Maybe Wang is crazy like a fox. For here we are, almost two full months into a new season, and the difference in Yashin is noticeable.
It's not just about what you see on the stat sheet. He'll absorb a hit, then he'll keep going. He'll actually even gasp throw a hit. He'll drive to the net. And he's probably using his best weapon his heavy, accurate shot more often than any time since his first season in Uniondale.
It even seems his teammates have a confidence in him that was rarely previously displayed.
"You'd have to ask them," said Yashin, who seems uncomfortable when talk shifts from the team as a whole to the team's captain. "It's always easier to be in a good mood when you win hockey games and when you have a strong team. But when you're on a bad streak it seems like it doesn't go as well and it's very tough mentally. We have a much more experienced team this year and it's paid off so far."
Part of that experience was imported by former teammate and present GM Garth Snow, who brought in veterans Mike Sillinger and Brendan Witt both now assistant captains.
But perhaps the most influential voice is that of head coach Ted Nolan, who Wang entrusted with not only the improvement of his team, but of his roster's largest expenditure. Nolan appears to have succeeded in making Yashin believe he has an ally behind the bench.
"It's always kind of great when you have a connection, especially with the coaching staff, right away," Yashin said on a conference call held last week. "He's really very good at telling everybody what they're supposed to do, penalty kills, power play, five-on-five. We play the system where he explains to everybody his role.
"I think it's great because instead of just, 'Let's go, guys, we have to win,' we're really learning how to win."
