from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

“It got to the point where, because I wasn’t playing him in the last two or three minutes of a game, he would undo his skates, take off his helmet, put his gloves in his lap, lean his stick against the glass and just sit there,” King said. “But one night, we were up two goals, so I thought we were safe and I barked: ‘Roberts, Nieuwendyk, MAKAROV!’ I did it late, too, so the line that was on the ice was already coming to the bench and now Sergei’s in a panic.

“He flips on the helmet, doesn’t do up the chin strap. Puts on his gloves, grabs his stick, didn’t get his skates tied up properly, and over the boards he goes. Immediately, he gets the puck and goes in and rings a shot right off the crossbar. He does a quick turn, comes back to the bench, sits down and gives me the longest stare you’ve ever seen.

“That was Makarov. Sometimes, it would happen to the players too. If a guy just shot the puck in, Sergei would give him that same look – like the kiss of death, as if he were wondering, ‘Who am I playing with?’ What planet are they from?’ But he was really a great player – and a really interesting guy.”

more on Makarov...

Below, a fan-made video tribute to Makarov...