Vlasic Urges NHL To Establish New Award for Defensemen, Recalls Remarkable Rookie Season

Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been with the San Jose Sharks for so long, it’s easy to forget how remarkable his rookie season was.

In 2006-07, a 19-year-old Vlasic stepped into a Stanley Cup-contending Sharks’ line-up and was an immediate top-four defenseman. A power play and penalty kill regular, Vlasic put up 26 points and averaged 22:12 a night, earning himself an All-Rookie Team nod.

Vlasic was just the eighth teenage blueliner to play over 22 minutes a night in his rookie season, since the stat was tracked in 1997-98.

You have to be good to play that much as a teen D-man: After Vlasic, Drew Doughty accomplished the feat in 2008-09, Tyler Myers in 2009-10, Cam Fowler in 2010-11, Justin Faulk in 2011-12, Jonas Brodin in 2012-13, Jacob Trouba in 2013-14, and Miro Heiskanen in 2018-19.

In the lead-up to his 1,300th NHL game — Vlasic will play that on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets — the San Jose Sharks’ lifer spoke about the moment when he knew that he belonged in the NHL, what he owns that’s as old as Macklin Celebrini, and more in a fun, far-ranging interview.

He also urged the NHL to establish a second award for defenseman besides the Norris Trophy, a new honor for best defensive blueliner in the league. Vlasic, 37, wouldn’t be a favorite for such an award anymore, but in his prime, he would’ve probably taken home that trophy at least a couple times.

For what it’s worth, San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky, a former defenseman himself, agreed: “If you asked every coach in this league, the defenseman they may pick to be on their team may not be the one who wins the Norris, it may be the guy that stabilizes the back-end, just being simple, closing, killing plays. So I think 100 percent I’d be in favor of NHL adding that type of award.”

And now, Vlasic!

Vlasic, on some of his early defensive partners with the San Jose Sharks:

I played with Scott Hannan back when I was 19, then Craig Rivet was here, and then [Rob Blake] came in.

I played with some great players who were around for a long time before I came in. I remember them just telling me, enjoy it. It goes by quickly. And I sort of believed them, didn’t believe them. Because time can’t fly by faster than time can. But now I look back, when you’re having fun, time flies a lot faster than when you’re not having fun.

Vlasic, on when he knew that he belonged in the NHL as a 19-year-old:

It was after my first game.

At that point, I knew there was a 9 or 10 game thing, where once I played my 10th game — [I’d have to leave].

I remember coming into my first game, I was playing top-pair with — I think it was Hannan, maybe — I was playing right side too. We’re playing St. Louis, and I get on the ice, and I’m playing against Keith Tkachuk and shutting them down in my first game. I believe we won in overtime.

After the game — it was like 23, 24 minutes just playing my game — I was sitting after the game in my car, and I’m like, “Okay, I can play this.” Right away, first game in, I’m playing against two guys that I watched growing up, two guys that are huge, two guys, that in 2006, you can probably get away with a lot more than you can today — cross-checking, hooking.

The game was fast, but it was more physical, you got away with a lot more, too, so you had to be smarter. There wasn’t an icing rule, there wasn’t that forward chip, and if I hold them up, it’s a penalty. After that first game was when I really realized, “Hey, I can play in this [league],” but I thought to myself that, and after the next game, “Yeah, you gotta do it every night,” but after that first game, I told myself I could.

I was going to still work. After the first game, I played a lot against the best players, but still, in the back of my head, I say, “It could go well for nine games, I play outstanding, and they still send me down.” I was like, “I’ll still prove myself until 10 games, and once I stay, I’ll still prove myself again and stay in the lineup.”

Vlasic, on that moment when they told him that he was staying in the NHL:

I forget when, but they didn’t tell me, “Hey, you’re staying.”

I remember after my 10th game, I was like, “Okay, I’m staying,” and then at some point, they put me in a billet in Los Gatos.

Vlasic, on his junior GM/coach Patrick Roy expecting him to come back to the Quebec Remparts:

Apparently, he called [GM Doug Wilson] quite a bit. He didn’t call me.

Doug did tell me he was bothering him quite a bit in a good way, saying “Hey, when are you sending him back?”

Even when I left [Quebec], right before leaving, I bought a Mazda 3 two days before leaving for camp, and I left it at the billet family in Quebec, said, “Oh, I’ll be back and drive it this year.” Never came back. It’s funny, even I thought, “Okay, I’m gonna go to camp, come back.”

At 19, you play junior, or even American League, you build yourself up and get ready. Even Patrick thought I was coming back, called Doug a bunch of times, and Doug finally said, “No, you’re staying.”

I was the only 19-year-old [defenseman that season in the NHL]. Obviously today, with the evolution of the game — the players back in ‘06-’10, there were maybe one or two 19-year-olds every year. They waited a year, and then came in. [Evgeni] Malkin came in, there weren’t that many — [Patrick] Kane, maybe, but that’s very few every year.

Vlasic, on what happened to the Mazda 3, which was his first big NHL contract purchase:

I sold it. I never brought it [to San Jose]. I was here, they moved me into a billet in November, they lent me their car.

Then at some point, I decided I needed my own car.

I bought the Mazda 3 with the signing bonus of an entry-level contract and came out here.

Bought a Jeep and I still have it today. Just under $60,000. I bought it in November of ‘06.

Vlasic, on how much he admired frequent Norris Trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom — he and Lidstrom are the only two defensemen, at the moment, who have played 1,300 games with just one team:

Funny enough, the guy I idolized growing up was Pavel Bure. He wasn’t a D-man. I would have loved to play against him.

But playing against Lidstrom, you see what he does, the poise, the vision he added. He hurt us quite a bit in playoff runs, hell of a D-man.

He wasn’t overly physical, but he just did everything right at the right time, it worked for him, and that’s why he’s one of the best.

Vlasic, on if he thinks that he should’ve received more Norris consideration at his best:

Honestly, it’s an individual award in a team sport. Yes, the players that win are great players, and I’m sure the first thing everybody says when they go out is thank their teammates, because it’s a team sport. It’s like the Conn Smythe, when you win the Stanley Cup, nobody really cares about it if you win the Stanley Cup, because it’s a team sport and all the guys are here for each other.

For me, it was all about trying to win, trying to get this organization the Cup. The only thing I’ll say is I hope down the road, they give out two trophies to defensemen. I think it’s absolutely absurd that — they deserve it, you know?

The Selke? Of course, give it to them, best defensive forward. But there’s none for defensemen, which is outrageous.

Vlasic, on what he might name such an award:

It doesn’t matter what they name it. They have a Vezina and a Jennings, they have two for goalies. They have one for defensemen, two for goalies, and the rest are forwards. That makes no sense.

It’s been talked about for so long, still no one’s made any adjustments. The only people that can change it are the actual people that vote for it, right? If the people that vote for it said, “We want this in” it could change something.

You have two for goalies, one for defenseman, and like eight for forwards. How does that make sense?

Vlasic, on how many best defensive defenseman awards that he would’ve won:

The only reason I’m pushing it is — I’m not pushing myself — even if I would have won 10 of them, or 12, I would have traded it in for one Cup. Individual awards, I would trade any one in to help this team. Any player on any team would say the same thing.

Vlasic, on how much he misses being in the playoffs, and how close the San Jose Sharks got to the Stanley Cup:

We had great teams. The year before I came in as well, until like ’18-19, but we had our chances. Unfortunately, we fell short. That’s sports, only one team can win. But yeah, I do miss the playoffs. I miss the atmosphere that was here when we were in the playoffs.

But I know eventually, the Sharks will get back there. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later for the players, the organization, and the fans.

But I’m having fun with the guys that are here now. Having fun still playing in San Jose.