“Respect,” Ilya Sorokin answered when asked what he’d get in return for gifting his goalie stick to Alex Ovechkin as the latter cemented his position atop the NHL’s goal-scoring mountain. Sorokin had played a commendable role as the Islanders beat the Washington Capitals at the UBS Arena. He had saved every shot that had come his way, except for the one that made history.

“Ilya Sorokin, thank you for letting me score 895. I love you, brother,” acknowledged Ovechkin when the game was paused for the on-ice ceremony honoring his achievement. It’s safe to say that it was a bittersweet moment for the Russian goalie. Yet, he would probably be proud of how he had not let the Capitals captain score on the four shots he had taken coming into the game. In fact, it took Ovechkin another four attempts on April 6th itself to finally get past him. However, considering all that he has done so far in his career, those numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise.

KHL to NHL: Ilya Sorokin’s rise

Like many of his peers, Sorokin’s appreciation for the NHL can be traced back to Don Cherry highlights. But before he could make the transcontinental journey, the Mezhdurechensk native had to move a couple of hours away from his home, hoping to play in the KHL with Metallurg Novokuznetsk. He eventually debuted for the team at 17, and played for three seasons before being traded to CSKA Moscow, with whom he won the Gagarin Cup in 2019. With 1.19 GAA and five shutouts in 20 games, Sorokin was practically unreachable and won the MVP playoff as Moscow beat Avangard 4-0 in the finals. Sorokin was ready for the NHL.

However, despite being drafted 78th overall by the New York Islanders in 2014, Sorokin had expressed that he wasn’t keen on playing for them as long as former GM Garth Snow was in charge. However, as Lou Lamoriello took over the reins, the 2018 Olympic gold medalist had a change of heart.

Finally, on July 13, 2020, the New York Islanders signed him on a one-year contract. His breakout season, however, came in 2022-23. His .924 save percentage and an NHL-topping 6 shutouts record earned him a finalist spot in the race to the Vezina trophy, and an eight-year $66 million contract. In fact, his rookie season was not bad either, considering he finished it with a 2.17 GAA and .918 save percentage in 22 games that included three shutouts. What’s more? That season also brought him a franchise record.

When Ilya Sorokin went 4 for 4

Back in Mezhdurechensk, when a young Sorokin pretended to be Sidney Crosby in street hockey games, little did he know that one of the greatest moments of his hockey career would come while playing against the Penguins’ captain. When the dust settled on Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2021, Sorokin became the first rookie goalie in franchise history to win his first 3 playoff games, thanks to the 48 saves he made to clinch a 3-2 victory for his side. Everyone cheered his name, and the media praised him. In Game 6, he extended the record to four.

He put an end to Crosby’s Stanley Cup hopes with a whopping 34 saves. After the 5-3 victory, his playoff GAA stood at a mindboggling 1.95. “It takes everyone in these series but obviously Ilya came up big, especially that last game in Pittsburgh,” Ryan Pulock had said after the game. With 7 saves in the first period of the game, followed by fifteen and twelve in the second and third respectively, Sorokin had made a total 150 saves in the four games.

No wonder Chico Resch, former Islander goaltender and Stanley Cup champion, is of the opinion that “Sorokin has the least amount of flaws as any goalie in the league… Very few pucks pass through him.” That’s high praise for someone who was trying to score goals instead of saving them till he was seven and conceded 13 goals in his first youth hockey game.