The trade
Unrelated to my time here in activist public history, I love hockey. Like, I have an obsession with this game. All because of my partner, I fell in love with this beautiful sport.
I have so much hockey memorabilia. Hockey history has become one of my favorite areas of study outside of my other interests. I’ve been to multiple hockey games and screamed my head off. As you can tell, I am a bit of a hockey nerd. My favorite player, you’ve probably heard, is right winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
Moving to Saint Louis, I worried I was never going to belong here. Simply put, I felt more like a southerner living in Saint Louis, not a Saint Louisan. That all changed because of Vladimir Tarasenko. Vladi, even without a deep, personal connection, showed me if he belonged here, I did, too. Hailing from a city in Siberia, Vladi traveled across the globe to play hockey after success in the KHL. Drafted in 2010 by the Saint Louis Blues, he remained with the organization from 2013 to today, Thursday, February 9th, 2023.
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He barely spoke English after coming from Siberia, and felt very uncomfortable at first. Through his time on the Blues, however, he knew he not only belonged, but he knew how much the city deserved both good hockey and winning the Stanley Cup, infamously the most difficult trophy in sports. 553 points, 644 games played, and 1 Stanley Cup later, Vladimir Tarasenko finds himself on the New York Rangers, reunited with his close friend Artemi “Breadman” Panarin.
Vladi showed me I belonged here through his plays and how he loved the fans off the ice (Ari’s videos with Vladi still make me cry, so hard). Unfortunately, we as fans knew his time was numbered in Saint Louis because he never rescinded his trade request after some mistreatment from doctors, among other issues. No matter what, Vladi continued to make me smile. My first game ever, in March 2022, was the first time I felt pure, unadulterated joy after he netted his 500th point in the National Hockey League. My partner recorded me, telling me “I get excited.” That’s an understatement. Any play he made, I screamed so loud in my Vladimir Tarasenko jersey.
I know he’s going in the rafters and retiring with us. 91 is going up after all he’s contributed to Saint Louis, including bringing the cup home after over 52 years. We love you so much, Vladi. Good luck in New York and I hope you find your spark. I wish nothing but the best for your family.
Thank you for indulging in me. I needed to write my feelings down somewhere.
