VOORHEES, N.J. – People watching Ivan Fedotov play a challenging first year in goal for the Flyers must be asking themselves, “How the heck does he do it?”
Most are aware he’s not exactly treated like a rock star in these parts.
Well, it could have something to do with the fact the road just to get here from Russia was much rockier than the one he’s navigating now.
Fedotov has been in and out of the Philadelphia lineup throughout this initial season, sometimes not seeing action for as long as a month.
And then he comes up with a gem like the one he produced in a 2-1 win at league powerhouse Winnipeg on March 1.
Who could have guessed that less than three years ago, Fedotov was arrested for alleged evasion of military service back in Russia and forced to miss an entire season of hockey.
Somehow, after a long struggle with contract negotiations between the National Hockey League and the Kontinental Hockey League, Fedotov had his KHL contract terminated and he was finally allowed to join the Flyers organization in early April, 2024.
Because of the fortitude he displayed throughout this entire ordeal, the 28-year-old Fedotov has been named the Flyers’ nominee for this year’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, voted to the NHL player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.”
The award is named after Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association after each team nominates one player in competition.
Masterton, a Minnesota North Stars player, died on Jan. 15, 1968, after sustaining a head injury during a hockey game.
In Flyers’ history, four players have won the Masterton: Bobby Clarke, 1972; Tim Kerr, 1989; Ian Laperriere, 2011; and Oskar Lindblom, 2021.
After Tuesday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center, Fedotov indicated he was honored to be the Flyers’ nominee.
“I didn’t think about it before, so it’s a surprise to me,” he said. “I know a lot of good players have this award.”
Fedotov, who actually was born in Finland, said it was his dream to play in the NHL. He originally was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
“Every kid has a dream of playing in the best league in the world,” Fedotov said. “It was a long road for me. Finally I’m here where I want to be.”
Playing mostly behind top starter Samuel Ersson this season, the 6-foot-7 Fedotov has played in 25 games with a record of 6-13-3, a goals-against average of 3.12 and a save percentage of .881.
It should be noted that a number of Fedotov’s starts have come in the second half of back-to-back games when a team is often fatigued from playing two games so close together, sometimes with travel thrown in the middle.
One of the toughest parts of this season has been waiting to play. It’s not ideal going two, three, four weeks without getting any action, then jumping into a game “cold.”
“It’s not easy but you have to keep your focus,” he said. “You have to be consistent. Stay with your routine. You want to play more, especially when you feel good. But it (playing time) is not in my control. To keep your mind fresh, sharp, it’s not easy.”
Fedotov’s teammates said the Masterton nomination was justified.
“His story is quite remarkable,” captain Sean Couturier said. “Just hearing the stories, pretty crazy, pretty wild. It would be really hard for anyone to come back and play at this level.
“Through all the ups and downs he’s been through, there have been a lot of things thrown at him. He’s heard some unfair criticism at times but he’s always tried to work through it, show up and that’s what you want to see.”
Travis Konecny was somewhat aware of Fedotov’s back story.
“He’s always been putting in the work,” Konecny said. “It’s not just the work on the ice, there’s the language barrier. Really putting in the work for relationships with teammates. He’s done a great job with that.”
Konecny indicated he was impressed by Fedotov’s ability to bounce back after an appreciable amount of time off.
“That’s what keeps you around,” he said. “You’re competitive. He gets sat for a period of time, he comes in and he’s going to play well.”
