After being picked up by national sports networks and the NHL itself on social media, Egor Sidorov essentially broke the internet on Friday night — at least when it comes to the junior hockey sphere.
“I didn’t see that, I don’t know,” Sidorov said. “Did it actually?”
The Saskatoon Blades sniper is coming off scoring his 34th goal of the season at the Brandt Centre against the Regina Pats, which stunned those in attendance and delivered thousands of clicks on social media.
Trailing 1-0 midway through the first period against the Pats, Sidorov attacked the net on a partial breakaway and pulled the puck behind his back to score on Regina netminder Kelton Pyne at full speed.
“I saw (Pavel) Datsyuk when he played in the KHL did a shootout like that,” Sidorov said. “So I started doing that at practice. When I feel like I’m doing well, I try to do it in a game and it goes in.”
Friday’s goal was the latest for Sidorov among a string of highlight reel-worthy tallies, coming just days after he skated through the entire Prince Albert Raiders defence to find the back of the net on Dec. 27.
For those Blades players who were on the ice when Sidorov pulled the puck behind his back, they say it’s a goal that’s been in the making for some time.
“Not surprised,” Blades captain and linemate Trevor Wong said. “I see him in practice, does whatever he does and it goes in every time.”
On the bench, it was the same reaction from Blades head coach Brennan Sonne, who has watched Sidorov score jaw-dropping goals for two and a half years.
“I’ve seen him do it a bunch,” Sonne said. “I’ve seen him do it a bunch in practice. It was not shocking to me at all because I see him do it so much.”
Sonne compared the goal to former Vancouver Canucks great Pavel Bure and his famous pre-season highlight against the Boston Bruins in 1996, which came from hours of working on his puck skills in practice.
“(Bure) went in from the right side to the left side on a partial breakaway,” Sonne said. “He brought it down to his skate, kicked it back to his stick and it was the first time anyone had done that in the NHL.
“He was asked, ‘How did you come up with that? That’s so creative.’ He said, ‘Well I’ve done it 10,000 times in practice.’ It’s the exact same for (Sidorov).”
With his 34 goals in 36 games this season, Sidorov trails only Prince George’s Zac Funk for the WHL goal-scoring lead and has since passed former Blades import Matej Stransky for the most career goals by an international player in franchise history.
His flashiness is equalled only by his infectious personality on the ice, which has made the Belarusian one of the brightest lights in the Blades dressing room.
“There is not a single day that goes by that (Sidorov) is not impacting my day,” Sonne said. “It can be laughter, it can be joy, it can be happiness, it can be frustration. We love that kid, I love that kid. He’s a phenomenal human being, massive personality, which I love.
“He is someone that you don’t get very often as a coach.”
Drafted 85th overall by the Anaheim Ducks last summer, Sidorov will still have one more year of junior eligibility ahead of him, however, he will have a good chance at turning pro next fall, according to Sonne.
Leading the offensive punch for a Blades team that sits in first place in the WHL with a 26-8-2-2 record, Sidorov added he’s enjoying racking up the wins and chasing a championship with a Saskatoon club that continues to load up on talent.
“We have a great team,” Sidorov said. “Great guys on our team. We support each other every minute, every day, especially every game.”
The Blades return home to SaskTel Centre on Wednesday night for a mid-week matchup against the Vancouver Giants at 7 p.m.