Before the Blues drubbed Ottawa 11-1 Saturday night at the Ottawa Civic Centre, Blues coach Bob Berry offered this analysis of the Blues' Russians.

"They're unstable, just like their country," he said.

In their second National Hockey League season, Vitali Prokhorov, Vitali Karamnov and Igor Korolev have befuddled and confused their coach.

They have been up, down and all around, with marvelous displays of offensive talent on some nights and woeful defensive lapses on others. They drew Berry's wrath after the Blues' 6-0 loss Thursday at Quebec, with a combined plus-minus rating of minus 12.

They earned his praise Saturday, with three goals and five assists and a collective plus-minus rating of plus 4. But Berry didn't heap too much praise on the Ramblin' Russians.

"They seem to have a good feel for each other," Berry said. "We'll just have to see how it works."

While Berry was reluctant to praise all three, he wasn't shy about commending the play of Prokhorov, the most determined and spirited of the bunch.

Prokhorov had two goals and an assist against the Senators, earning the No. 2 star. Going into tonight's game at New Jersey, "Little V," as he is called, has five goals and an assist in the last six games. He has nine points in the last 10, on six goals and three assists.

"He's been a big boost for us offensively," Berry said. "He's been one of our most consistent forwards the last few weeks."

In 33 games since his recall from Peoria on Dec. 13, Prokhorov has 10 goals and 16 points, two fewer than Karamnov in 10 fewer games. He's one of only six Blues players in double figures for goals.

"Very good," Karamnov said, in his Russian accent. "Prok doing very well."

Good things have happened to the Blues when the gritty, 5-foot-9, 185-pound Prokhorov scores. The Blues are 7-2 when he has scored this season.

In the 15 games over two seasons in which Prokhorov has gotten at least a point, the Blues are 11-3-1. His teammates are impressed.

"He's a pretty good hockey player," alternate captain Brendan Shanahan said. "Everybody talks about the transition, and he's starting to come around.

"When they came over, everybody said that Prok was the best, the most experienced of the three. He had injuries last year, but now he's healthy and he's learning the style of the game over here, how to play in close quarters."

Prokhorov, 27, said he feels better now than at any time since the Blues selected him 64th in the 1992 entry draft, two behind Karamnov and 26 behind Korolev.

A bum shoulder limited Prokhorov to 26 games last season and hindered his performance. He had only four goals and an assist.

A six-inch scar is visible on his right shoulder where surgeons operated to correct a chronic separation problem. Whereas last season his shoulder seemed to pop out every time he was hit, he has been able to handle the physical punishment of the NHL this season.

"I am totally healthy," he said. "When I first came, something was wrong. I feel not 100 percent, but now, I feel good."

Which is good for his mental well-being as well.

"Now, when I play, I have no shaky hands, no shaky legs," he said. "I feel good. For hockey players, or any player in big, professional sport, that is the best way, to feel good, to feel not afraid of something.

"You just go and play the game."

Prokhorov said he's playing better than ever.

"I think so," he said. "I've got (ice) time to play, time to show I can play better. I'm working, trying to be better at everything every day. That's about all I have to say."

Other than he likes playing with Korolev and Karamnov. Berry reunited them after the Blues traded Ron Sutter and Bob Bassen to Quebec on Jan. 23.

A sprained ankle sidelined Karamnov for nine of 15 games since then and limited him to two shifts in another game. He played a regular shift against Quebec and Ottawa, games that typified the Russians' season.

They had marvelous scoring chances against Quebec but couldn't convert and gave up goals at the other end. Against Ottawa, they capitalized on their chances and got caught only once, on the Senators' goal.

"I like playing with Igor and Big V," Prokhorov said. "Sometimes, we don't score. We have lots of opportunities and play good, but don't score. Maybe it's a little bit like bad luck, but we need to get second guy at net for rebound.

"We talk about these things. We talk about the game, how much better we understand it."

They also understand why Berry gives them a hard time about their defense. He's not the only one. "Shannie does, too," Prokhorov said after Shanahan noted that they were plus-players Saturday night. For one night, at least, the Russians were stable. 

1 ноября 1992 года. 
Prokhorov's Hat Trick Is Treat Berry's Debut Successful As Blues Topple Flyers 6-4; Lindros Ejected // St. Louis Post - Dispatch

Russian Vitali Prokhorov apologized when reporters converged on him in the Blues dressing room Saturday night at The Arena.

Prokhorov had scored a hat trick, the first goals of his National Hockey League career, and earned the No. 1 star in the Blues' 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Bob Berry's debut as Blues coach.

So, suddenly, an uncomfortable Prokhorov found himself the center of attention.

"I little bit speak English," he said, shrugging before he tried his best to satisfy inquiring minds.

The exchanges went something like this:

On finally scoring in his 10th game: "In 10 games, I don't play much - two times all game. How may {I} score goals? I don't know. If I play {more}, don't I, don't all guys, {have} more chance scoring goals?"

On his first goal, which was set up by Brett Hull: "Oh, Hullie. He moves puck. Move. Move. I go in. Shoot. Philadelphia goalie believes Hullie {will} shoot. He passes for me."

On his second goal, a blazing rush on right wing that turned into a breakaway: "Speed. Yeah."

On his third goal, with 59.6 seconds left to play: "Good combination. Hullie. Craig Janney. And me."

On whether the crowds in Russia toss hats on the ice, as the Blues fans did: "No, never."

And no, never had Prokhorov scored a hat trick in his life: "Two goals much. Three, first time."

It was a first-time happening, too, for Berry. He replaced Bob Plager, who resigned after 11 games but was on hand Saturday after returning to his job as vice president in charge of player development.

Berry, who had served as an assistant to Brian Sutter, received rave reviews.

"Bobby was awesome on the bench," Hull said. "He's tremendous. He knows exactly what he's doing back there."

Berry said bench coaching was like "riding a bike" but admitted he was a bit rusty.

"It's my first game in a while, so it was kind of hard to get going," he said. "I was more emotionally involved, but eventually, the instincts took over."

Berry changed little in taking over for Plager. He made two lineup moves, putting Curtis Joseph in goal for Guy Hebert - something Plager had planned - and inserting veteran defenseman Lee Norwood in place of Dan Laperriere.

Basically, the Blues continued the fine play that had started in the last games of Plager's tenure. The victory was their third in a row and lifted their record to 5-6-1 for 11 points, fourth in the Norris Division.

"This helps our confidence," goalie Curtis Joseph said. "If we really try, we can do it."

The Blues got the big game from Prokhorov, No. 2 star Brett Hull, No. 3 star Nelson Emerson and a host of others.

Hull scored a goal and had three assists. Emerson scored a goal and had an assist. Rookie Jason Ruff scored his second goal in as many games, and rookie Kevin Miehm got the first two assists of his career.

Although he gave up four goals, Joseph was spectacular in goal, particularly in the third period when the Flyers threw a barrage of shots at the Blues' net.

But he may have made his biggest save of the season in the first period when Flyers rookie sensation Eric Lindros cross-checked Emerson from behind 3 minutes 27 seconds into the game. Emerson crashed headfirst into Joseph, and referee Dennis LaRue gave Lindros a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

"I saved your life tonight," Joseph told Emerson after the game.

"What if I'd have gotten out of the way?" Emerson asked.

"He would have put me through the boards," Joseph said. "It probably would have been all over for you, Nellie. You hit my pads pretty hard and my legs just gave out. It's a good thing you hit my pads instead of the boards."

The penalty gave the Blues a two-man advantage and the chance to get off to a good start. Hull scored his fifth goal of the season at 4:36, then he set up Ruff for his second career goal at 5:39.

The Blues got a bit sloppy late in the first period and early in the second, costing them the lead. Claude Boivin scored on a deflection with 7 seconds left in the first period. Mark Recchi tied the game with a power-play goal 34 seconds into the second. Then, ex-Blue Doug Evans put the Flyers ahead 3-2 at 2:01.

But Prokhorov soon took over. He converted Hull's pass between the legs of Garry Galley at 3:57, then sped around defenseman Ryan McGill and beat Flyers' goalie Dominic Roussel at 8:40 for the go-ahead goal.

Emerson's first career short-handed goal, at 14:12, gave the Blues a two-goal lead, which came in handy when Mark Pederson cut the lead to one with 9:10 left in the game.

But the Blues responded again when Janney and Hull set up Prokhorov, who beat Stephane Beauregard for the hat trick and sent the crowd of 17,357 into a frenzy.

Janney, Hull, Paul Cavallini and Norwood converged to hug Prokhorov, who told them all, "Thank you. Thank you."

Berry said the same after the game.

"We played hard for 60 minutes," he said. "We knew we had to be ready at the start because {in} the games we've lost or tied, the other team has scored first.

"We're 5-0 when we score first. This is a big, big boost for us." 

2 сентября 1992 года. 
Ex-Soviet Prokhorov Joins Blues 2 Other Russians May Be In Camp // St. Louis Post - Dispatch

After the Unified Team won the gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics, left winger Vitali Prokhorov thought he had experienced his greatest athletic moment.

The feeling lasted about 10 days. "Then I realized that athletes must keep going on and on, that they must never be satisfied and stop at one level," Prokhorov said.

So he is climbing to the next plateau. Prokhorov, one of five players the Blues drafted from the former Soviet Union this summer, arrived in St. Louis on Tuesday to prepare for the start of training camp.

Prokhorov played for Spartak in the Soviet Elite League and for the Soviet national team in the World Championships. The Blues hope to negotiate the release of Igor Korolev and Vitali Karamnov from Moscow Dynamo and get them in camp as well.

"This is my fourth trip" to North America, Prokhorov said through his interpreter, Victor Sachs, after arriving from Moscow. "Every time I spent 20, 30 days in America. I think I will like it here."

What does he know of the Blues?

"I know they have a new coach," he said. "I also know the team wants to play better than it did last season. The division the Blues are in is one of the strongest in the NHL.

"I don't know too many players on the team. I know there is a great player, Brett Hull. If we play together, we can show a good game."

Prokhorov knew the Soviets who have come to the NHL previously - 27 by his count - and he hopes he has learned from their experiences.

"They told me it's not as easy as a lot of us thought before to play in the NHL and for the Stanley Cup," he said. "I anticipate a lot of hard work on my part here."

Vitali hopes to settle into St. Louis quickly and move his family here. He speaks little English but will have an interpreter at his disposal.

"Playing the game, it's not going to be that hard because the game of hockey is universal," he said. "It will be a little harder to communicate with my normal life."

With his pitch for Edmonton forward Joe Murphy falling on inattentive ears - belonging to Oilers general manager Glen Sather - Blues general manager Ron Caron seems ready to stand pat.

For now.

Caron is ready to open camp with Craig Janney, Nelson Emerson, Ron Sutter, Bob Bassen, Ron Wilson and possibly Philippe Bozon as his centers. Caron had been hoping to land the speedy Murphy, but he hadn't spoken with Sather for several days.

"I don't have time for Glen Sather," Caron said. "Obviously, he is no hurry to phone Ron Caron."

On Tuesday, Sather told Edmonton reporters that he hadn't talked to Caron since last week and insisted nothing was happening.

So Caron plows forth. Emerson and Bozon both played center on occasion for the Blues last season; Emerson was a career center until shifting to right wing with the Blues, and Bozon, a left winger by trade, played some center in junior hockey.

"We're not in bad shape," Caron said. "We'll scout the other camps and see if we can transfer maybe a defenseman for a forward. We're going to fool around with Emerson at center, and Bozon. We're not that desperate. Korolev has played some center. We may try him in there."

Caron will have a wealth of defensemen in camp, especially if he brings back Lee Norwood on a one-year, post-termination contract as planned. Garth Butcher, Jeff Brown and Stephane Quintal seem set on the right side and Murray Baron, Bret Hedican and Paul Cavallini are the top guys on the left.

Then there are Curt Giles, Rick Zombo, Norwood, Daniel Laperriere, Jason Marshall, Terry Hollinger, Jeff Batters . . . so obviously somebody may go. Cavallini and Zombo are looking for hefty pay raises heading into their option years, and Caron has to decide where to draw the line.

The Flyers still are shopping for defensemen, but they have little they can part with at forward. The Canadiens may have been an option - they had shown interest in Cavallini - but they didn't give up any defensemen while acquiring scorers Vincent Damphousse and Brian Bellows.

Caron was interested in acquiring Canadiens forward Stephan Lebeau, but center Brent Gilchrist's departure to Edmonton in the Damphousse deal pulled Lebeau off the trading block.

The Rangers have a wealth of forwards and a dearth of defensemen, but Caron hasn't had substantive talks with them since last season.

1 февраля 2013 года. "Спорт-Экспресс":

Виталий ПРОХОРОВ: "В МОНАСТЫРЕ
ПЕРЕОСМЫСЛИЛ СВОЙ ЖИЗНЕННЫЙ ПУТЬ"

- Что-то давненько о вас ничего не слышно…

- Весь в работе (улыбается). Проживаю в Москве, тружусь в Подольске. Тренирую детей в школе "Витязя" - 1998 года рождения. Кроме того, регулярно выступаю за сборную ветеранов "Легенды хоккея СССР". Занимаемся по понедельникам, ездим играть, куда приглашают.

- Вас все знают как коренного спартаковца. Под чьим руководством комфортно работалось в клубе?

- Каждый тренер давал мне что-то свое. Допустим, когда я только пришел в "Спартак", у Кулагина уже была команда, которая выступала успешно. Молодой игрок входил в коллектив и смотрел, что делают наши выдающиеся мастера. Скажем так, я перенимал опыт, бытовой в том числе. При Борисе Павловиче бойцовские качества прививались сразу. Я начал познавать, что такое настоящий характер, дисциплина. Правда, на лед во время матчей выходил нечасто. При Борисе Майорове, с которым мы немало беседовали, мне больше доверяли. Тут уже я был в основном составе, играл куда чаще. А при Якушеве, как зрелый нападающий, добился наивысших результатов.

- С легендарным "ЯК-15" какие у вас сложились отношения?

- Хорошие, рабочие. Это сейчас уже мы перешли на дружеские. Александр Сергеевич - человек немногословный. Больше советов давал на энергетическом уровне. Иной раз, если тренер произносит какие-то короткие отрывистые фразы, они оказывают большее влияние, нежели когда тебе выговаривают часа два - делай то, не делай это!

- Это ведь Якушев создал ударную тройку "Спартака" и сборной страны Борщевский - Болдин - Прохоров…

- Ну да. Хотя мы сами к нему не подходили, этого не предлагали (смеется). В любой команде все решает тренер.

- Александр Сергеевич почувствовал, что дело у вас пойдет?

- Так говорить нельзя. По ходу чемпионата любой специалист ищет оптимальные сочетания. Наша тройка возникла в результате тренерского поиска во время сезона.

- Как вам все-таки удалось достичь идеального взаимопонимания на льду?

- Для каждого из нас было неважно - кто забьет, а кто отдаст. Мы старались выполнять на льду любую работу, чтобы достичь результата. И не делили между собой ничего - голы, пасы. Если бы так было, все бы рассыпалось.

- В таком составе в 1992 году вы отправились на Олимпиаду в Альбервилль …

- Я пришел тогда в неописуемый восторг. У меня была предельная концентрация. Иногда даже приходилось удивляться тому, что ты находишься в олимпийской деревне, на тебя смотрит весь мир. Присутствовала какая-то особая заряженность на победу. Был хороший "подогрев" со стороны тренерского штаба - Виктора Тихонова и Владимира Юрзинова. Нас постоянно сплачивали. Любое действие мы совершали командой. 25 хоккеистов двигались единой массой на протяжении всего турнира. А два ветерана - Андрей Хомутов и Слава Быков - всех вели за собой. Они были настоящими лидерами.

- Вам пришлось выступать, по сути, без флага и гимна. В команде под названием сборная СНГ…

- Конечно, в какой-то мере было обидно. Когда я раньше видел по телевидению четыре буквы - СССР, всегда мечтал, чтобы они присутствовали на моем свитере. Но мы понимали, за кого играем, - по-прежнему за Советский Союз.

Тогда еще сохранялись остатки той великой команды, которая выигрывала все. Помнится, в финале встречались с Канадой. Перед матчем ощущал сильное волнение. Но оно ушло после нескольких первых смен. Встреча выдалась тяжелой. До последних минут результат игры был неизвестен, хотя мы вели в счете. А после того как Быков забросил третью шайбу, появилась уверенность, что до победы осталось совсем чуть-чуть.

- Наверное, во многом благодаря успеху на том олимпийском турнире вас летом задрафтовал "Сент-Луис"?

- Видимо, да. Впрочем, на тот момент задрафтовали чуть ли не всю хоккейную Россию (смеется). Двери открылись - и хоккеисты спокойно могли выбирать, где им играть.

- Тем не менее вы были одним из первых наших игроков, кто отправился в НХЛ. Непривычно чувствовали себя на маленьких площадках?

- Так мы уже до того на них играли. А чтобы привыкнуть - требовались одна, максимум две встречи. Главной проблемой стал языковой барьер. Из-за этого на первых порах происходило недопонимание. А требовалось, по сути, начинать все сначала - нужно было пробиваться в основной состав.

- За океаном вам пришлось столкнуться с жестким хоккеем. Повыбивали зубы, не раз ломали нос…

- Основной у меня была травма плеча. Поэтому весь первый сезон я практически не играл. А те травмы, которые вы перечислили, - все как само собой разумеющееся. Это мы называем мелкими повреждениями (смеется). Вправил нос, вставил зубы - и пошел играть дальше! На такое не обращаешь внимания. А вот серьезные травмы здорово выбивают из колеи.

- Слышал, у вас в "Сент-Луисе" карьера не сложилась из-за стычки с Бретом Халлом, который пользовался огромным уважением.

- Не скажу, что именно из-за нее. Да, был чисто игровой момент, мы друг друга недопоняли. Сейчас мне бы не хотелось вдаваться в подробности. А почему не пошло в НХЛ? Истинной причины до сих пор назвать не могу. О ней можно только догадываться. Думаю, это не связано с моей игрой. В итоге меня сослали в фарм-клуб.

- И вы уехали в шведский "Ферьестад"?

- Да, провел там один сезон. Возможно, мне просто не подошли условия жизни в Швеции. К тому же внутренний голос звал обратно в Россию. Когда вернулся домой, год вообще не играл. Накопилась огромная усталость, чувствовал опустошение. Из-за переездов, из-за того, что не смог закрепиться в НХЛ. Надо было отдохнуть от хоккея, что-то переосмыслить.

- А как потом вы, истинный спартаковец, после удачного сезона могли перейти в ЦСКА?

- На тот момент в клубе возникли финансовые трудности. Мне поступило несколько достойных предложений. И я выбрал ЦСКА. Просто не хотелось уезжать из Москвы.

- Кошки на душе не скребли?

- Это не было решением трех секунд.

- Насколько знаю, вы покуривали, когда играли…

- Да, в начале своей карьеры. А позднее я старался от этого уйти. Вырабатывал некую принципиальную позицию по отношению к табаку. Решал для себя, когда могу покурить, а когда - нет. Я мог вообще не курить целый день.

- А что заставило уйти из большого хоккея? Травмы?

- Возникла ситуация, когда мне нужно было выбирать. И я решил посвятить себя другому делу, которое не связано со спортом. Занялся предпринимательской деятельностью.

- Потом пару лет вы жили среди монахов.

- Таков был очередной этап в моей жизни. Выбрал один монастырь на острове Валаам. Это уединенное место, где я жил при совершенно других правилах и распорядке дня. Стоило переосмыслить свой жизненный путь. Помогло…

- И какие у вас теперь ближайшие планы?

- В конце концов, я вернулся к своему любимому занятию. Пусть и не как действующий игрок, но тем не менее. Сейчас вот собираюсь в Прагу. Хочу посмотреть олимпийскую базу, чтобы провести там летний сбор с детьми. Потом полечу в Набережные Челны. Там у "Легенд хоккея СССР" будет матч против местной команды ветеранов. В общем, продолжаем популяризировать любимый вид спорта в России. Так что жизнь продолжается.

- А в личной жизни все нормально?

- Более чем! У меня взрослый сын Василий. Самостоятельно занимается делом, которое ему нравится. Движется вперед. Лично я уже 23 года живу со своей единственной супругой. За исключением того периода, когда был в монастыре.

- С Болдиным и Борщевским общаетесь?

- А как же! Причем чаще с Игорем, поскольку вижу его практически каждую неделю. С Колей в основном созваниваемся. Вспоминаем старые истории, делимся впечатлениями от сегодняшних дней.

Илья ЕЛИСЕЕ