Andrei Markov and the Lost Art of Being Indispensable

There is a funny thing about hockey history. We tend to remember the players who demanded our attention. The big scorers. The loud personalities. The players who made something happen and then made sure everyone knew about it.

Andrei Markov was different. He didn't talk much. He didn't seem particularly interested in being the centre of attention. He wasn't the kind of player who needed to tell you how important he was. He simply kept playing, kept moving the puck and kept making life easier for the people around him. Twenty years later, his former teammates are still talking about how good he was.

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Markov's legacy was about more than numbers.

Markov was selected in the sixth round of the 1998 NHL Draft, 162nd overall. He went on to play 990 games for the Montreal Canadiens and became one of the most important defencemen in the franchise's modern history. He was a terrific passer, a power-play quarterback and a player who could handle enormous minutes. But the numbers don't quite explain why his former teammates remember him so fondly.

Carey Price talked about how Markov could take the puck out of the corner and put it "right on your tape." José Théodore called him one of the most complete defencemen he had ever seen. And P.K. Subban went even further, saying Markov was the best player he played with in Montreal.

That last one caught my attention. Subban played with some pretty good Canadiens.

Theodore's comments might explain why. A goaltender spends a lot of time watching what happens in front of him, and Théodore remembered Markov as a player who simply didn't make many mistakes. He could defend. He could skate. He could move the puck. He could play the power play or the penalty kill. He could play 25 or 27 minutes and somehow make it look routine.

Markov demonstrated a different kind of greatness.

Markov didn't necessarily make you notice him every shift. He made you notice when he wasn't there. There is something worth remembering about that as hockey becomes increasingly obsessed with production, speed and measurable impact. Those things matter. But hockey is still a team game, and some players affect the game by making everyone else better.

Markov became The General without ever needing to act like one. Maybe that is why his former teammates still talk about him the way they do. The great players aren't always the ones who make the most noise.

Sometimes they're the ones who make the game seem easier for everyone else.

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