Around this time last summer, Chris Lee, a Bears’ ice hockey alum and 2004 graduate was inducted into the SUNY Potsdam Sports Hall of Fame along with basketball standout Edane Barton, lacrosse star Chris Mele and the famed 1972-73 wrestling team.
Lee, a MacTier, Ontario native who is tied for 10th on the program’s all-time scoring list with 115 points, could not fathom the amount of success that he would earn over the course of the impending year.
And, it all began when Lee agreed to play in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
After building a worldly resume playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the American Hockey League (AHL), the Deutsche Eishockey League (Germany) and the Swedish Hockey League (SweHL) for 12 seasons, Lee sat down with his wife and decided that the risk of playing in another foreign country could well be worth the reward.
Coincidentally, a stroke of fate had legendary NHL coach Mike Keenan, who had famously guided the New York Rangers to its 1994 Stanley Cup win against the Vancouver Canucks, signing on the dotted line to become the Magnitogorsk Metallurg Steelmen’s new coach.
And so on April 30 of this year, there was Lee, Potsdam’s fifth hockey All-American, rejoicing in celebration with Coach Keenan and his Steelman teammates as they hoisted the Gagarin Cup on Russian soil.
History would be made in the process, as Keenan became the first North American coach to take the top prize in Russian club hockey history.
“For my first year, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Lee said.
“Thousands of people attended our victory parade, so to see how much people appreciated it, meant a lot. This was my third trip to the finals and I had come up short two times before. So, I had those demons. But, when we pulled it off, it was such a crazy thing. It’s hard to put into words, but it just felt like the most rewarding season I’ve ever had as a pro. This was my first championship in professional hockey and that’s always the end goal.”
Playing as the fourth highest scorer on the Steelman, Lee was a part of a team that went 35-11-0-8 and captured Russia’s version’s of the Stanley Cup championship by outlasting Prague Kev four games to three in a best-of-seven-game series.
The 33-year-old defenseman racked up 12 goals and 19 assists during 47 regular season games and then added three goals and six assists in 21 playoff games.
Keenan and Lee share North Country hockey routes. Prior to coaching, Keenan began his playing career back in 1969 for St. Lawrence University, while Lee began his college career with the Bears back in 2000.
“We talked about it a few times,” Lee said. “It’s pretty neat for us to both have played in upstate New York. It’s funny how small the world is. He [Keenan] demands hard work, wants everybody to buy into the system and put in a honest effort. He instilled that in us. The players had a lot of respect for him so they looked forward to working with him. Everyone reacted well to him. He got every ounce out of everybody.”
As for Keenan’s reputation as a hard-edged coach, Lee said much of that is overblown.
“He has his moments where he’s going to get upset, but every coach is like that,” Lee said.
“He’s so much more composed than what can be shown on YouTube clips. He’s a family man and makes sure everybody is doing well. He’s great to talk to and when it comes to hockey, it’s all business.”
The KHL has drummed up a strong reputation for being one of the most competitive hockey leagues on the global stage.
“When I spent my last few years in Europe, I started to learn how respected that league was (the KHL) and how talented the players were,” Lee said.
“To me, it’s the second best league in the world. I’m always trying to improve so this was a step up in my career. I was excited for the challenge. It’s an exceptional league. The speed and talent of the players is fantastic. There are a number of guys who could be in the NHL who are playing here.”
Despite only knowing little of the Russian language, Lee said he has been fortunate enough to have North American coaches and others around him who speak English as their first language. One of the team’s assistant coaches speaks English, Russian and German while their masseur attended college in Virginia and speaks Russian as well as English.
The adjustment to the culture is omnipresent. Lee said it’s most noticeable in the way that Russians drive and how roads are laid out for traffic.
“The way they drive is unbelievable,” Lee said. It’s a little frightening. There is no paint to divide any lanes. It’s like a free for all. I decided to hire a driver. I’m about five minutes from the rink. Every country that I play in has their differences and is a little different than you’re used to so you have to adapt.”
The core of the Steelmen will remain intact for the 2014-15 campaign.
“We had a number of free agents and our GM said that he would do his best to keep the team together,” Lee said. “He’s done that because we have only lost two guys to free agency and a couple of young guys moved to other teams to get opportunities. But, he did an outstanding job of keeping the team together.”
The season carried out highs and lows, but the team showed that it could bounce back.
“It was good overall,” Lee said. “There were some bumps in the road. We were trying to get the players to implement into the new system. We didn’t have a great start, but then everything started to sink in. We lost three of our first four games in overtime. Once we got rolling, we kept it going through the playoffs. The Finals was a heck of a series between two really good teams. It was a fantastic season especially for my first season over there. We had a lot of great comebacks and we proved to be a resilient team.”
Lee has just returned to Russia to attend training camp, which opens on July 21. The season will begin in September.
