Martin Cibak and Dmitry Afanasenkov beat long odds to join the Lightning lineup.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published October 12, 2003
BRANDON - It was just a handshake, or so it seemed.
Martin Cibak and Dmitry Afanasenkov offered each other congratulations when they made the Lightning's opening-day roster. But Cibak said they were acknowledging more than just jobs well done.
A season after playing in relative obscurity and through soap operas for AHL Springfield, and a month after coming to camp as long shots to stick with the big club, Cibak and Afanasenkov earned NHL toeholds.
And they did it by beating out Alexander Svitov and Nikita Alexeev, respectively, two of the organization's most highly regarded young players.
"I feel so much better right now than I did in camp," Cibak said after practice Saturday at the Ice Sports Forum. "I feel no pressure. I'm relaxed."
Said Afanasenkov, smiling, "It feels pretty good."
A successful first game didn't hurt.
Cibak, a center, played 9 minutes, 3 seconds during Friday's 5-1 victory over the Bruins. He won 55 percent of his faceoffs (5-of-9) and formed a pretty good forechecking unit with right wing Ben Clymer and Fredrik Modin.
Afanasenkov, a left wing, played 13:56 on a line with center Vinny Lecavalier and Ruslan Fedotenko and scored a second-period goal that gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead and turned out to be the winner.
"I thought they acquitted themselves very well," coach John Tortorella said. "Both played very well defensively, they were strong on the puck and Affy ends up scoring a goal and was involved in the offense. For the first game this year, they were playing well."
Both know that is not enough.
"I need to prove I should be here," Cibak said. "I'm going to do the best I can to help the team win. I'm going to work hard and do my best."
"Every shift, every game, every period, you have to prove you can play," Afanasenkov said. "You have to give 100 percent on every shift and win every battle. You can't be secure."
Cibak, 23, of Liptovmikulas, Slovakia, played 26 games for the Lightning in 2001-02. Afanasenkov, 23, of Arkhangelsk, Russia, played nine games in 2000-01 and five in 2001-02. Both said the disappointment was deep when they were cut from last season's team.
It was no picnic at Springfield, either.
Cibak broke his right foot in January and missed six weeks, which ensured he would not be recalled.
But Afanasenkov had it worse.
Tampa Bay shared Springfield with the Coyotes, who hired coach Marty McSorley. With Phoenix's players a clear priority, especially when it came to the top two lines, Afanasenkov saw less playing time.
After a regular season in which he played 41 games, Afanasenkov got permission from Lightning general manager Jay Feaster to play in Switzerland.
"It was pretty difficult," Afanasenkov said of Springfield. "But I always tried to do well. I thought, "Maybe it would do something for me.' "
"Dmitry Afanasenkov is an example of how you have to go out and earn it for yourself," Feaster said. "No one has been more negatively affected by our dysfunctional minor-league system than Affy. He never stopped working on his game, never stopped believing in himself, never allowed himself to believe he had been a victim of something else as some players might suggest. Instead Dmitry Afanasenkov kept trying to get better."
It all seemed so long ago as Cibak and Afanasenkov waited to play against the Bruins. Nerves were frayed, but after a tentative first period, their skills began to show.
Cibak played a staunch defensive game. And Afanasenkov's speed carrying the puck into the Boston zone sparked the play that led to his goal off Lecavalier's feed from behind the net. It was his second career goal. The reviews were good.
"He was impressive," Lecavalier said of Afanasenkov. "He made good plays and scored a goal. The way he's playing now, he's already fitting in."
"He plays hard and pays attention to detail," Clymer said of Cibak. "He's going to help us."
