Aleksey Morozov
Encyclopedia
Aleksey Alekseyevich Morozov is a Russia
n professional ice hockey
player currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL). Morozov is also the current captain of the Ak Bars Kazan and the Russian national ice hockey team.
in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
. After being drafted, he remained in Russia
and did not join the Penguins until the 1997–98 NHL season. Morozov began his career much like Pittsburgh legend Mario Lemieux
, scoring on his first shot on his first shift of his first game as a Penguin. He played seven seasons for the Penguins, totaling 451 games, 84 goals, and 219 points.
In his seven year NHL career, Morozov earned the nickname The Devil Killer for his notorious success against the New Jersey Devils
. In fact, New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur
in an interview before a Penguins/Devils game on Fox Sports Net jokingly stated that he had nightmares of Morozov each night before his club would play the Penguins. Brodeur also stated in an interview with ESPN
's Dan Patrick
that Morozov is the player that he would not like to see coming in on him on a breakaway adding " The kid's got probably over 25 percent of his career goals on me. It's unbelievable." when asked to explain Morozov's success against him Brodeur added " I don't know. If you figure it out, please tell me. When he shoots the puck, I never catch it really clean. When he's going to make a pass, I think he's shooting. When he's shooting, I think he's making a pass. The guy's in my kitchen. He's in my head. I can't get rid of him." He also won an Olympic Silver Medal on the 1998 Russian Olympic Team during his rookie year with the Penguins. Despite these successes, Morozov never fully developed into the player he had the potential to be as he played a majority of his first few seasons in the NHL on the third and fourth lines due to the tremendous depth of a talent laden Penguins team that included stars such as Mario Lemieux
, Jaromír Jágr
, Alexei Kovalev
, Martin Straka
, and Robert Lang
among others.
He finally got his chance on the starting line during the 2002–03 season and the KLM line of Kovalev, Lemieux, and Morozov led the Penguins to a top three record in the conference the first third of the season before being dismantled by injuries and trades. After bursting onto the scene with 25 points in 27 games, Morozov suffered a fractured wrist by a crushing hit that ended his season and Lemieux became bogged down by back problems which forced him to call it a year. Kovalev was later traded at the NHL Trade Deadline
to the New York Rangers
.
The next season saw Morozov off to a slow start, mainly due to injury and the lack of talent on a young Penguins team. However, down the stretch of the 2003–04 season, Morozov was instrumental to the Penguins late season success, leading the team with five game-winning goals, including two in the final three games of the season as well as netting 30 points in the final 15 games. He would also finish the season leading all Penguins forwards in points.
(RSL), for whom he has played since. He would see significant ice-time on a talent laden Ak-Bars team that included NHL stars such as Vincent Lecavalier
, Dany Heatley
, Ilya Kovalchuk
, Brad Richards
and Nikolai Antropov. Despite these marquee NHL names, it would be Morozov that would go on to lead the club in scoring with 46 points.
(52) while leading Ak Bars to its first championship win in nearly ten years. He was instrumental in his teams long playoff run, amassing an unbelievable 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in just 13 games en route to Playoff MVP. He was also qualified for six other RSL league awards, two of which he won.
As they built on their chemistry from the 04-05 season that eventually led to dominance during the 05-06 season, the Kazan line of Sergei Zinovjev
, Danis Zaripov
, and Morozov himself came to be known throughout the world as the ZZM Line. During the 2006 RSL playoff run, the ZZM Line amassed 51 points in just 13 games. Although they would only see one more full season together after 05-06 due to injuries, the ZZM Line has been widely regarded as the best European line produced since the Cold War Era for their championship style of play leading Ak-Bars to one RSL championship, one KHL championship, one European Cup Championship, and Team Russia to two Gold Medal World Championships.
The off-season choice of whether to remain in the RSL or return to the NHL was a very difficult one for Morozov, as he wanted to join his compatriots Evgeni Malkin
and Alexander Semin
in the NHL but he also had a great relationship and close ties with Ak Bars. However, in the end, Morozov chose to sign an undisclosed contract to stay with his Russian club in hopes of winning back-to-back championships.
. This is a record that will stand the test of time as in just two more years the RSL would be replaced by a greater league spanning four countries. After quickly dispatching of Metallurg Novokuznetsk
in the opening round in three games, Ak Bars then defeated Khimik Moscow Oblast and CSKA Moscow
in four games each to advance to the finals to face Metallurg Magnitogorsk
. In a final decisive game five, Ak Bars would come up short losing the final game by the score of 2–1. Despite not matching his stellar numbers of the 2005–06 season, Morozov finished the playoffs with a league leading 15 assists in 14 games.
During the International Ice Hockey Federation
(IIHF) European Championship Cup (ECC)
in January 2007, Morozov earned the titles of best forward and MVP as he led Ak Bars to the championship by defeating the SM-liiga
club HPK
6-0, reaffirming Russian dominance at the tournament.
Shortly after the 2006–07 RSL season ended, Morozov was chosen to represent Russia as an Alternate Captain at the International Hockey World Championship
(IHWC). Despite missing two games to a minor knee injury, in just seven games he finished first in goals with eight while finishing second in points as well as capturing the title of best forward at the tournament.
(KHL) at the start of the 2008–09 season. The KHL comprised the 20 current teams from the RSL, as well as Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg of the Vysshaya Liga, Barys Astana
from Kazakhstan
, Dynamo Minsk from Belarus
, as well as a team from Latvia
based in Riga
known as Dinamo Riga
.
Due to his previous year's success with the Russian national team at the 2007 World Championship, Morozov was chosen as Captain
of the 2008 squad. With Morozov in the lineup the previous year, Russia went undefeated until he suffered a knee injury and the 2007 squad without their alternate captain would finish 1–1 and fall short of the Gold once again. However, with Morozov as their captain and in the lineup, Russia would go undefeated once again and capture the Gold by defeating Canada in a thrilling overtime contest 5–4. The gold medal score was Russia's first in 15 years and would be Russia's 24th overall, tying Canada for the most gold medals by any county. The 2008 IIHF World Championship also marked 100 years of World Championship hockey.
, he finished second in scoring with 70 points (32 goals and 38 assists). Following the season's end, Ak Bars swept Barys Astana
in the Round of 16 and defeat them in season series 3–0. In the quarterfinals they would face the talent-laden Avangard Omsk
and dispatch them in a final decisive game five 3–2 in OT.
For the semi-finals and finals matches, the playoff series length was increased to seven games for the final four teams in it and in their semi-final match-up, Kazan defeated Dynamo Moscow
4–2 and would go on to face Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
in the finals, making it the third time in five years that Ak Bars has made it to the finals. Although Ak Bars would get off to a slow start, getting outscored in their first three games by a combined score of 9–4 including two shutout losses, they and captain Aleksey Morozov would turn it on when it mattered. Finding themselves down 3–2 in the series, Ak Bars would snatch game six away from Lokomotiv in overtime and in the final decisive game seven their captain provided all the offense the team needed as Morozov scored the lone goal in a 1–0 victory making Kazan the first team to ever capture the Gagarin Cup
and first ever KHL champions.
Due to his incredible success in the KHL as well as his previous success in captaining Russia to a World Championship, Morozov was once again chosen as Captain for the 2009 IHWC squad. He would not disappoint as Russia would go on to steamroll their opponents in the opening rounds of play and would soon find themselves in a rematch of the previous years championship game against Canada. In yet another exciting contest, Russia would once again capture the Gold by defeating Canada 2-1 giving them the most Gold Medals by any country with 25. From 2006-2009, Team Russia was a perfect 21-0 with Morozov in their lineup in World Championship hockey.
for Team Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the flagbearer for the Russian Olympic Team
. Despite a talented roster, Team Russia would fall to eventual Olympic Gold champion Canada in the opening elimination round.
Despite the devastating Olympic loss, Morozov did not let it bother him on the ice as he led Ak-Bars to their second straight Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. The 2009-2010 season was an up and down one for Morozov as he battle injuries down the stretch in the second half of the KHL season where he missed several key playoff games and even had to miss the 2010 World Championships, where Team Russia would lose for the first time in over 3 years without their Captain and have to settle for Silver.
The injury bug would plague Morozov down the stretch of Ak-Bars KHL playoff run as well, however, due in large part to his leadership on and off the ice Ak-Bars would capture their second consecutive Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. This victory made Ak-Bars the first club in the KHL to not only win the Gagarin Cup but to win the trophy twice and back-to-back.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL). Morozov is also the current captain of the Ak Bars Kazan and the Russian national ice hockey team.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Aleksey Morozov was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, by the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
1995 NHL Entry Draft
The 1995 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. The drafting order was now set partially by a lottery system whereby teams would not be guaranteed first pick if they finished last. Instead, a draft lottery was instituted in which the winner of the lottery could move...
. After being drafted, he remained in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and did not join the Penguins until the 1997–98 NHL season. Morozov began his career much like Pittsburgh legend Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
, scoring on his first shot on his first shift of his first game as a Penguin. He played seven seasons for the Penguins, totaling 451 games, 84 goals, and 219 points.
In his seven year NHL career, Morozov earned the nickname The Devil Killer for his notorious success against the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. In fact, New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
in an interview before a Penguins/Devils game on Fox Sports Net jokingly stated that he had nightmares of Morozov each night before his club would play the Penguins. Brodeur also stated in an interview with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
that Morozov is the player that he would not like to see coming in on him on a breakaway adding " The kid's got probably over 25 percent of his career goals on me. It's unbelievable." when asked to explain Morozov's success against him Brodeur added " I don't know. If you figure it out, please tell me. When he shoots the puck, I never catch it really clean. When he's going to make a pass, I think he's shooting. When he's shooting, I think he's making a pass. The guy's in my kitchen. He's in my head. I can't get rid of him." He also won an Olympic Silver Medal on the 1998 Russian Olympic Team during his rookie year with the Penguins. Despite these successes, Morozov never fully developed into the player he had the potential to be as he played a majority of his first few seasons in the NHL on the third and fourth lines due to the tremendous depth of a talent laden Penguins team that included stars such as Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
, Jaromír Jágr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
, Alexei Kovalev
Alexei Kovalev
Alexei Vyacheslavovich "Alex" Kovalev is a Russian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for Atlant Moscow Oblast of the Kontinental Hockey League....
, Martin Straka
Martin Straka
Martin Straka is a Czech ice hockey centre who plays for HC Plzeň 1929 of the Czech Extraliga. He is also the club's general manager and co-owner.-Playing career:...
, and Robert Lang
Robert Lang
Robert Lang is the name of:*Robert Lang , Czech hockey player in the NHL*Robert Lang , cricketer*Robert Lang , British swimmer at the 2007 World Championships.*Robert J...
among others.
He finally got his chance on the starting line during the 2002–03 season and the KLM line of Kovalev, Lemieux, and Morozov led the Penguins to a top three record in the conference the first third of the season before being dismantled by injuries and trades. After bursting onto the scene with 25 points in 27 games, Morozov suffered a fractured wrist by a crushing hit that ended his season and Lemieux became bogged down by back problems which forced him to call it a year. Kovalev was later traded at the NHL Trade Deadline
NHL trade deadline
The National Hockey League's trade deadline is a date set by the NHL league office after which no trades are allowed for the remainder of the season. The deadline for the 2011–12 NHL season is set for February 27, 2012 at 3 pm EST. Prior to the current CBA, the trade deadline date had been in...
to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
.
The next season saw Morozov off to a slow start, mainly due to injury and the lack of talent on a young Penguins team. However, down the stretch of the 2003–04 season, Morozov was instrumental to the Penguins late season success, leading the team with five game-winning goals, including two in the final three games of the season as well as netting 30 points in the final 15 games. He would also finish the season leading all Penguins forwards in points.
Ak Bars Kazan
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Morozov went back to Russia to hone his skills and play for the Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian SuperleagueRussian Superleague
The Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...
(RSL), for whom he has played since. He would see significant ice-time on a talent laden Ak-Bars team that included NHL stars such as Vincent Lecavalier
Vincent Lecavalier
Vincent Lecavalier is a Canadian professional hockey center and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League .-Rimouski Océanic:...
, Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley
Daniel James Heatley is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger, and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002...
, Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Valerevich Kovalchuk is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger who is an alternate captain of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. Drafted first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, he began his NHL career in 2001–02 with Atlanta and was...
, Brad Richards
Brad Richards
Bradley Glenn Richards is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Early career:Born and raised in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island...
and Nikolai Antropov. Despite these marquee NHL names, it would be Morozov that would go on to lead the club in scoring with 46 points.
2005–06 season
With the NHL's future still up in the air, Morozov signed a one-year contract with Kazan in hopes to build upon his previous season's success. The 2005–06 season proved a great one for Morozov, where he finished the regular season leading the league in goals (23) and being second in points (49) after Sergei MozyakinSergei Mozyakin
Sergei Mozyakin is a Russian ice hockey winger who is currently plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League ....
(52) while leading Ak Bars to its first championship win in nearly ten years. He was instrumental in his teams long playoff run, amassing an unbelievable 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in just 13 games en route to Playoff MVP. He was also qualified for six other RSL league awards, two of which he won.
As they built on their chemistry from the 04-05 season that eventually led to dominance during the 05-06 season, the Kazan line of Sergei Zinovjev
Sergei Zinovjev
Sergei Olegovich Zinovjev is a Russian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League . He is two-time World Champion for the Russian national team....
, Danis Zaripov
Danis Zaripov
Danis Zinnurovich Zaripov is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League...
, and Morozov himself came to be known throughout the world as the ZZM Line. During the 2006 RSL playoff run, the ZZM Line amassed 51 points in just 13 games. Although they would only see one more full season together after 05-06 due to injuries, the ZZM Line has been widely regarded as the best European line produced since the Cold War Era for their championship style of play leading Ak-Bars to one RSL championship, one KHL championship, one European Cup Championship, and Team Russia to two Gold Medal World Championships.
The off-season choice of whether to remain in the RSL or return to the NHL was a very difficult one for Morozov, as he wanted to join his compatriots Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League ....
and Alexander Semin
Alexander Semin
Alexander Valerievich Semin , also known by fans as The Great 28, The Other Alex, or most commonly known as Sasha, is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League ....
in the NHL but he also had a great relationship and close ties with Ak Bars. However, in the end, Morozov chose to sign an undisclosed contract to stay with his Russian club in hopes of winning back-to-back championships.
2006–07
When the regular season ended, Morozov led the league and established new Super League record in points (83) as Ak Bars Kazan had a league leading 119 points and well on the way to an unprecedented second straight championship. He became the first and only player in the history of the RSL to top the eighty points in a season and his 83 points broke the old record of 79 held by Sergei MakarovSergei Makarov
Sergei Mikhailovich Makarov is a Russian former ice hockey right wing and two-time Olympic gold medalist, regarded as one of the greatest players to play the sport...
. This is a record that will stand the test of time as in just two more years the RSL would be replaced by a greater league spanning four countries. After quickly dispatching of Metallurg Novokuznetsk
Metallurg Novokuznetsk
Metallurg Novokuznetsk is a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League.-History:-Champions:...
in the opening round in three games, Ak Bars then defeated Khimik Moscow Oblast and CSKA Moscow
HC CSKA Moscow
HC CSKA Moscow is a Russian ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. It is referred to in the West as "Central Red Army" or the "Red Army Team" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army, popularly known as the Red Army...
in four games each to advance to the finals to face Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League...
. In a final decisive game five, Ak Bars would come up short losing the final game by the score of 2–1. Despite not matching his stellar numbers of the 2005–06 season, Morozov finished the playoffs with a league leading 15 assists in 14 games.
During the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
(IIHF) European Championship Cup (ECC)
IIHF European Champions Cup
The IIHF European Champions Cup was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation , which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF...
in January 2007, Morozov earned the titles of best forward and MVP as he led Ak Bars to the championship by defeating the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
club HPK
HPK
HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight...
6-0, reaffirming Russian dominance at the tournament.
Shortly after the 2006–07 RSL season ended, Morozov was chosen to represent Russia as an Alternate Captain at the International Hockey World Championship
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
(IHWC). Despite missing two games to a minor knee injury, in just seven games he finished first in goals with eight while finishing second in points as well as capturing the title of best forward at the tournament.
2007–08
The following and final RSL season proved another successful one for Morozov as he continued his dominance of the league by finishing in the tops in scoring and leading Ak Bars to the playoffs once again but would come up one game and one goal short of the finals in another heartbreaking 4–3 loss to Salavat Yulaev Ufa. The 2007–08 RSL season would be the last in the league's history, as it would be replaced by the newly formed Kontinental Hockey LeagueKontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL) at the start of the 2008–09 season. The KHL comprised the 20 current teams from the RSL, as well as Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg of the Vysshaya Liga, Barys Astana
Barys Astana
Hockey Club Barys is a professional ice hockey team based in Astana, Kazakhstan. They compete in the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-History:...
from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Dynamo Minsk from Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, as well as a team from Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
based in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
known as Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 1946 and disestablished in 1995 as Pārdaugava Rīga.-History of Dinamo Riga:...
.
Due to his previous year's success with the Russian national team at the 2007 World Championship, Morozov was chosen as Captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
of the 2008 squad. With Morozov in the lineup the previous year, Russia went undefeated until he suffered a knee injury and the 2007 squad without their alternate captain would finish 1–1 and fall short of the Gold once again. However, with Morozov as their captain and in the lineup, Russia would go undefeated once again and capture the Gold by defeating Canada in a thrilling overtime contest 5–4. The gold medal score was Russia's first in 15 years and would be Russia's 24th overall, tying Canada for the most gold medals by any county. The 2008 IIHF World Championship also marked 100 years of World Championship hockey.
2008–09
In 2008, his Russian club Ak Bars Kazan joined the Kontinetal Hockey League. Although Morozov was limited to only 49 games due to a freak head on collision with Atlant Moscow goaltender Ray EmeryRay Emery
Ray Emery , often nicknamed Razor or Sugar Ray, is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, currently with the Chicago Blackhawks. He formerly played for the Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and Atlant Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey...
, he finished second in scoring with 70 points (32 goals and 38 assists). Following the season's end, Ak Bars swept Barys Astana
Barys Astana
Hockey Club Barys is a professional ice hockey team based in Astana, Kazakhstan. They compete in the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-History:...
in the Round of 16 and defeat them in season series 3–0. In the quarterfinals they would face the talent-laden Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
and dispatch them in a final decisive game five 3–2 in OT.
For the semi-finals and finals matches, the playoff series length was increased to seven games for the final four teams in it and in their semi-final match-up, Kazan defeated Dynamo Moscow
HC Dynamo Moscow
HC Dynamo Moscow was a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Moscow. They were members of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League...
4–2 and would go on to face Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
in the finals, making it the third time in five years that Ak Bars has made it to the finals. Although Ak Bars would get off to a slow start, getting outscored in their first three games by a combined score of 9–4 including two shutout losses, they and captain Aleksey Morozov would turn it on when it mattered. Finding themselves down 3–2 in the series, Ak Bars would snatch game six away from Lokomotiv in overtime and in the final decisive game seven their captain provided all the offense the team needed as Morozov scored the lone goal in a 1–0 victory making Kazan the first team to ever capture the Gagarin Cup
Gagarin Cup
The Gagarin Cup is the trophy presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs, and is named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space...
and first ever KHL champions.
Due to his incredible success in the KHL as well as his previous success in captaining Russia to a World Championship, Morozov was once again chosen as Captain for the 2009 IHWC squad. He would not disappoint as Russia would go on to steamroll their opponents in the opening rounds of play and would soon find themselves in a rematch of the previous years championship game against Canada. In yet another exciting contest, Russia would once again capture the Gold by defeating Canada 2-1 giving them the most Gold Medals by any country with 25. From 2006-2009, Team Russia was a perfect 21-0 with Morozov in their lineup in World Championship hockey.
2009–10
Morozov was chosen as CaptainCaptain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
for Team Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the flagbearer for the Russian Olympic Team
Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Russia participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.In summary, the country's participants earned 15 medals: 3 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze. The 3 gold medals was the worst ever result for Russia since competing after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The 15 total...
. Despite a talented roster, Team Russia would fall to eventual Olympic Gold champion Canada in the opening elimination round.
Despite the devastating Olympic loss, Morozov did not let it bother him on the ice as he led Ak-Bars to their second straight Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. The 2009-2010 season was an up and down one for Morozov as he battle injuries down the stretch in the second half of the KHL season where he missed several key playoff games and even had to miss the 2010 World Championships, where Team Russia would lose for the first time in over 3 years without their Captain and have to settle for Silver.
The injury bug would plague Morozov down the stretch of Ak-Bars KHL playoff run as well, however, due in large part to his leadership on and off the ice Ak-Bars would capture their second consecutive Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. This victory made Ak-Bars the first club in the KHL to not only win the Gagarin Cup but to win the trophy twice and back-to-back.
Honours
- CIS - Rookie of the Year: 1994–95
- World Junior Championship All-Star 1996
- Best Best Forward at WJC 1997
- Olympic Silver Medal (Russia): 1998
- Russian Super League Championship: 2006
- Ceska Pojistovna: 2006
- Kubok Pervogo Kanala: 2006
- RSL Goal Scoring Champion: 2006
- RSL Playoff MVP: 2006
- European Champions: 2007
- Best Forward (ECC): 2007
- Most Valuable Player (ECC): 2007
- RSL Goal Scoring Champion: 2007
- RSL MVP: 2007
- Best Forward (IHWC): 2007
- World Championship (Russia) : 2008
- Gagarin Cup : 2009
- KHL Playoff MVP: 2009
- World Championship (Russia) : 2009
- Gagarin Cup : 2010
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | IHL/CIS International Hockey League (1992–1996) The International Hockey League lasted from 1992 to 1996. It replaced the Soviet Union's Championship league. The last season was in 1995-1996, as the league was replaced replaced by the Russian Superleague the following season.... |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | IHL/CIS | 48 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | IHL/CIS | 47 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | RSL Russian Superleague The Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America... |
44 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | RSL | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
76 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 67 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 68 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 66 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2001–02 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 72 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 27 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 58 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 51 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 69 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 53 | 34 | 49 | 83 | 36 | 14 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 57 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 KHL season The 2008–09 KHL season was the inaugural season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It started on September 2, 2008, and finished on February 26, 2009... |
Ak Bars Kazan | KHL Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe.... |
49 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 22 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 KHL season The 2009–10 KHL season was the second season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 10 September 2009 to 27 April 2010, with a break for the Olympic winter games from 8 February to 3 March... |
Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 50 | 26 | 23 | 49 | 24 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 KHL season The 2010–11 KHL season is the third season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 8 September 2010 and ended on 16 April 2011.The season started with the Opening Cup game between the last season's finalists, Ak Bars Kazan and the new team that was created by merging last season's... |
Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 53 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 3 | ||
| IHL/CIS, RSL and KHL totals | 528 | 237 | 272 | 509 | 353 | 71 | 32 | 59 | 91 | 44 | ||||
| NHL totals | 451 | 84 | 135 | 219 | 98 | 39 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | ||||
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | Place | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 20th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, hosted in Massachusetts... |
Russia | WJC | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1997 1997 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships -Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-5th place game:-Bronze Medal Game:-Gold Medal Game:-Final standings: was relegated for the 1998 World Juniors-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:-Pool B:... |
Russia | WJC | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Junior int'l totals | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 8 | ||||
| 1997 1997 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships - Group 2 :- Second Round 1-6 Place :Teams that had played each other in the first round carried those results forward. First and second place played off for gold, third and fourth for bronze.- Consolation Round 7-12 Place :... |
Russia | WC Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
4th | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1998 Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to... |
Russia | Oly Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics... |
6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1998 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -World Championship Group C :Played March 22-28 in Budapest, Székesfehérvár and Dunaújváros.- Group 1 :- Group 2 :- Final Round 25-28 Place :Hungary was promoted to Group B.- Consolation Round 29-32 Place :... |
Russia | WC | 5th | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2004 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held April 24-May 9, 2004, in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Games for this Ice Hockey World Championships tournament were played at Sazka Arena and ČEZ Aréna... |
Russia | WC | 10th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2007 2007 IIHF World Championship The 2007 IIHF World Championship were held between April 27 and May 13, 2007 in Moscow, Russia. It was the 71st annual world championship event run by the International Ice Hockey Federation... |
Russia | WC | 7 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 2008 2008 IIHF World Championship The 2008 IIHF World Championship was played between May 2 and May 18, 2008 in the Canadian cities of Halifax and Quebec City . The two venues were the Halifax Metro Centre and the Colisée Pepsi... |
Russia | WC | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2009 2009 IIHF World Championship The 2009 IIHF World Championship took place in Switzerland from 24 April to 10 May. The games were played in the PostFinance Arena in Bern and Schluefweg in Kloten.... |
Russia | WC | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2010 Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the... |
Russia | Oly | 6th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | Russia | WC | 4th | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | |
| Senior int'l totals | 62 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 26 | ||||