He’d rather play in the NHL
But sulking Sergei will do his best for Dogs

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator

(Oct 7, 2009)

He’s here, but he’s not happy.

Disgruntled forward Sergei Kostitsyn was on the ice at the Hamilton Bulldogs practice yesterday, a week after the Montreal Canadiens suspended him for refusing to report.

Speaking in hushed tones, and in English that was more halting than normal, Kostitsyn said he’s not happy with the Canadiens for sending him down because he knows he can play in the NHL. In fact that was a phrase he repeated several times.

He said he made the decision to finally report because he hadn’t been on the ice for a week and he needed to get his game ready to go back to the NHL. And he thinks that will happen because he says the Canadiens have made a commitment to trade him.

That was news to Bulldogs coach Guy Boucher, however. He said Montreal general manager Bob Gainey said nothing about that when he spoke to him Monday night.

Bulldogs general manager Julien BriseBois, declined to comment on Kostitsyn’s assertion that the Habs made a commitment to deal him.

Kostitsyn, 22, did say, however, that for as long as he’s here, he will work hard and try and help the Bulldogs to win games.

Boucher said as far as he’s concerned he has a new player, period and Kostitsyn’s arrival comes at a time when the Dogs could use some help because of all their injuries.

He met with the 6-foot, 196-pound right winger before practice to bring him up to speed on everything the team has done so far.

Kostitsyn, a native of Novopolotsk, Belarus, split his time between Hamilton and Montreal the last two seasons. In the 2007-2008 campaign he had six goals and 16 assists in 22 games with Hamilton and nine goals and 18 assists in 52 games with Montreal.

Last year he suited up with the Bulldogs 16 times, scoring five goals and adding 18 assists. He played 56 games with the Habs and scored eight goals and added 15 assists.

Kostitsyn got off on the wrong foot with both Montreal and the Bulldogs back in the 2006-2007 season. That’s the year that the Bulldogs won the Calder Cup.

Kostitsyn joined them in the playoffs as a Black Ace when his junior team the London Knights were done. When he was told that he would be travelling with the Bulldogs but not suiting up, an incredulous Kostitsyn said that if he wasn’t playing he wanted to go home to Russia. The Canadiens let him go.

The Bulldogs, who dropped their season-opener 3-2 in a shootout to the Marlies in Toronto Sunday, play their home opener on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Copps Coliseum when they host the Rockford IceHogs.

Notes: The Canadiens have signed veteran defenceman and former Bulldog Marc-Andre Bergeron to a one-year contract to help plug the big hole on their blueline. He’s been assigned to the Bulldogs for conditioning and could be in the lineup here on Friday.

Bulldogs play-by-play voice Derek Wills is getting a crack at the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres have contracted Wills to call their game in Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 25.

Several play-by-play announcers will work Buffalo games while the veteran voice of the Sabres, Rick Jeanneret, takes a mid-season vacation.

Wills, who is naturally excited about the opportunity, won’t miss any Bulldogs games because of the call-up.

That means his streak of calling consecutive regular season and playoff games with the Bulldogs, which is now at 721 games and counting, should continue.