Kris Russell made NHL history during the Calgary Flames’ loss on the road to the St. Louis Blues. Russell’s two blocked shots gave him 274 on the year, breaking the old NHL record of 273 for most blocked shots in a set by Anton Volchenkov back in 2006-07.
Russell’s willingness to sacrifice his body and get in front of the puck is second to none. His relatively small 5’10”, 173-pound frame make his ability to get in front of the puck that much more impressive. To put his efforts this season into perspective, Russell is averaging 3.61 blocks per game. Buffalo’s Josh Gorges is a distant second with an average of 3.22. Russell also leads the way in the “blocks per 60 minutes” metric for any player who has blocked more than 100 shots this season. He’s averaging 9.06 blocks per 60, or roughly one blocked shot every six to seven minutes.
Prior to breaking the record, Russell commented on all of his blocked shots with the Calgary Sun.
“Some of my body parts are numb.”
No surprise there. Russell has blocked more shots this season than some backup goaltenders.
Add in 32 points and it’s clear that Russell’s 2014-15 has been the best season of his career to date.
