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Inside the NHL
Posted: Tuesday November 30, 1999 01:54 PM After three aimless seasons, Oiler Alex Selivanov is on a scoring streak By Kostya Kennedy
The career of Oilers right wing Alex Selivanov has produced little but unpleasant memories since he had a fabulous 31-goal second season with the Lightning in 1995-96. As Tampa Bay fell on hard times the next two seasons, the 6'1", 208-pound Selivanov also faltered, earning a reputation as a soft player and scoring a total of 31 goals. At times he was benched for his poor performance, and at others, observers said, he was in the lineup only because he was married to Carrie Esposito, the daughter of the Lightning's then general manager, Phil Esposito. Teammates, in fact, derisively nicknamed him Son-in-law-of.
So after Edmonton lost 5-2 to the Maple Leafs in Toronto last Saturday night, it was odd to see Selivanov standing in the visitors' dressing room discussing his phenomenal scoring pace -- 17 goals in 22 games -- which, through Sunday, had him second in the NHL behind Jaromir Jagr and his 19 goals. "I'm getting a chance," says Selivanov, 28, who has an outstanding wrist shot and is dangerous and elusive around the net. "I've got good coaches, and I've got good linemates." Selivanov has clearly benefited from skating alongside premier playmaker Doug Weight on Edmonton's No. 1 line and playing under rookie coach Kevin Lowe, who has given him ample ice time. Selivanov, who's in the final year of a contract that pays him $1.7 million this season, knows he must continue playing at a high level to surpass his performance in 1995-96, a season capped by his overtime goal that beat the Flyers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and gave the Lightning a short-lived 2-1 series lead. "That was the best memory," he says. "I want to have more memories like that." Issue date: December 6, 1999
For more Inside the NHL, see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, December 1. Click here to subscribe to SI.
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