|
As the resident Dallas Stars expert for the Bloguin Olympic Hockey Blog, as well as a general connoisseur of selfless defensive hockey, it's only fitting that I'm the one who gets to write the profile of Karlis Skrastins. The average hockey fan may not know much about the rugged captain of the Latvian national team. He plays a fairly nondescript game and generally flies under the radar on the Dallas Stars blueline, but when it comes to international competition, he is the heart and soul of the Latvian entry. One of only 2 current NHLers to be named to the Latvian roster, Karlis is joining fellow defenseman Oskars Bartulis (Flyers) on the national team. Your heart has to go out to Raitis Ivanans. On a national team with only 2 NHLers, somehow the Kings tough-guy was skipped over entirely... by pretty much the entire roster of Dynamo Riga. Ivanans is the only Latvian NHLer to be left off the Olympic roster.
What Karlis Skrastins brings to the table is a tremendous work ethic and an uncanny ability to block shots. At 35 years old, he brings the same intangibles and veteran steadiness to Latvia that earned him a two year contract with the Dallas Stars this past summer. He's a steady and responsible defender, widely considered to be a great locker room presence, and really everything a lesser-power in the hockey world could ever ask for in a captain. In addition to his defensive prowess, he's also tough as nails. He's not an over-the-top aggressive head hunter that grabs your attention with his explosive body belts, but he plays a quietly physical game and finds a way to impose his will on the opposition throughout the bumps and bruises of an NHL season. In 2007, he became the NHL's record holder for most consecutive games played by a defenseman. His iron-man record surpassed Tim Horton's 486 game streak, and ended up at 495. Since joining the Stars, it's been pretty difficult to knock him out the lineup. The only game he missed was caused by having his finger almost sliced off by the skate of an Anaheim Duck. Shortly after that, he netted his first career two goal game as the Stars defeated the hated Red Wings in Dallas, stitches and all.
Basically, he looks like a cleaned up Geico caveman, blocks more shots than most goalies (Marty Turco, at least), and plays a selfless defense-first brand of hockey that any self respecting hockey fan would adore. I defy you to dislike the guy. He's one of my favorite players in the league, and has been for years. He, along with my love of underdogs, gives me more than enough reason to tune in to Latvia's games once the puck drops in Vancouver.
 Cole Jones covers the Dallas Stars at The Other 6 Seconds in addition to his work on Bloguin's Olympic Hockey Blog.
Follow The Other 6 Seconds on Twitter 
Follow Bloguin's Olympic Hockey Blog Twitter
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 