Hockey is recognized as one of the most popular sports in Russia. Thousands of spectators enthusiastically watch the battles, wondering how the passions happening on the site do not melt the ice. The greatest attention at all times attracted to themselves hockey stars- players who demonstrate special skills during the competition. Let's find out who they are - the most famous hockey players in Russia and the world.
Photo: m.dp.ruThe Soviet Union gave the world many brilliant hockey players. One of them - Pavel Bure, nicknamed abroad for the incredible speed characteristics "Russian rocket".
Paul's brilliant journey began very early. Having joined hockey at the age of 6, on his majority he had already won the country's highest award, becoming the champion of the USSR (he subsequently received this title twice more). A year later, he again stands on the podium, but at the world championship.
Such a brilliant start to the career of a young talent could not go unnoticed. Abroad, Russian athletes and scientists have always been valued and often lured them into their clubs and organizations. Pavel Bure was no exception - after the victorious championship, he left and began to play for the Vancouver club. It was thanks to him that Canada managed to win one of the highest hockey awards - the Stanley Cup.
Photo: mos.news But after 7 years, the hockey player still returns to his homeland, and plays for his native CSKA club. And although it seemed that the peak of Bure's career had already passed, he again won a medal, though this time a silver one. But it happens at the Olympic Games.
Pavel Bure is perhaps the most famous Russian hockey player abroad. The former club highly appreciated his merits: number 10, which had been on his uniform for 7 years, was finally assigned to the hockey player and withdrawn from use. Plus, the name of the striker is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
Photo: newyorkrangers.cz Swedish goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, in addition to all the numerous championship titles, has a truly outstanding nickname - "King Henrik". This is no wonder: the player is considered one of the highest paid goalkeepers. At least in the NHL on this indicator he has no equal.
The hockey player has played in several clubs, but since 2000 he has remained in the same place, rejecting any proposals for the transition: a lucrative contract with the New York Rangers allows Lundqvist to provide himself with excellent livelihood. He is the main goalkeeper of the team and it is safe to say that the club owes the prize-winning places at the championships of various levels to him: the coefficient of hitting goals equal to 93 is not a joke to you!
Thanks to his achievements, "King Henrik" regularly plays for the Swedish national team. And in its composition, he earned honorary awards - gold and silver of the Olympic Games, as well as a medal for first place at the 2017 World Championship.
Photo: vdvgazeta.ru Is there a person in Russia who does not know the eminent hockey player, and now - the famous statesman? The physical and mental abilities of this person serve as proof that the statement "There is strength - no mind is needed" is fundamentally wrong.
During his sports career, Fetisov was able to win all the known top hockey titles. So, he became the world champion in the national team as many as 7 times! And note that this number includes only gold medals, in addition to which the hockey player has 2 more silver and the same number of bronze medals in this tournament.
Photo: sportfm.ru Fetisov also participated in the Olympic Games, where he was able to win the title of champion, as well as receive an award for second place. There is no need to talk about the main tournament of the USSR: here the hockey player appeared at the highest point of the podium as many as 13 (!) Times.
In addition to sports medals, Vyacheslav Fetisov also has many state awards, the most significant of which are the Order of the 3rd degree "For Services to the Fatherland" and the Peter the Great Prize, which recognizes his contribution to the development of the Russian state.
Photo: philly.com In hockey, as you know, not one player wins, but the whole team, and usually the coach loses. Shea Weber is a defender who just should not allow his team to leave the ice in the next competition without jubilation. And I must say he successfully copes with this task.
When, at a young age, Weber was faced with the problem of choosing a playing position, he, after some hesitation, chose the place of a defender. But here's what's interesting: a person who, in fact, should not score goals into the opponent's goal, has one atypical feature - his punch in power is much superior to those that NHL strikers are capable of making. This fact is confirmed by the results of the "Superskills" competition.
A series of gold awards received for participation in various championships, Weber is almost continuous. Since the hockey player won his first World Cup, he has become the winner of many competitions, including a two-time Olympic champion.
Photo: redo.me.uk One of the most famous hockey players of our time, today one of the best NHL strikers, is Alexander Ovechkin, a native of Russia. His entire youth career is associated with the famous Dynamo club, the love for which was passed on to the hockey player from his mother, who had previously played here, but only in the basketball team.
It was far from immediately possible to lure Alexander abroad. He rejected the proposals of many agents, could not resist only the "Washington Capital", which is still a part of it. Over the years of his brilliant performances, the team reached one of the leading positions in the list of world hockey clubs. Ovechkin himself is the owner of many hockey awards, the most important of which can be considered a three-time world title.
The hockey player is somewhat eccentric. Several curious cases are associated with his name, among which the visit to the reception of the President of the Russian Federation in beach slippers is the most famous.
Photo: sport.bigmir.net The "great and terrible" goalkeeper of the era of ingenious goalkeepers. A hockey player who did not follow trends, but created them. A man who has set many ice records, most of which have not yet been broken. All these words are about the legendary goalkeeper of Canada, who has Ukrainian roots. His name is Terry Savchuk.
The Ice Hero had a rather sad fate. His whole life was filled with tragedies. Some of them were associated with personal life, for example, the death of his brother, the ammunition of which went to Savchuk. Others are related to their favorite sport: many injuries, including such a large one as a ruptured spinal discs, which led to the fact that the player could not fully straighten up. It's not worth talking about small ones: you can only remember that Terry played without a mask, and instead of a hockey glove he used a baseball glove to catch pucks.
Photo: live.freep.com But Savchuk stubbornly pursued his goal, putting his career at the forefront. And that is why he managed to achieve such amazing success: Terry set many records, among which two are most famous. The first - the number of games played with an equal score in the NHL, equal to 172 - has not yet been beaten. The second - 103 dry games in a row - was surpassed only 39 years later by another hockey star - Martin Broder.
Who knows how many records the famous goalkeeper could have set in the future if a tragic accident had not cut short his life. A fight with a flatmate led to a terrible injury - a ruptured diaphragm, from which he did not recover.
Photo: scoopnest.com The great goalkeeper, widely known both in Russia and abroad, is the famous Vladislav Tretyak. He is a living confirmation that not all brilliant athletes in Russia sooner or later went to play in European clubs. Even the last proposal of the famous "Montreal Canadies", which contained as many as six zeros, Tretiak rejected.
Playing all his life in the USSR, he took the club 12 times to the highest place on the podium. And three times he was the Olympic champion in the national team. Interestingly, the famous goalkeeper might not have gotten into the frame: he initially played as a striker. The story was widespread that he got into the gate only because of the desire to get his first form as soon as possible. Whether this is so, only Vladislav himself knows.
Photo: twitter.com In hockey, he became a real innovator. Thanks to him, the goalkeeper's mask made of wire, which is called "cat's eye", has become widespread. And the famous goalkeeper stance - "butterfly", which allows the defender to go down on the ice, was first shown to the world by Tretyak, who refused to use the "stand up", which was at the peak of popularity.
Leaving the ice, the famous hockey player never managed to extract it from his heart. He is involved in coaching abroad. He is also interested in other occupations: now he is in the public service.
Hockey stars are the greatest players who have written their names in the history of this sport forever. Among them there are many immigrants from Russia who have earned international recognition.
That's all for us... We are very glad that you looked at our site and spent a little time to enrich with new knowledge.
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The best Russian hockey players have been a real gem of the National Hockey League for over 30 years. Our talented hockey players continue to glorify the Russian hockey school, reaching all sorts of heights in the NHL to this day.
MatchTV channel conducted a large-scale poll among hockey players and hockey experts and compiled a rating of the best Russian hockey players in the history of the NHL at the moment. And even though there were and are many other bright and really cool hockey players in the NHL, we agree with each point of the rating and present it to you.
The only Russian goalkeeper who managed to lead his team Tampa Bay Lightnings to victory in the Stanley Cup.
Twice Stanley Cup winner.
1994 Stanley Cup winner with the New York Rangers. He played in the NHL for 19 seasons and to this day is the leader among Russian hockey players in terms of the number of games played in the NHL
2000 Stanley Cup winner with New Jersey Devils
Russian rocket. Crazy speed and smashing throw are the hallmarks of a hockey player. Pavel Bure failed to win the Stanley Cup, but he became the first Russian hockey player whose number 10 was withdrawn from circulation by one of the clubs (Vancouver Canucks)
Three times Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2008-2009 2015-2016 and 2016-2017). Twice became the league's top scorer. Winner of the 2012 Heart Trophy (an award given annually to the hockey player who has made the greatest contribution to the success of his team in the regular season of the National Hockey League). NHL Rookie of the Year 2006/2007. The first Russian player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Stanley Cup winner 2017/2018 with Washington Capitals. In individual skill, he reached all heights: 6 times became the best sniper in the league, 3 times was recognized as the most valuable player in the NHL, 7 times he scored 50 or more goals in a season. He holds the record for the number of goals in the NHL championships among all Russian hockey players and ranks first in points among active Russian hockey players. Recognized scorer and best sniper in the world.
Three-time Stanley Cup winner with Detroit Red Wings
Two-time Stanley Cup winner. Three-time Defensive Striker Award and four-time Lady Bing Gentlemen's Award. Multiple NHL All-Star player. In January 2017, Datsyuk was included in the list of the 100 greatest hockey players in the entire history of the NHL. One of the five most productive Russian hockey players in NHL history (fifth in points scored in the regular championships, fourth in points in the playoffs)
Three times Stanley Cup winner. Most productive Russian player in NHL history. Spent 18 seasons in the National Hockey League. He has 483 goals and 696 assists.
There is no doubt that this sport is the most courageous. The very word "hockey" gives goosebumps. The image of a strong, courageous and invincible man immediately arises in my head. It is worth noting that hockey players are some of the sexiest men in the world, and it is difficult to argue with this, because hockey is a very traumatic sport, and scars, as you know, adorn men. We have collected for you the most attractive Russian hockey players! Of course, not all of them, the second part of this fascinating rating awaits us ahead. We hope you find it interesting, because some of these beauties are still free ...
CSKA hockey club forward, 26 years old
This red-haired handsome man has broken more than one girl's heart. Charming, talented and very well mannered. In addition to hockey, the athlete loves wakeboard and is a fan of the football club. Real madrid.
Dima has a girlfriend - a singer Alesya Visich(30), whom he was introduced to by mutual friends. They meet for about a year.
CSKA hockey club forward, 28 years old
Hockey club player CSKA Igor Makarov makes a successful career in Of Russia.
His main muse and cheerleader is his beloved wife, a famous TV presenter (44). Summer 2013 of the year, the lovers played a magnificent wedding.
forward of the SKA hockey club, 32 years old
Even if you don't watch hockey, you probably still know who he is. Two-time world ice hockey champion as part of the Russian national team and the owner of the prestigious Gagarin Cup as part of SKA made a successful career both overseas and in Of Russia.
He saw his future wife on TV. Spectacular and sexy soloist of the group "Mirage" Nicole Ambrazaitis(31) won the heart of an athlete from the first seconds. The lovers got married. Nicole and Ilya are raising four children: sons Artem and Philip as well as daughters Carolina and Eve.
CSKA hockey club forward, 27 years old
He is just at the start of his career. V 2015 Maxim was named the best rookie of the season of the Continental Hockey League. Mamin cannot yet boast of high-profile victories both on the ice and in his personal life. For him, hockey is in the first place now. The best part is that he is very attractive and so far free.
forward of the hockey club "Dynamo", 25 years old
A handsome and sexy athlete with incredible eyes. He managed to play overseas, and today he plays for a hockey club. "Dynamo"... A year ago, one more bachelor became less - Nikita got married! Little is known about his chosen one, but earlier the hockey player was credited with an affair with a gymnast. Svetlana Gavrilyuk.
Detroit Red Wings hockey striker, 37
Brutal is currently playing overseas. Two-time owner Stanley Cup today one of the brightest and most productive Russian hockey players in NHL... He was married twice.
Pavel met his first chosen one when he was 18 years old. She gave him a daughter Elizabeth(fourteen). This marriage, alas, fell apart.And in 2012 year he met his new love - Mary who gave birth to his daughter Vasilisa (2).
forward of the hockey club "Amur", 24 years old
A bright guy with gypsy roots. He loves hockey and beautiful girls. Amur tiger plays Khabarovsk... Young, talented, and most importantly, single.
hockey player, 42 years old
Holder Stanley Cup 1994 of the year, Olympic champion 1992 year, one of the strongest hockey players in the world. His awards and titles are endless. Alexey loves not only ice, but also the sky. He completed piloting courses and is now flying his own plane. Also, the athlete is actively involved in charity work. Kovalev does not like to talk about his personal life, it is only known that he is married and has two sons.
hockey player, 44 years old
One of the most beautiful hockey players in Russia, whose posters adorned the walls of many girls in love. Nickname Russian Rocket it was not given to the athlete by chance - it was very difficult to resist this hockey player on the ice. He spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey League, playing for teams such as Vancouver canucks, Florida Panthers and New york rangers... Pavel is still a womanizer. For a long time he had a relationship with TV presenter Marika, but it never came to the wedding. People say that Bure met with the daughter of the singer Joseph Kobzon, as well as a tennis player. Anna Kournikova.
He is now married to model Alina Khasanova, who bore him two children: Pasha(3) and Alina(1). And last year he became president of the International League of World Hockey Legends.
hockey player, 46 years old
There is no doubt that he is a real handsome man. He is now the general manager of the club. CSKA, and once defended the colors of this club. Sergey has made a successful career not only in Russia, but also abroad. As part of a team NHL Detroit Red Wings he became the owner of three Stanley Cups... And in 2015, the name of Sergei Fedorov appeared in the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is a great pride for any athlete.
Little is known about his personal life, but for a long time the press discussed Sergei's romance with a tennis player Anna Kournikova... Rumor has it that the former lovers managed to get married and divorced. But how it actually happened, only they know. People say that after Anna, the hockey player had a relationship with actresses Tara Reid(40) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (37).
But he married a young girl - a former model named Karina. The couple have Sergei's wife in the last month of pregnancy.
How are the Russian troops doing in the NHL?
For three weeks of the 101st season of the NHL, the players-leaders and those who remained "in the wings" have already been clearly identified. But what would be the interest in this if not for our new stars, such as Sergachev or the already familiar hockey players with Russian surnames, who "rebooted" after a not very successful season? The sports editorial office of Realnoe Vremya tells about those Russians in the NHL who have surpassed all expectations, and those from whom we expect more.
Sergei Bobrovsky, "Columbus"
Let's start with the last frontier. Moreover, this year we have two names at once in the "frame" of NHL teams, which we can be proud of. Columbus has long been known as a team of the eternal middle: neither you have big ambitions, nor trophies, but they are not such a hopeless outsider either. There are not many famous players here, however, they stop by in Ohio. And the most important figure of the last decade for Columbus is undoubtedly Sergei Bobrovsky. If he is not at the gate or he has a temporary recession, it means that the whole team is not good enough.
Perhaps the only game in which Sergei did not work out was the last one - against Los Angeles. It just so happened that the Kings had all the washers flying exactly where they needed to, so Bobrovsky's statistics in this match were spoiled great. But even after this disastrous game for the whole team, Bobrovsky has a rather impressive figure of 2.16 goals per game. And after all, even in a duel with the Kings, Bobrovsky created a local miracle, which will be remembered more than all the goals he missed. Just look:
Andrey Vasilevsky, Tampa Bay
The second goalkeeper, for whom one can rejoice, is the goalkeeper of the Russian NHL team itself, Andrei Vasilevsky.
Vasilevsky is currently the youngest first goalkeeper of the NHL team. Having squeezed Bishop out of Tampa, Andrei got all the cards in his hands in order to realize himself at the level of the goalkeeper of the league's favorite team. Now 23 years old, he is the most talked-about figure in goal in the entire NHL. Many are not yet fully convinced that Vasya is stable enough to defend the gates of the Stanley Cup contender.
But seven games out of eight! In so many matches, Vasilevsky emerged victorious along with his partners. The percentage of reflection of throws is kept at the level of 93.3%. In other words, such a gang has gathered in Tampa, against which it is simply enough for Vasilevsky not to make stupid mistakes, play at a good level and sometimes "drag" if the situation is critical, as, for example, here:
Vladimir Tarasenko, "St. Louis"
Back in the summer, the Siberian striker announced this season in the NHL as a decisive one for him. He said that he understood what to add, and began to prepare differently. Everyone believed, they expected Tarasenko to become the main Russian scoring player. Moreover, Ovechkin's last season did not work out at all.
But there is every reason to think that Tarasenko simply does not have partners of a sufficient level to become the best in the league. Vladimir sorely lacks strong central strikers who can steadily take him to shock positions. Already aging Paul Stäsny in his top three is no longer reaching the level. Vladimir Sobotka, who has returned to the NHL, does not look like a super passer either.
Nevertheless, our striker is the main star of the "bluesmen". He has a 19:43 lead time on the ice, so Mike Yeoh seems to be trying to build the game through a winger without a strong center.
And yet Tarasenkovskaya 5 + 4 in nine matches is good, but nothing more. This is less than last year, and now Vladimir is not even the second after Ovechkin. We will follow how it goes on. The playoffs are still far away.
Artemy Panarin, Columbus
Although Khlebushek hasn't scored much yet, it assists a lot and gives out “bomb” interviews in which it refutes its “key addiction”. Artemiy has 1 + 8, (and twice he made assistant hat-tricks) in his new club, and it would be time for him to score himself to prove his theory.
One of Panarin's main problems at Columbus may be the rather dictatorial manner in which coach John Tortorella is guided. He does not like hockey players who work miracles only ahead, he also needs horses that work out in defense. It seems that Artemy Panarin is not yet very accustomed to the new conditions. But everything is ahead.
Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay
Simply the main star of the entire National Hockey League here and now is Nikita Kucherov, who tears absolutely everyone apart. He is not stopped by Pittsburgh, which the Floridians have smashed to pieces (although who is not smashing them now?), Having pounded the reigning champion with several masterpiece goals, neither the Rangers, nor last year's finalist Nashville, nor the same St. Louis. Vladimir Tarasenko.
Judge for yourself: Lightning played 9 matches from the start of the season, Kucherov has already scored 16 (10 + 6) points and caught up with Ovechkin in the number of goals scored. Now two Russians are heading the race for the top scorer of the Morris Richard Trophy.
This season, the 24-year-old Russian has grown to the status of a contender for the title of the best player in the league. What is Connor McDavid like when such a fast and smart Russian guy named Nikita is "roasting" in the South of the United States?
The second Russian, without whom Tampa would not be where we see it today, is Vladislav Namestnikov, who scored a good 10 (3 + 7) points. If Kucherov scores more, then Omestnikov assists him and Stamkos. Yes, the attention of the second of the four Russians "Tampa" receives much less than, however, only earns himself the status of the hidden hero of the team, regularly "wearing the piano." Although in this moment everything was the other way around.
Alexander Ovechkin, "Washington"
Either criticism of Alexander the Great for the uniform at his own wedding, or his own dissatisfaction with himself spurred "our everything" to prepare for the season in a different way. Everyone remembers that last season was the worst for Ovechkin. So in the current one, he had to go according to one of two scenarios: either finally resign as the best shooter in the NHL and gradually go into the shadows, well, then along the route NHL - KHL - State Duma, or do something with himself and return on the familiar track with 50+ goals in the regular season and the fight for the Stanley Cup.
As expected, Alexander chose the second path. For 9 games he has 10 goals, which means that he is still ahead of schedule! Moreover, Ovechkin has renewed the tradition of breaking numerous league records. Last week, for example, he scored the winning goal in NHL regular season overtime for the 20th time in his career, beating the great Jaromir Jagr.
Ovechkin scored a huge number of goals in the NHL for a reason. He shoots better than anyone else in the league, ”Washington head coach Barry Trots admired his player's performance. - If you give Ovechkin enough opportunities, goals will definitely be there.
Nail Yakupov, Colorado
Yakupov's game in the NHL, according to the old tradition, cannot be called unambiguous. Colorado had a pretty quick start, winning four out of five matches and nearly jumping into the top three. Nail scored three goals and seemed to have found chemistry with Kerfoot and Matt Duchenne, making all opponents nervous in defense. The team breathed in a new way after last year's shame, looked fresh and light. And Yakupov himself said that everything in the new team suits him. It would seem, what else is needed to finally gain a foothold in the NHL?
However, soon Yakupov took up the old and simply stopped playing. In the lost match with St. Louis, Colorado head coach Jared Bednar put Nail on the bench in the second period and never let go.
“Today there were“ passengers ”in our composition, and Yakupov was one of them,” Bednar said. - When you play against the best team in the division, you can't act so stupid. Several mistakes, which we were not allowed to make, cost us the game. "
That's all you need to know about Yakupov's career overseas. There is still time for correction, but with each new season it becomes less and less.
Alexander Burmistrov, "Vancouver"
The Kazan hockey player is not doing any better in the NHL. According to statistics, everything is sad (1 + 3), and Alexander earned his first assistant points only last week, and his only goal was scored by not the brightest Ottawa. In the same game, Burmi also earned an assistant point for passing to Brock Boser, earning the title of the third star of the match.
But for a player who has such a chance "thanks" to the injuries of strikers Erickson and Sutter, Alexander would need to be much more active in order to get a stable place at least in the third link. Indeed, with such a game that he shows today, the returned leaders can put him in reserve for a long time or send him to the AHL.
Alexander Radulov, Dallas
Aleksandr Radulov in his new Dallas Stars team looks unimportant so far. His start in Texas turned out to be much worse than last year in Montreal. Only on October 18, Radulov scored his first and currently the only goal for Dallas. His statistics - 4 (1 + 3) points - will upset his most ardent fans.
Alexander does not do without productive mistakes. For example, in a recent game against Nashville (1: 4), his loss turned into a third conceded puck, and the striker himself eventually earned -2 utility. With the longest time on the ice for a hitter, he made just one shot. This is clearly not what is expected of a player who is given an average of 19 minutes of playing time.
The only thing that can be called mitigating is the fact that the whole Stars were moping for a long time. Only in the last four games did the Texans manage to turn the tide. We keep our fists so that Alex finds himself in the green team.
Eric Dobrolyubov
Alexander Ovechkin is one of the most productive Russian NHL players, but his goal or pass is too expensive for "Washington"... The efficiency rating is headed by Mikhail Sergachev, Alexander Ovechkin - only twelfth
The 2017/18 season in the NHL was a triumphant one for hockey players from Russia. The point is not only that one of the most gifted and famous athletes of our time, Alexander Ovechkin (along with other Russian players from the Washington Capitals, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov) won the long-awaited Stanley Cup.
This season has really lit up the new hockey stars that have settled into the North American League. First of all, we are talking about the players of the winner of the NHL Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning club. In it, as in Washington, the Russian troika gathered - defender Mikhail Sergachev, forward Nikita Kucherov and goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky. The result of success in the league was that in the first round of the draft (June 2018), NHL clubs began to fight for immigrants from Russia - they chose four players at once. This is the second case in 10 years.
Gifted youth are vital for clubs due to payroll caps ($ 79.5 million in 2018/19) and small rookie contracts (league caps of $ 925,000 per year). By guessing with the newcomer, the club will receive the goals and assists he needs for almost nothing. You don't need to look far for an example: in the 2017/18 season, Tampa Bay defender Mikhail Sergachev became the leader in terms of the ratio of effective actions (goal or pass) and salary, having spent only his second season in the league. Just his successful participation in a goal costs the club a measly $ 20,100. And such stars as Ovechkin or Pittsburgh striker Evgeni Malkin receive almost $ 90,000 for the same work. Forbes calculated which Russian players' goals and assists cost clubs the cheapest.
In the 2018/19 season, the number of Russian representation in the NHL will remain practically unchanged. In the offseason, 9 Russians went from the KHL to North America. The most high-profile transfers: Ilya Kovalchuk's transfer from SKA to Los Angeles Kings (three-year agreement with an annual salary of $ 6.25 million) and Valery Nichushkin's return from CSKA to Dallas Stars (2 years, $ 2.95 million per season) ... Of the young hockey players selected in the draft, the contracts for newcomers to the NHL were signed by Alexander Alekseev (for 3 years with the Washington Capitals) and Andrey Svechnikov (for 3 years with Carolina Hurricanes). At the same time, 9 Russian players returned from the NHL to the KHL clubs. For example, defender Alexei Emelin continues his career at Avangard Omsk, Nikolai Kulemin managed to get a serious injury at Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Nail Yakupov scores for SKA St. Petersburg.
The NHL regular season started on October 3, the next Stanley Cup winner will be known by the beginning of summer 2019.