Russian hockey players have long shown their skills far beyond the borders of their homeland, and foreign fans admire the game of the most talented athletes. Each of them once wanted to play in the NHL, where today more and more Russian stars light up.
First game in the NHL
Back in the days of the USSR, when it was not so easy to get abroad, hockey players nevertheless sought to North America, where there was a completely different level of play and wages. The game in the NHL is a dream for all hockey players, and whoever denies this will undoubtedly be heartbreaking. Many players ended up in another country illegally, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union they even quickly sought to leave Russia. Some of them did not take root in a new place, others remained in foreign teams, but did not fully disclose their talents. Nevertheless, many of them opened up the skills of Russian athletes to the whole world and became real hockey legends.
The Russians first appeared in the NHL in 1983, when Viktor Nechaev was released on the ice in the NHL Los Angeles team for three matches. The official permission to participate in the NHL was the first to go to Sergei Pryakhin, who went on the ice as part of the Vancouver Canucks. Before leaving the country, the hockey player played for Wings of the Soviets.
Soviet stars of overseas hockey
One of the most famous Soviet athletes who left to conquer North America was Vyacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Sergey Makarov and Vladimir Krutov. They left their homeland, quarreling over their departure with their coach Tikhonov.
Alexander Mogilny, like Sergei Fedorov, after the Olympics in 1989, remained in Sweden, then both moved to the NHL. A criminal case was opened against these players in the USSR, in which they were accused as officers of treason in their homeland, but after a lapse of time this charge lost its relevance. The first Russians in the NHL found themselves with such obstacles, where they confirmed their professionalism to the whole world.
Since the beginning of the 90s, hockey players from Russia began to massively leave for North America. There were only 80 of them in US teams, but in the 2000s this number decreased due to a decrease in the quality of the game and too high a purchase price for players.
The most famous modern Russian players in the NHL
The list of Russians in the NHL today is undoubtedly headed by Alexander Ovechkin. His game under the eighth number in “Washington” does not leave any of the fans of hockey indifferent. He is constantly improving his performance and gaining fans all over the world. He is the brightest striker who has already received two Hart Trophy awards, and the peak of his career is yet to come. In the 2015/2016 season, the striker scored 43 goals in 73 games.
Russian statistics in the NHL show the stunning results of another striker - Evgeni Malkin. Appearing in the NHL in 2007, he earned the title of best new member of the league. He scored 27 goals in 53 matches of the last game season.
Pavel Datsyuk today plays in Detroit as a brilliant striker. His game is admired by fans, and statistics are improving every season.
Nikita Kucherov played 72 matches as a striker, during which he made 29 goals. Also in the role of a successful striker is Artemy Panarin, who, according to statistics, spent 74 matches in the NHL and scored 25 goals. On the account of the young striker Evgeni Kuznetsov 75 matches and 20 goals in the league.
The best Russian scorers in the NHL
The name of Sergei Fedorov is known to all hockey fans today. This man received many awards, took the Stanley Cup three times, and his results as a scorer speak for themselves. The hockey player is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Alexander Mogilny, after his escape from the Union, did not immediately receive the desired recognition. He worked for many years in the New Jersey team and was able to win the Stanley Cup. More than once, the grave took part in the all-star match and is deservedly recognized as one of the top scorers.
In the attack, the best Russians in the NHL were long represented by the famous and honored NHL player Pavel Bure, whose name became synonymous with the phrase “Russian hockey player”. For his brilliant game and quick reaction, fans of Vancouver and Florida Panthers awarded Paul the title of “Russian rocket” and the title of the best scorer of their teams. Bure took part in the match of the stars 7 times, and although he did not win the Stanley Cup, he forever secured the glory of the great athlete.
Alexei Kovalev, in addition to his merits as a striker, spent the largest number of matches among the Russians. The first captain among the Russian players was Alexander Yashin, who also gained immense popularity in North America.
The most famous Russian defenders
Sergey Gonchar is the best defender among Russian hockey players abroad. For 1301 matches, he made 811 points and received the Stanley Cup. The most productive was his game in Pittsburgh Penguins, where he now works as a coach.
Sergey Zubov, like Gonchar, achieved 1 thousand points by playing in the league, and received the title of the most productive defender.
The Canadiens player Andrei Markov is an attacking defender and, thanks to the love of his fans and his enormous work on himself, became one of the best in hockey and also participated in the all-star game.
The Russian Five
In 1995, the Detroit coach Scotty Bowman, who was very fond of the pupils of the Russian hockey school, created the legendary link of five Russian players, including Sergey Fedorov, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Igor Larionov. In this composition, the team received the name "Russian Five" and earned the love of many fans. Russian hockey players in the NHL twice won the Stanley Cup, which is the most important award in the NHL, and also raised the team with their well-coordinated game.
The well-known Vyacheslav Fetisov became one of the best defenders of Soviet hockey and earned many awards, but his path to recognition was also quite thorny. The Russians in the NHL passed real tests, where the really strongest players show themselves. Fetisov got into the NHL at the age of thirty and at the same time received a serious injury, which did not prevent him from achieving success and getting the main league cup.
Another member of the Russian five was defender Vladimir Konstantinov. His career in the hockey league was growing rapidly. Together with his compatriots, he managed to get the main award in hockey. After a terrible car accident, Konstantinov left the game in the NHL forever.
Strong goalkeepers from Russia
The representative of a successful goalkeeper in the league is Nikolai Khabibulin, who in 2004 received the Stanley Cup for the first time among Russian goalkeepers. For a long period, Khabibulin was considered the best goalkeeper in the hockey league.
Fans really love Nikolay Nabokov and can be proud of him. He still could not get the main cup, but thanks to the results of his game, he secured the reputation of one of the most successful athletes on guard.
On account of the Russian goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov has already more than a hundred victories in the league. He successfully guarded the gates to Washington and Colorado.
The Stanley Cup holder is Ilya Bryzgalov, who received it as the goalkeeper of Anahayama. He also successfully played for the club "Edminton", "Phoenix", "Minnesota" and other clubs.
The best modern goalkeeper who strikes with his game is Sergey Bobrovsky. He has already become a living legend, and in front of him there are many more matches in the NHL to enter the history of world hockey.
Who is the best
It is hard to say who is the most famous and honored Russian hockey player of all time. But one thing is certain for sure that the Russians in the NHL achieved grandiose individual and team results, thereby showing how professional the game in Russia is, which needs to be developed and encouraged. Without the legendary Russian stars, the history of world hockey would have lost many achievements and awards. It is impossible to single out one player, because every talented defender or scorer from Russia has made a huge contribution to the development of an amazing and most courageous sport.