That one was for Vlada and Saveliy.
When Ilya Solovyov buried his first NHL goal, he leapt into the arms of Brent Burns with a smile as wide as the Front Range. He gave the Colorado Avalanche some breathing room in a 4-0 win Saturday afternoon against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it was a special moment for the 25-year-old defenseman.
Solovyov is happy to be in the NHL, but he has toiled in the background for weeks at a time this year as the club’s seventh defenseman. When one of the best moments of his career arrived, it was clear who he gets to cherish it with was as important as the milestone itself.
“I was just happy for myself, proud of the work that I’ve done for the two months when I’m not playing,” Solovyov said. “Happy for my family as well who support me, especially my wife (Vlada). She’s probably (seen) not the best of myself these two months, but she tried to help me as much as she can, and we’ve done it.”
When Solovyov arrived in Denver just before the regular season began, his wife and young son, Saveliy, had to stay behind in Calgary. That’s life in the NHL on the waiver wire.
The Flames decided they didn’t have room for him. The Avalanche wanted an extra defenseman. So he was on the move. When Solovyov got his first chances to play for the Avs, a nine-game stretch when Samuel Girard was hurt early in the season, his family had to watch from Alberta.
When the Avs went to Edmonton on Nov. 8, it was the first time he saw his wife and son in more than a month. They moved to Denver a few days after that, but all six Colorado regulars were healthy so he was sitting … and sitting. And waiting.
“These two months I have a lot of time, a lot of games to look at the team and how the guys are here,” Solovyov said. “Like what they want to do on the ice, and I just try to learn it and be in the right moment, in the right position.
“I think that the work that I’ve done these two months, it’s really helped me right now. I feel way more confident, much easier than the first nine games.”
The wait ended up being 63 days before his next opportunity at the NHL level, which came because of Devon Toews’ injury in Raleigh, N.C., earlier this month. It was a lot of long days.
One of the most important people in his life during that time, beyond his family, was Avalanche skills coach Mark Popovic. It’s part of his job duties to work with the players who are injured or being healthy scratched.
“He’s helped me a lot,” Solovyov said. “I don’t know how many miles I’m skating on the ice. It was two months, so it was pretty good. He tries to help me as much as he can. He gives me drills which should help me to stay in game mode.
“I think the biggest part of that is to not lose yourself if you’re not playing for too long. So that’s what I did.”
Given how long he went without playing, the Avs were able to send him to the Colorado Eagles in the AHL for a conditioning assignment. He didn’t have to go, but Avs coach Jared Bednar was happy that he did.
It was just three games, in mid-December, but it broke up the long stretch without any game action.
“He played better the longer he was there and then all of a sudden he comes up and it’s just a couple of weeks before he gets in,” Bednar said. That kind of helps my comfort level in putting him in, and probably helps him as well.
“His first game was OK. His next one was a little better, and he’s just been getting gradually better. It’s good on him. It takes a lot of work when you’re sitting out behind the scenes to keep yourself ready and to keep yourself sharp mentally so you’re ready to play. And he’s put in that work.”
Not only did the work pay off, but Solovyov is now on the first point streak of his NHL career. He had an assist at Tampa Bay and then one in the first of this seven-game homestand against Ottawa before his goal against Columbus.
He had four points in his first 25 NHL games between Calgary and Colorado, but now has three in the past three. And the best part — his family is in Denver to enjoy it.
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Solovyov wasn’t the only one celebrating the patience and hard work it takes after the Columbus game. Avs goaltender Trent Miner collected his first NHL win and shutout nearly 2,400 days after being drafted by the club.
While Solovyov can enjoy the journey and his recent accomplishments with his wife, he is already looking forward to relaying what he’s learned to his son … when he’s ready.
“My son is too young right now. He might not recognize it yet,” Solovyov said. “I will have a good experience to tell him about when you shouldn’t drop your (shoulders). There are a lot of moments in life when you have to work through it, and I can teach him pretty well.”
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