When Canadians were introduced to Russian hockey at the Summit series in 1972 many in the hockey world were surprised at the skill and grace the Soviet's exuded. They rarely retaliated when they were met with physical adversity. There stoic nature was amazing to watch but they were labelled as "soft". Many experts thought you couldn't win a Stanley Cup with Russians on the roster. Boy things have changed.This summer Alex Ovechkin became the first Russian player to captain his team to the Stanley Cup. He also won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. On this episode of the Hockey Night in Canada podcast we are talking about the evolution of the Russian hockey player in the NHL.Alexander Mogilny became the first Russian player to defect to North America. We spoke to Former Sabres GM Gerry Meehan who was involved in a James Bond like mission to bring Mogilny to the United States.We also caught up with Ken Holland who has been with the Red Wings for 36 years as a scout and GM. He was directly involved in scouting and drafting Russians who played an integral part in the Red Wings championships in 97, 98 and 2002.--The national anthem of Russia performed by the Presidential Orchestra of the Russian Federation.