Hockey fans are always interested in the life of their idols, those players who bring victory to the team and make each match bright and exciting. In this article we’ll talk about one of the most successful Russian hockey players, find out in which team the hockey player Ilya Nikulin plays, how and how he lives outside the rink.
Athlete Biography
Ilya Nikulin - a world-famous athlete was born in Moscow in 1982 and grew up in the family of a hockey referee. It was father who brought young Ilya to the Moscow hockey club Spartak, which determined the future fate of the boy. Ilya became a fairly successful striker. Already in 2000, at the age of 18, he received silver at the Junior World Championships. And this is a worthy start to a career!
Further, Ilya Nikulin becomes the defender of the Dynamo Moscow. His sporting achievements could not go unnoticed, and very soon an offer came from one of the NHL clubs. Ilya did not want to leave his native country and refused.
Since 2005, Ilya Nikulin - hockey player of Kazan “Ak Bars”. The period of career take-off and brilliant victories of the world level begins.
Achievements of the Russian hockey player
So, Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player (where we have been playing since 2005, we have already found out), who did not want to exchange the game in the Kazan hockey club for tempting NHL offers, implying moving abroad. However, this did not affect his outstanding sports achievements.
From 2007 to 2010, the team of the Russian team, in which Ilya Nikulin was the defender, participated in 27 matches, never having been defeated!
In 2009 and 2010 - victories in the Gagarin Cup, in which the defender played one of the main roles.
From 2007 to 2012, Ilya Nikulin, a hockey player who became the four-time champion of Russia, was awarded the European Championship Cup and Continental Cup. He is also the lucky winner of two Gagarin Cups, in his piggy bank in different years, silver and bronze medals of the World Championships appeared, three times - a gold medal. All these years, Ilya played both in the Ak Bars club and in the Russian national team.
In 2009, Ilya Nikulin was awarded the second degree medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland .
Are you curious how Ilya Nikulin (hockey player) builds his career further, where is he currently playing? Now let's talk about everything!
Ilya Nikulin today
Today, or more precisely since May 2015, Ilya Nikulin again plays in Dynamo. According to the hockey player himself, he is very glad that he returned to his home team, here he feels warmth and support. It is especially pleasant for him to go on the ice again with those athletes with whom he played 10 years ago, Ilya Nikulin notes. The hockey player still rejects the proposals of the National Hockey League, choosing for himself a game on his native Moscow ice.
Speaking about the years of the game in Kazan “Ak Bars”, the hockey player does not hide some offense, he admits that he felt like a man whose virtues were not fully appreciated. In his native Moscow hockey club, Ilya feels a completely different atmosphere, feels as if he has finally returned home.
Hockey player family
Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player, whose family is no less important than a sports career. His family is the wife Catherine, son and daughter.
The love story of Ilya and his wife Catherine is very romantic. She herself comes from Latvia, and their meeting was completely random: in one of the resorts in Turkey, where both rested at the same time. Their spa romance was very beautiful, contrary to all stereotypes, ended in a wedding. Ilya made an offer to his chosen one on a luxurious snow-white yacht, which he rented specially for this occasion. In an interview, Catherine said that one of the gifts from Ilya during the novel was a double star in the constellation Taurus. Well, how can I resist?
After the wedding, Catherine lived for some time in Latvia, where their first-born was born (note, by the way, that Ilya’s godfather became the best friend of Ilya - hockey player Alexander Ovechkin), then the young family moved to Kazan while Ilya played in Ak Bars, then to Moscow. Catherine remained a citizen of Latvia, Ilya - a citizen of Russia.
In 2009, a girl appeared in the family. Children with great pleasure root for their dad during matches, which are most often watched on TV. Ilya notes that he will be glad if his son also wants to play hockey, but he does not intend to force this child.
Ilya tries to spend every free minute at home with his family. Even hours-long flights are not afraid of him just in order to see his family.
New sports victories
Very important for Ilya Nikulin was the first goal that he scored in the form of a Dynamo hockey club, having returned here after 10 years of playing in the Ak Bars Kazan. Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player, in whose piggy bank there are many medals and awards at various levels: from junior competitions to World Championships. But he is not going to stop there and sees many more victories ahead.
Spectators and fans can wait for new interesting matches, where you can watch the brilliant game of the athletes of the Russian team and cheer for their success!