Alexander Radulov

Alexander Radulov
Born (1986-07-05) 5 July 1986
Nizhny Tagil, Russian SFSR, URS
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
KHL team
Former teams		 CSKA Moscow
Dynamo Moscow
Nashville Predators
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
National team  Russia
NHL Draft 15th overall, 2004
Nashville Predators
Playing career 2002–present

Alexander Valerievich Radulov (Russian: Александр Валерьевич Радулов; born 5 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Radulov is second in KHL all-time scoring with 427 points, behind only fellow Russian Sergei Mozyakin. Radulov also holds the records for most career assists (281) and plus-minus rating (+166), as well as points in a single KHL season, with 80. [1] He is of mixed Russian and Gagauz ethnicity.[2]

Playing career

Junior career

Radulov started his North American career in 2004–05, being drafted at the 2004 CHL Import player draft by the Quebec Remparts in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). That year, he finished third in scoring for his team, with 75 points in 65 games, behind Josh Hennessy and Karl Gagne.

The following year, he became one of the most exciting and dominant players to play in the QMJHL. In the first half of the season, he and rookie Angelo Esposito formed one of the most explosive duos in the League. He became equally renowned for skating in front of the opposing team's bench and twirling his stick around and banging the handle on the ice, as if to put a sword into a sheath, after scoring a goal, something that angered opposing players but captivated and inspired his head coach, Patrick Roy.

On 28 October 2005, Radulov set a new franchise record with six goals against the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He added an assist in the eventual 11–3 win. That night, Radulov tied the Remparts teams record with Eric Chouinard for most points in a single game, with seven. Later, on 19 March 2006, in a game against the 2005 Memorial Cup second-place finishing Rimouski Océanic, for whom his teammates Cédrick Desjardins and Michal Sersen played for in 2004–05, Radulov wrote history in the Québec Colisée by scoring an unprecedented seven goals and four assists for 11 points, breaking both records for most goals and points in a single game for the Remparts, in a lopsided 16–3 victory.

Radulov owns the Remparts record for the most consecutive point streak games with 50, passing the 28-game mark established by Eric Chouinard in the 1999–2000 season. Radulov is ranked second all-time with that sequence in the QMJHL, only behind Mario Lemieux, with 62.

Radulov finished as the scoring leader for the QMJHL and the CHL in 2005–06 with 152 points (61 goals and 91 assists). He currently owns the record for the most points in a single season for the Remparts, beating the mark of 120 set by Simon Gagné in 1998–99. Radulov also owns the record for the most goals and assists in a season as a Rempart. He passed the mark of 57 goals set by Eric Chouinard and the mark of 75 assists set by Wes Scanzano, both in 1999–2000. He also tied with Pavel Rosa for the most points by a QMJHL European player in a single season. His 61 goals were second-highest in the QMJHL for the 2005–06 season; Maxime Boisclair of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens was first, with 70.

In the 2006 League playoffs, Radulov tallied 55 points (21 goals and 34 assists) and was ranked again as the scoring leader. He registered at least a point in each game. Radulov finished only two points shy of the playoff points record set by Simon Gamache in 2000–01. In the Remparts' semi-final series against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, he had 19 points in the seven-game series alone. He lost the MVP award, however, to victorious Moncton Wildcats forward Mārtiņš Karsums.

All team records set by Radulov are for the new edition of the Remparts, which began in the 1997–98 season.

Radulov delivered an incredible performance in the Remparts' 2006 Memorial Cup championship game victory over the Moncton Wildcats. In the 6–2 win, he netted two goals and assisted on three more, totaling five points, one point away from tying the all-time record in a Memorial Cup final. He registered nine points (five goals and four assists) in four games and won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tournament MVP.

On 28 November 2007, the Remparts retired Radulov's number 22 jersey.

NHL and Nashville Predators

During Radulov's 2005–06 season in the QMJHL, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level professional contract by the Nashville Predators on 9 January 2006. He would begin his professional career as a member of the Predators' minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), the following season. He was selected Player of the Week on 16 October 2006, posting two goals and four assists in only two games.

On 21 October 2006, Radulov made his NHL debut with the Predators against the Vancouver Canucks, logging seven minutes and one minor penalty. He scored his first career NHL goal on his first career shot against the San Jose Sharks on 26 October. Following another reassignment to Milwaukee, Radulov remained on the Nashville roster for the rest of the 2006–07 season after he was recalled on 21 November 2006.

In Game 2 of the first round of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Radulov was suspended for one game for his hit on San Jose forward Steve Bernier. Bernier was sent into the boards head first and lay motionless on the ice for three minutes, before being helped off by teammates Joe Thornton and Marcel Goc.[3] Bernier, however, did not suffer any serious injury.[4]

KHL

On 11 July 2008, it was announced that although Radulov was still under contract with the Nashville Predators for one more season,[5] he had signed a three-year deal with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Radulov had previously notified the Predators organization of his desire to play in Russia, stating that he was being offered better conditions.[6] Immediately after the announcement, the Predators, NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) all released statements emphasizing that Radulov's contract obligated him to the Predators through the 2008–09 season and that signing with a team in Russia was a direct violation of an agreement made the previous day between the NHL and all international hockey leagues to respect players' existing contracts.[7][8] After the IIHF ordered that Ufa void Radulov's contract, Ilya Kochevrin, vice-president of the KHL, argued that Radulov was signed on 5 July, before the agreement was made on 10 July.[9] While the contract remained disputed, the IIHF suspended Radulov from international play on 18 July as investigations continued,[10] a suspension that was lifted soon as it appeared there was no legal ground to suspend Radulov.

After giving Radulov a 1 September deadline to notify his intentions to return to Nashville, the Predators suspended him, on 2 September, without pay for the 2008–09 season.[11]

Return to NHL

Following the end of Salavat Yulaev Ufa's 2011–12 season, on 12 March 2012, it was reported that paperwork was being finalized for Radulov to return to Nashville for the balance of the regular season and for the 2012 playoffs. Five days later, Radulov's agent Yuri Nikolaev confirmed Radulov was indeed returning to the NHL for Nashville's 22 March 2012, game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[12] The day before his return, Radulov was presented his jersey at a press conference, where the Predators announced they had lifted his suspension from the team, finalizing his return. In his return to Nashville, Radulov scored the Predators' only goal in a 5–1 loss to the Penguins. He concluded the 2011–12 regular season with seven points (three goals and four assists) in nine games.

On 1 May 2012, Radulov and Predators teammate Andrei Kostitsyn were spotted at a Scottsdale, Arizona, bar at 5:00 AM the night before Game 2 of their second round playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes, thus breaking team curfew. Both were subsequently suspended by Predators management for Game 3.[13] Said Predators General Manager David Poile of the incident, "What they did was unacceptable and the coaches and myself had to come to the plate and do the right thing for the team. It happened. It's really unfortunate. It's selfish behaviour and we'll just have to leave it at that."[14]

On 6 June 2012, the Nashville Predators announced that they would not be extending Radulov's contract, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Return to KHL

On 2 July 2012, Radulov signed a four-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL at an average annual salary of $9.2 million.[15] In subsequent years, Radulov has been one of the top offensive stars of the KHL, finishing in the top 3 in points in both 2012-13 and 2014-15.[16]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
2009 Switzerland
2008 Canada
2007 Russia
World Junior Championships
2006 Canada
2005 United States

Radulov has played for Russia since the junior youth level, earning silver medals in the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Championships. He made his full senior men's debut in the 2007 World Championships, claiming a bronze medal before capturing two golds at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Radulov led Russia in goals (three) and points (six) in five games, though the team lost in the quarter-finals to Finland, ultimately finishing in fifth place.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 THK Tver RUS-2 42 15 16 31 102 — — — — —
2003–04 Dynamo Moscow RSL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2004–05 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 65 32 43 75 64 13 6 5 11 15
2005–06 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 62 61 91 152 101 23 21 34 55 30
2006–07 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 11 6 12 18 26 — — — — —
2006–07 Nashville Predators NHL 64 18 19 37 26 4 3 1 4 19
2007–08 Nashville Predators NHL 81 26 32 58 44 6 2 2 4 6
2008–09 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 52 22 26 48 92 4 0 2 2 4
2009–10 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 54 24 39 63 62 16 8 11 19 10
2010–11 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 54 20 60 80 83 21 3 15 18 42
2011–12 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 50 25 38 63 64 6 0 6 6 2
2011–12 Nashville Predators NHL 9 3 4 7 4 8 1 5 6 4
2012–13 CSKA Moscow KHL 48 22 46 68 86 9 1 6 7 0
2013–14 CSKA Moscow KHL 34 9 25 34 75 — — — — —
2014–15 CSKA Moscow KHL 46 24 47 71 143 16 8 13 21 20
NHL totals 154 47 55 102 74 18 6 8 14 29
KHL totals 338 146 281 427 605 72 20 53 73 78

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2004 Russia WJC18 1st 6 2 5 7 2
2005 Russia WJC 2nd 6 2 1 3 4
2006 Russia WJC 2nd 6 1 3 4 4
2007 Russia WC 3rd 9 2 0 2 6
2008 Russia WC 1st 6 0 3 3 2
2009 Russia WC 1st 9 4 6 10 10
2010 Russia Oly 6th 4 1 1 2 4
2011 Russia WC 4th 9 2 5 7 6
2013 Russia WC 6th 8 5 5 10 4
2014 Russia Oly 5th 5 3 3 6 4
Junior totals 18 5 9 14 10
Senior totals 50 17 23 40 36

Awards and achievements

KHL

Trophies

AHL

Player of the week

CHL

Player of the week

Trophies

QMJHL

Player of the week

Player of the month

Trophies

References

  1. ↑ "Alexander Radulov". khl.ru. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/yurtaev/57603.html
  3. ↑ "Predators forward Radulov suspended one game". CBC Sports. 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  4. ↑ Chi, Victor (2007-04-16). "Bernier not seeking revenge". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  5. ↑ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/309774-the-top-10-players-not-playing-in-the-nhl
  6. ↑ "Radulov the latest NHLer to sign in Russia". TSN. 2008-07-11. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  7. ↑ "Preds, NHL Issue Statements Regarding Reports on Alexander Radulov". Nashville Predators. 2008-07-11. Archived from the original on 13 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  8. ↑ "NHL, Russians make progress, but still no transfer agreement". National Hockey League. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  9. ↑ McRae, Kevin (2008-07-16). "Alexander Radulov:KHL to allow contract". Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  10. ↑ "IIHF suspends 6 players, investigates transfers". CBC Sports. 2008-07-18. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  11. ↑ "Predators suspend Radulov indefinitely without pay". TSN. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  12. ↑ "Report: Agent Confirms Radulov's Return". TSN. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  13. ↑ Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins Game Recap – 03/22/2012. Nhl.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  14. ↑ Chris Stevenson. CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey – NHL Play Offs 'Selfish' Preds duo suspended for breaking curfew. Slam.canoe.ca (2012-05-01). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  15. ↑ Report: Radulov signs four-year deal with CSKA Moscow. Tsn.ca (2012-07-02). Retrieved on 2012-07-02.
  16. ↑ http://en.khl.ru/stat/leaders/266/

External links

Preceded by
Ryan Suter		 Nashville Predators first round draft pick
2004 		Succeeded by
Ryan Parent
Preceded by
Sidney Crosby		 CHL Player of the Year
2006 		Succeeded by
John Tavares
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