Men's Hockey | 12/21/2017 10:24:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – From a Frozen Four appearance to the Stanley Cup Finals in one year. Not many players accomplish that feat, but former RIT defenseman Chris Tanev helped the Tigers advance to the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four and in 2011, was on the ice for games five, six and seven for the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins.
 
Tanev played just one season at RIT, but that year, 2009-10 was a storybook one for the Tigers and Atlantic Hockey. RIT won a program record 28 games, including its first Atlantic Hockey Championship and defeated No. 2 seed Denver and New Hampshire in the NCAA East Regional to advance to the 2010 Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
 
RIT became the first and only Atlantic Hockey team earn a berth into the Frozen Four.
 
That season, Tanev played in all 41 games and recorded 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists. He led the team and was among the national leaders with a plus-33 rating, which is also a Division I program record. In addition, Tanev committed just two minor penalties for the entire season. He was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year and earned All-Atlantic Hockey third team honors. He was a three-time Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week and garnered 2010 Atlantic Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team honors.
 
Now in his eighth season in the NHL, all with the Canucks, Tanev has blossomed into one of the top puck-moving defenseman in the league. Serving as one of Vancouver's alternate captains, Tanev is off to a tremendous start for the Canucks in 2017-18, with two goals and six points and a plus-9 rating in 25 games as the team is battling for a postseason berth. He has appeared in 373 games in his NHL career with 18 goals, 63 assists and 81 points and is in year three of a five-year contract that runs through the 2019-20 season.
 
Tanev recently spoke to Executive Sports Information Director Joe Venniro about his time at RIT and what it meant to him as he made his way to the NHL.

Joe Venniro: What is the excitement level for you this season in Vancouver?
Chris Tanev: I am very excited. We obviously didn't have the best year last year, we struggled. It's good to have a fresh start. We're excited to have a fresh start and to prove to a lot of teams that we are better than we were last year.
 
JV: What are your thoughts on the Gene Polisseni Center?
CT: I've been there a few times and it is very nice, really great dressing rooms and weight room and from what I've seen it's a great place to watch a hockey game.
 
JV: What was it like playing at Ritter Arena (RIT's former home from 1968-2014)?
CT: The atmosphere of Ritter is still probably the best I've been a part of. The fans are right on top of you. Even though it only seated 2,000 fans, it felt like there was 50,000. The fans were awesome, they were loud all game, cheering us on. It helped us out a lot. We fed into that atmosphere and it got us going.
 
JV: Take me back to 2009-10 season, how you and the team emerged to make the historic run to the Frozen Four.
CT: It was a great season, we had an older team, I sort of stepped in and didn't know what to expect when I got there. I got the opportunity play with Ringer (senior defenseman Dan Ringwald) who was a great defenseman and helped me a lot my first few games. I learned a lot playing with him and watching him. As the season progressed, we felt very comfortable with each other and were really good together, along with the team. We had that never give up attitude no matter who we playing or what situations we were in. We had great leadership in the locker room and that helped us a lot.
 
JV: What's your greatest memory of that season?
CT: Winning the two NCAA tournament games. We won our league then we faced off against Denver (ranked second in the nation), I don't think anyone picked us to win at all. We surprised them and we scored a few early (Tanev scored the opening goal in the first period) and DeMikes (senior goaltender Jared DeMichiel) was awesome. Next day we played New Hampshire and I don't think anyone expected us to win again. That game we won quite handily. We got some nice goals from a few guys. Those two games were quite surreal.
 
JV: How did RIT prepare you for professional hockey?
CT: RIT prepared me quite a bit on and off the ice, my hockey game got a lot better through the coaches and playing with Ringer, along with being around all the older guys. I tried picking different things up on the ice, soaking in as much as I could. Off the ice, it was the first time I lived alone, with great roommates that I still keep in touch with every day. I met people that I'm lifelong friends with. The one year at RIT is something I wouldn't trade for anything. 
 
JV: What is your favorite professional moment?
CT: Best moment was being a year removed from playing in the Frozen Four, I got to play in the Stanley Cup finals which was crazy, we didn't win but it was a great experience. I had a blast.
 
JV: What do you enjoy the most about the NHL?
CT: It's fun every day, you're with your team, buddies that you hang out with every day. You're on that goal to make the playoffs and eventually try and win the Stanley Cup. It's a great brotherhood. You meet guys you'll never stop talking to and hanging out with, just like when I was at RIT.
 
JV: Who are some of the toughest guys to play against in the NHL?
CT: Definitely Connor McDavid. My first few years, I thought Pavel Datsyuk was the toughest. He was so nifty and smart. Sidney Crosby around the net is incredible, he's so strong around the puck. Ryan Getzlaf for a big man skates so well, thinks the game so well and is a great player.
 
JV: This is Year 15 of the Atlantic Hockey. What do you think of the growth of the league?
CT: I pay attention as much as I can, especially when RIT is doing well and my brother (Brandon Tanev) was playing at Providence, the league has done extremely well. I feel like every team that comes out of Atlantic Hockey wins at least one game in the tournament. They have surprised a lot of teams in the past, but I don't know if you can call it surprises now there's been quite a few wins. It just shows who good the top teams in the league are.
 
JV: Your brother, Brandon, played at Providence College and last season, made his NHL debut with Winnipeg. How cool was it playing against him?
CT: It was fun it was something you never really dream of. I think my parents were more excited than us. It was definitely a cool moment.