Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Viktor Kozlov (with guest Steven Smith)
This guy came to The Island as advertised, left The Island as advertised and had an iconic game in between. Along with LHH’s Steven Smith, we remember Viktor Kozlov, the big center who had a big season and an enormous game at a famous arena in his one season as an Islander.
Going from draft bust to valuable player after a trade from the Sharks to the Panthers, Kozlov eventually joined the mercenary 2006-07 Islanders and immediately became one of their most reliable scoring threats.
But it was a game in December of that season at Madison Square Garden that he cemented his legacy, scoring four goals in a back-and-forth contest that showed that while they may have been put together in haste, that Islanders team had a lot of pride and a drive to win that took them all the way to one of the most astonishing playoff clinchings ever - which Kozlov, of course, played a part in.
Steve tells us about how that four-goal game will forever be tattooed into his memory, even if the season and the rest of Kozlov’s career is pretty fuzzy. Thanks again to Steve for coming on and for everything he does at Lighthouse Hockey.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL!
Kozlov’s Sharks’ tenure was a wild one. San Jose traded the first overall pick (used by Hartford to take Chris Pronger) and used the Whalers’ 6th pick to take Kozlov and others. They got better in the short term, but Kozlov was considered a huge bust in the Bay Area.
The Sharks eventually sent him to the Panthers, which somehow ended up with the Lightning getting Florida’s first overall pick in 1997 and drafting Vinny Lecavalier. That said, Kozlov and later Panther Pavel Bure enjoyed some productive seasons together.
The Islanders signed Kozlov at the same time as Richard Park and Mike Dunham.
Oh, and the day before signing those guys, they gave Rick DiPietro a 15-year contract.
A legendary performance. On December 3, 2006, Kozlov scored four goals in a 7-4 win over the Rangers.
“Sometimes the puck goes in and sometimes it does not.” Yeah, that’s one way to put it.
Another fun fact: the night before against Pittsburgh, Kozlov scored twice, giving him six goals in 24 hours.
The four-goal game is the most important, but Kozlov was pretty good in the shootout and actually scored the winning goal in the Dubie poke check game:
Kozlov and Islanders teammate Tom Poti both left to sign with Washington in the summer of 2007.
After two seasons with the Capitals, Kozlov left for the KHL and spent his last five seasons there.
Currently, he is the head coach of Salavat Yulaev in the KHL.
What makes a “Weird Islander?”
We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:
Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.
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