Recently retired goaltender Devan Dubnyk joined the DFO Rundown with Frank Seravalli and Jason Gregor, where he was asked who was the worst teammate he ever had for high heaters in practice.
Without hesitation, Dubnyk named Nail Yakupov.
Dubnyk: “Oh, Nail Yakupov. This guy was an idiot. A complete idiot.
“I tried to explain to him. We were doing a low-drive from the corner and he’s zipping these things past my ear because he’s trying to hit the elbow. And I tried to explain to him: ‘You realize there’s three outcomes here. You miss the net, you score, or you hit me in the ear. I hate all three of those. If you want to practice this shot, go do it on the other end.”
Gregor: “Did he ever get it?”
Dubnyk: “Obviously not. He’s nowhere to be found, so I don’t think he hit the elbow too often.”
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You can listen to the interview down below:
Yakupov, former 1st overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL draft, has since found a new home playing in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg following a disappointing NHL career which spanned six seasons.
