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Why are so many Russian goalies excelling in the NHL?

One of the first things Evgeni Nabokov did after retiring from the NHL in 2015 was to fly back to Moscow so he could visit friends and watch hockey with them.

There was a night when Nabokov and his friends were joined by Vladislav Tretiak -- yes, the man considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders of all time -- and they went to watch a game where the focal point was the opposing young goalies.

"Who do you think those young kids were? It was [Igor] Shesterkin and [Ilya] Sorokin. I had no idea who they were," said Nabokov, whose 353 career victories are the most by a Russian goalie in NHL history.