Andrei Nikolishin

Andrei Nikolishin
Born (1973-03-25) March 25, 1973
Vorkuta, Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for NHL
Hartford Whalers
Washington Capitals
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
RSL
Dynamo Moscow
CSKA Moscow
Lada Togliatti
Avangard Omsk
SKA St. Petersburg
Traktor Chelyabinsk
National team  Russia
NHL Draft 47th overall, 1992
Hartford Whalers
Playing career 19902012

Andrei Vasilievich Nikolishin (Russian: Андрей Васильевич Николишин; born March 25, 1973) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who last played for Sokil Kyiv of the Professional Hockey League of Ukraine. Over his National Hockey League career with the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche he played in 628 games, with 93 goals and 280 points.

Playing career

Nikolishin began his professional career with HC Dynamo Moscow. He played for four years domestically in Russia and was named Russian player of the Year in the 1993–94 season. During this time Andrei also captured a gold medal with the CIS in the 1992 World Junior Championships and represented Russia in the 1993 World Championships, 1994 Winter Olympics and the 1994 World Championships.

Nikolishin was drafted in the second round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, picked 47th by the Hartford Whalers. He made his NHL debut in the delayed 1994–95 season with the Whalers and following with 51 points in the 1995-96 season. After representing Russia in the 1996 World Cup, Nikolishin started the 1996-97 season with the Whalers but was shortly traded to the Washington Capitals for Curtis Leschyshyn on November 9, 1996.

In the following 1997-98 campaign, Nikolishin established himself as an important checking and special teams player, recording 13 assists in the playoffs helping the Capitals reach the Stanley Cup finals before falling to champions the Detroit Red Wings. After a brief holdout prior to the 1998–99 season, Nikolishin was a main-stay on the checking line for the Capitals over the next four seasons.[1]

After representing Russia in the 2002 Winter Olympics, Nikolishin was traded from the Capitals, along with Chris Simon, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Michael Nylander and a 2003 third round pick (Steve Werner) on November 1, 2002.[2] Nikolishin played just one season with the Blackhawks before he was again dealt on June 21, 2003, to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2003–04 season, his last in the NHL.[3]

Due to the 2004 NHL Lockout, Andrei returned to Russia and signed with HC CSKA Moscow on June 4, 2004. He has since played with Lada Togliatti, Avangard Omsk and SKA St. Petersburg.

On November 5, 2007, Nikolishin was signed by Traktor Chelyabinsk and remained with the team as captain when Traktor joined the newly formed KHL in the 2008–09 season.

Personal

Nikolishin comes from a Ukrainian family. Following the Russian Revolution, the brother of his grandfather went on to serve in the Polish Army, and eventually emigrate the family to Edmonton, Alberta,[4] known for its large Ukrainian Canadian diaspora population.

His father, Vasyl Nikolishin, was a victim of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, and was exiled from Ukraine to a Gulag forced labor coal mine in Vorkuta, the largest center of the camps in European Russia, for a period of 25 years. His parents did not tell him of this until he was older, out of fear of repressions, jeopardizing his career, and the stigma of being an enemy of the people that would restrict his travel abroad.[5] Upon his death, his father's body was repatriated to Vivnya, Lviv Oblast.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1990–91 Dynamo Moscow USSR 2 0 0 0 0          
1991–92 Dynamo Moscow CIS 6 1 0 1 2          
1992–93 Dynamo Moscow IHL 42 5 7 12 30 10 2 1 3 8
1993–94 Dynamo Moscow IHL 41 8 12 20 30 9 1 3 4 4
1994–95 Dynamo Moscow IHL 12 7 2 9 6          
1994–95Hartford WhalersNHL398101810     
1995–96Hartford WhalersNHL6114375134     
1996–97Hartford WhalersNHL122572     
1996–97Washington CapitalsNHL597142130     
1997–98 Portland Pirates AHL 2 0 0 0 2          
1997–98Washington CapitalsNHL386101614 21 1 13 14 12
1998–99 Dynamo Moscow RSL 4 0 0 0 0          
1998–99Washington CapitalsNHL738273528     
1999–00Washington CapitalsNHL7611142528 5 0 2 2 4
2000–01Washington CapitalsNHL8113253834 6 0 0 0 2
2001–02Washington CapitalsNHL8013233640     
2002–03Chicago BlackhawksNHL606152126     
2003–04Colorado AvalancheNHL49571224 11 0 2 2 4
2004–05CSKA MoscowRSL557192662     
2005–06Lada TogliattiRSL1420236     
2005–06Avangard OmskRSL193478 13 1 1 2 32
2006–07SKA St. PetersburgRSL1922426 3 0 0 0 10
2007–08Traktor ChelyabinskRSL3211213230 3 0 0 0 4
2008–09Traktor ChelyabinskKHL48102939108 3 1 0 1 2
2009–10Traktor ChelyabinskKHL467142177 2 0 0 0 2
2010–11Traktor ChelyabinskKHL30581322     
2011–12Sokil KyivPHL3616456132 8 3 5 8 14
NHL totals 628 93 187 280 270 43 1 17 18 22
Olympic medal record
Representing  Russia
Men's ice hockey
2002 Salt Lake City Team

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1992 CIS WJC 1st, gold medalist(s) 7 1 2 3 2
1993 Russia WC 1st, gold medalist(s) 8 1 3 4 8
1994 Russia Oly 4th 8 2 5 7 6
1994 Russia WC 5th 6 0 0 0 4
1996 Russia WC 4th 8 2 3 5 10
1996 Russia WCH SF 4 1 3 4 4
1997 Russia WC 4th 5 0 1 1 6
2000 Russia WC 11th 4 0 0 0 0
2002 Russia Oly 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 6 0 1 1 6
Senior int'l totals 49 6 16 22 44

References

  1. "Legends of hockey:Andrei Nikolishin". LegendsofHockey. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  2. "Chicago send Nylander, picks to Washington". ESPN. 2002-11-01. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  3. "Fiscal climate cools hot trades". ESPN. 2003-06-21. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  4. http://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/2011-02-18/8_1/
  5. http://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/1998-08-29/8_1/
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-11.

External links

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