MOSCOW, April 18 Head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning » John Cooper said four-time Stanley Cup winner Wayne Gretzky sent him a message with enthusiastic comments after team forward Nikita Kucherov surpassed the 100-assist mark in one National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
In Tampa's final regular-season match against the Toronto Maple Leafs (6:4), Kucherov scored a goal and an assist. The Lightning forward became the first Russian hockey player and the fifth player in the entire history of the NHL who managed to make 100 assists in one regular season of the league. Kucherov also tops the list of championship scorers with 144 points (44 goals and 100 assists) in 81 matches. Gretzky surpassed the 100-assist mark a record 11 times (the best result was 163 assists in 80 matches in the 1985-86 season).
““The first message I received when I checked my phone after the game (was from Gretzky). Just enthusiastic comments about Nikita Kucherov. It was very cool,” the NHL website quotes Cooper as saying.
Kucherov's teammate Braden Point, who was assisted by the Russian hockey player, said that he was not surprised by his achievement because he saw how hard he works.
«»At the beginning of the period he gave me two shots and Martin Jones made good saves. I was a little nervous. I was very happy that the puck went in. 44 goals this year and 100 assists. That's amazing. Incredible numbers, but watching Kuch every day and seeing how he works, it's not surprising considering how hard he works and how wisely he approaches it,» Point said.
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