Team Toe Blake picks, for
defenseman #4, Alexei Kasatonov
He was a tough customer. One of the "The Great Five" of Soviet hockey, was on many championship teams. Wiki:
Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov (
Russian: Алексей Викторович Касатонов; born
October 14,
1959 in
Leningrad,
Soviet Union now Russia) is a retired
ice hockey defenceman, a long-time member of the
Soviet Union national team.
On the international stage, Kasatonov won two golds (
1984,
1988) and one silver (
1980) in the
Olympics, and five golds (1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989) in the
World Championships. On the club level, Kasatonov played for
SKA Leningrad,
CSKA Moscow,
New Jersey Devils,
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,
St. Louis Blues, and
Boston Bruins. He was Anaheim's lone representative in the
45th National Hockey League All-Star Game.
As opposed to long-time CSKA and Soviet national team defensive partner
Viacheslav Fetisov, Kasatonov sided with coach
Viktor Tikhonov when Soviet players, led by Fetisov and
Igor Larionov, asked for an opportunity to play abroad. Kasatonov was accused by his teammates of
spying on them; when he and Fetisov became teammates again,with the New Jersey Devils, the two ex-best friends would not speak