“I only deal with 250-pound guys,” Kris Russell says. “My dad took on 2,000-pound bulls.”John Hefti
Kris Russell, the pint-sized defenceman who deflects shots like bullets for the Edmonton Oilers, isn't even the toughest member of his own family.
That distinction goes to his dad, who was a bullfighter on the professional rodeo circuit. For 14 years, Doug (Shaky) Russell protected riders by getting between them and the bulls that bucked them off. During the course of his career, he broke the same leg twice, fractured both thumbs and had knee surgery nine times.
"I only deal with 250-pound guys," Kris says. "My dad took on 2,000-pound bulls. He is way braver than I am."
Once, an angry bull charged Shaky and hit him full force on the inside of one knee. Another time, one stood on his toe so he couldn't get away as it roughed him up. And then there was that day when, after getting a horn in the rump, he was pitched over a gate 10 feet high. It was like something out of Green Acres, only a lot less funny.
"It caught me just right," Shaky says. "I broke a couple of ribs. Bullfighters wear flak jackets and padded pants now. We didn't wear anything special back then."
Kris laughs it off, but there must be something in his makeup passed down to him by his dad. How else to explain his passion for tossing his body in front of frozen pucks launched at 90 miles an hour?
There is nobody in the National Hockey League as good, or fearless, when it comes to blocking shots. For the second time in three years, Russell leads the league. And in two of the past four years, he finished second and third.
"He is unbelievable," says Connor McDavid, the Oilers' 20-year-old captain and the NHL's scoring leader. "The guy finds a way to be in shooting lanes all of the time. I don't know how he does it."
In 2014-15, Russell set a league record by blocking 283 shots as a member of the Calgary Flames. He set another mark that season by deflecting 15 in a single game.
"Some of my body parts are numb," he joked at the time.
He is 29 and signed a one-year, $3.1-million (U.S.) contract with the Oilers as a free agent the weekend before the season started. He has been a revelation for the surging Oilers, a pugnacious terrier that has helped drastically improve one of the most porous defences in the NHL.
In one recent game, he blocked two shots in overtime, stepping in front of one seemingly sure game winner blasted at close range.
"His instincts are amazing," Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot says. Talbot has faced more shots and recorded more saves than any other goalie in the league this season. "I don't know that I would do what he does, and I have a lot more equipment on."
Russell missed seven games with an upper-body injury early on, but has stalked the NHL leaders in blocked shots since returning to the lineup. Last week, he passed Erik Karlsson of Ottawa, who has played three more games, to take over first place. Russell blocks more shots per game than anyone else.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he has blocked 1,309 shots in 617 games in 10 seasons in the NHL. The league doesn't keep career statistics on blocked shots, but it is certainly fair to say that it is a specialty – enjoyed at such an elite level by a scant few.
Despite his bravado, Russell has been fortunate to escape without major injury. He has had only a broken knuckle and fractured pinkie finger – and more bumps and bruises than can be counted.
"Part of it is being willing to do it," he says. "Getting hit goes along with doing it. The lower and closer you get, the less risk there is in taking one in the teeth."
It is a close race between him and teammate Drake Caggiula, a rookie forward, but Russell is likely the Oilers' smallest player. He is listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds – and that might be a stretch.
Yet, in recent games he has gone toe-to-toe with New Jersey winger Kyle Palmieri, shoved one Nashville player away from in front of Talbot and cross-checked another, all the while deflecting numerous shots with no apparent concern.
"It takes a special guy to do what he does," says Matt Hendricks, the Oilers' rugged forward. Hendricks once had part of an ear lopped off by a shot by Alex Ovechkin. "There aren't a lot of people lining up wanting to do it."
There is no argument that it takes great courage, but it still prompts debate. Some detractors argue it is a sign that a team has defensive problems. It has even been suggested the NHL make it illegal for players' feet to leave the ice to block a shot.
In their last game before the all-star break, the Oilers blocked 22 shots in a 4-1 victory over San Jose. They managed only 20 shots on net in the same game.
"On my end, it is a big help," Talbot says. "Each time someone blocks a shot, that is one fewer that I am going to see."
Russell could have been a cowboy like his dad. He grew up on a farm in the foothills of the Rockies in central Alberta. Caroline, the village of 500 residents where he grew up, is most famous for being the hometown of figure skater Kurt Browning. The year before last, though, the town celebrated a Kris Russell Day while the Flames were in the playoffs – a bit of thanks for being such a tough customer.
Shaky quit bullfighting when Kris and his identical twin brother, Ryan, were born. He gave it up because he wanted to be in one piece for his sons – and also because he had gotten the worse end in too many confrontations with bulls.
"They look big and slow, but you can't outrun them," he says.
Kris and Ryan both made their mark in hockey. The Oilers are Kris's fifth NHL team, and Ryan played 41 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The brothers remain close – and raise bucking bulls together in the offseason.
In their first game in juniors, they played for rival squads in the Western Hockey League and fought at centre ice.
"It was fun," Kris says. "We didn't try to hurt each other, but it's not like either of us wanted to lose."
Kris says his mom, Terri, was appalled. His dad? Not so much. His father was their hockey coach when they were kids.
"I couldn't be more proud," Shaky says.