read the article and comment on it first.

But my overly tired brain mixed with the perfect reply led me to do it

However, now that I have finished the article, it was a good one RC, and I cannot wait to see the oilers when everything is settled and they really get going.

The kid is full of heart like our Canadian kids. He's a Canadian born in Russia. Good for the oilers drafting him first.

" Hall might be the Oilers soul, but Yakupov is the Oilers heart."

the oilers heart has never played an nhl game for them?

eeewwwww richard... enjoy most of your articles, but this was awful on so many levels... personally I like the oilers and liked them last year as well. saying they had no heart last year is just plain stupid

" Hall might be the Oilers soul, but Yakupov is the Oilers heart."

the oilers heart has never played an nhl game for them?

eeewwwww richard... enjoy most of your articles, but this was awful on so many levels... personally I like the oilers and liked them last year as well. saying they had no heart last year is just plain stupid
- ChrisMS

29th place after two 30th place finishes.

Yep, the Oilers have a heart like a lion.

Not sure how someone who has yet to play a game is already the Oilers heart.. But hell, who cares

okay, you bunch of grumps...I made a small, two word edit to the blog. Happy?

I thought it was odd how quickly he went through the handshake. It almost looked like he had been the only Russian player who shook the Canadian players hands.

I hope he pans out in Pavel Bure form, minus the knee injuries and the mafia connections.

okay, you bunch of grumps...I made a small, two word edit to the blog. Happy?
- Maxbone

ew ew let me read let me read!

yakupov didn't really impress during the series.. but he would do much better on the oilers playing alongside players like hall, i did like his passing skills tho, he had some nice quick passes just like eberle always got rid of the pick at the right time!

29th place after two 30th place finishes.

Yep, the Oilers have a heart like a lion.
- Maxbone

i like it... maybe he'll be like the wizard instead... showing the rest of the team they had heart all along

" Hall might be the Oilers soul, but Yakupov is the Oilers heart."

the oilers heart has never played an nhl game for theym?

eeewwwww richard... enjoy most of your articles, but this was awful on so many levels... personally I like the oilers and liked them last year as well. saying they had no heart last year is just plain stupid
- ChrisMS

I'll take Eberle's heart and soul over both of them

I am Nail Yakupov.
- ShudBeFamous

We are all Nail Yakupov.

In Soviet Russia Yakupov Nails you.

I am Nail Yakupov.
- ShudBeFamous

I read this article earlier about a man that was so obsessed with britany spears he spent 70k on a sex change to look like her, even shaved his/her head to match britany went she went crazy. Just thought I'd share.

Richard Cloutier: Who is Nail Yakupov?
- Maxbone

This should answer your question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_Yakupov

The kid is full of heart like our Canadian kids. He's a Canadian born in Russia. Good for the oilers drafting him first.
- Snagglepuss

No He's a Russian-born Russian. I see where you're coming from, but now is the time to realize that players from other nationalities have heart, too. They just express theirs in different ways!

Watching this series. Yak made some errors, but he is only 18 and they were minor compared to some of the ones others made. But, clearly he was the best player on the ice. The Canadian team played him about as good as you can get, keeping him to the outside etc, but when he did get the chances, he showed his talent. see that behind the back no look pass in the third right on the stick? Yowser.

Was disappointing how the Russian coach did his lines. Just no chemistry with his line mate Grigorenko, Grigs did not look very good at all, especially the third game. The coach had a very rigid system in place, kept it the same, and just rolled 4 lines over and over, even for power plays etc. I think Yak was told to stick to the set system, as there were a couple times ice opened up for him, and he was raring to go, yet it looked like he stopped himself from going away from his position. (His position on the power play, he was playing the wall, and obvious told to stay there. he almost forgot, was going to head to that huge open area in the center, where he more than likely would have gotten the puck and scored)

I'm not worried, with the Oilers, he will be allowed to show his creativity a lot more. I don't think he was being held back Richard, I think it was the coaches system. BTW, he was wearing the C, so I think he has good leadership there as well. Got to love his character though.

As to the blog on the 1980's team, it stuck me how right you are. In fact, a lot of other teams fans base their hatred on the Oilers because of that cockiness, which is funny when you look at it. These people often accuse us of living in the past, yet they are far worse than us.

He's a bust.

Richard Cloutier: Who is Nail Yakupov?
- Maxbone

He's the hero Edmonton deserves, but not the one it needs right now.