Forward Kazan “Ak Bars” Justin Azevedo became dad. For 28 years, the hockey player has a successful sports career and turned out to be a loving husband and father.
Justin Azevedo: biography
A Canadian hockey player hails from Ontario, a small town called West Lorn. In 2016, on April 1, the athlete turned 28 years old. Justin's parents moved to Canada shortly before his birth from Portugal.
To give Azevedo to hockey training was a mutual desire of mother and father. He began to play sports at the age of 6 years. Mostly my mother drove to the hockey player’s training, but all the relatives attended the games. In addition to Justin, the family has two more children - younger sisters. Mom works as an insurance agent, and dad works as a builder.
A promising athlete start
Hockey player career began in 2003. At the age of fifteen, Justin Azevedo already played in the Canadian Chaltenham Maroons from Ontario. During the 2003/2004 season, as part of this team, he spent 60 matches and scored 75 points.
The athlete’s biography is also closely linked to the Kitchener Rangers hockey club, where he played for the next four years in the Ontario League (OHL).
In the 2005-2006 season, Justin took part in the World Junior Championships. Of the seven tournaments held, he earned 8 points, which allowed him to enter the symbolic competition team. The so-called "symbolic team" included such famous NHL athletes as Eric Johnson and Patrick Kane.
Justin Azevedo, a four-year-old hockey player, won his first individual prize at 19. The Kitchener Rangers team received the OHL Champion title in 2007. The central striker was awarded a personal trophy as the best playoff player - Wayne Gretzky Trophy.
The failed king
But a year later in the career of the Canadian hockey player came an unexpected turn. In 2008, Justin Azevedo did not pass a specific selection in the NHL draft. The Los Angeles Kings club rated the attacker very low, giving him only 153 numbers. The fact is that Azevedo has small dimensions for a hockey player. His height is 1 m 70 cm, and weight - 75 kg.
So, in 2008, the Canadian central striker joined the Los Angeles Kings farm club at Manchester Monarchs, where he stayed until 2012. For four seasons, the athlete could not break into the main composition of the “kings" of the NHL. Therefore, at 24, Justin Azevedo moves to HC “Lucco Rauma” and takes part in the Finnish championship, where he shows an excellent game. For the 2012/2013 season, he became the best striker, gaining 18 points in the playoffs for 14 matches.
Relocation to Russia
Such success did not go unnoticed! Already in 2013, the failed king becomes a lion. Justin Azevedo signed an agreement with the professional Czech HC Leo (Prague), participating in the Continental League. The hockey player won the title of best bomber in the 2013-2014 season at the Gagarin Cup. He brought 11 points to his team, and his coefficient of efficiency was +2.
In the summer of 2014, the Canadian central striker was invited to Kazan Ak Hars. The head coach of the Russian club Zinetula Bilyaletdinov appreciated the excellent technique of the hockey player. Despite the modest dimensions of the bomber, it has incredible speed, resourcefulness and cunning. Canadian hockey player scored funny pucks into the gates of rivals. According to the head coach of Ak Bars, Justin Azevedo was able to strengthen the second link of the team. The central striker plays at number 51.
In the 2014/2015 season, he played at the Continental Hockey League Championship. On the personal account of the Canadian 17 goals and 33 assists in 58 matches, and his coefficient of efficiency was +28. At the Gagarin Cup, he earned 11 points in 20 playoff games.
The contract of the Kazan club and Azevedo was designed for a year. At the end of the Canadian hockey player really wanted to stay in the Russian team, he liked the organization of training and the composition of the players. Therefore, in the spring of 2015, the agreement was extended for another 2 years.
Personal life
Justin Azevedo is currently married. He lives in Russia, in Kazan, and his wife lives in the province of Canada, in Collinwood. The hockey player met his wife back in 2006, when she was studying at a law school, and the athlete played in the Kitchener team. For some time, the wife of the Canadian acted as part of the Finnish women's hockey club. She is a teacher by profession.
Every summer, Justin Azevedo tries to travel to Collinwood to spend time with his family. The forward’s wife often visits Russia and supports her husband at the games.
This year, an important event happened for the Azevedo family - the couple had a daughter! After another training session before the match with Neftekhimik, Justin called her wife and said that she was already in the hospital. The hockey player immediately contacted Zinetule Khaidyarovich and outlined the whole situation. The head coach of the Kazan team gave Justin permission to fly to Canada so as not to miss the birth of his daughter. In turn, Azevedo thanked the team for their support and understanding.