Avangard Omsk
Encyclopedia
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
.
" in English, was established in 1950. The logo features a stylised hawk. The club has changed names several times, with previous names including Spartak Omsk, Aeroflot Omsk, Kauchuk Omsk, Khimik Omsk, and Shinnik Omsk.
Avangard Omsk won the Russian Super League in 2004, which qualified them for the inaugural IIHF European Champions Cup
. They would be the first winners of that competition, beating Kärpät Oulu
from Finland.
The team is not owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich
as it may be concerned. Russian oil company Gazprom-Neft partly finances the team, but the majority of its budget comes from province tax money.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
, HC Sibir, Salavat Yulaev Ufa
, Ak Bars Kazan and, to a lesser extent, Vityaz Chekhov
are considered to be Avangard's fiercest rivals in the KHL.
superstar Jaromir Jagr
, John Grahame
and Stanislav Chistov
.
After an unconvincing start, the head coach Sergey Gersonskiy was sacked just 6 games into the season. He would later start legal proceedings against the club to obtain compensation that he was allegedly entitled to under his contract. After a number of hearings and appeals, Gersonskiy was awarded 1 million rubles, only a small proportion of what he originally claimed. Wayne Fleming
was promptly appointed as the head coach.
On 13 October 2008, young Avangard Omsk forward Alexei Cherepanov
died after collapsing on the bench during a game against Vityaz Chekhov
. He played a shift with teammate Jaromír Jágr
, and the two were talking on the bench shortly after they left the ice, when he suddenly collapsed. After being attended to on the bench, he was carried to the dressing room where he was revived for several brief moments before finally being rushed to an intensive care unit
, but it was too late. The ambulance that is normally at all games had already departed and had to be called back; doctors arrived on the scene a full 12 minutes after Cherepanov collapsed, and the battery on the defibrillator used to attempt to shock Cherepanov's heart
back to life was drained. It took approximately 20 minutes to get him to a hospital. While in the care of Chekhov doctors, he was again resuscitated briefly on two occasions, before ultimately passing.
On 29 December 2008, Russian investigators revealed that he suffered from myocarditis
, a condition where not enough blood gets to the heart, and that he should not have been playing professional hockey. The federal Investigative Committee also announced that a chemical analysis
of Cherepanov's blood and urine samples allowed experts to conclude "that for several months Alexei Cherepanov engaged in doping". Official sources have stated the banned substance taken was nikethamide
, a stimulant
, and that it had been taken 3 hours prior to the game in which he passed.
Club director Mikhail Denisov has since been fired, whereas the league Disciplinary Committee has since removed Omsk's doctors from that role with the club, and has requested the suspension of GM Anatoly Bardin and team president Konstantin Potapov until the investigation being conducted by the Russian Federal Prosecutor's Office was concluded. Anatoly Bardin was eventually reinstated as the club's GM.
Meanwhile, Avangard's poor performance on the ice continued. This resulted in a bizarre incident when Anatoly Bardin asked Wayne Fleming
to leave the bench during the second intermission of a home game against Vityaz Chekhov
. In just under a month the head coach was relieved of his duties, and inexperienced Igor Nikitin was appointed as his replacement. Having finished the regular season on the 16th place, Avangard only just managed to get into the playoffs. However, they surprised everyone by knocking the regular season champions Salavat Yulaev Ufa
out of the competition by winning 3 games to 1. Moreover, they were only 15 seconds away from defeating Ak Bars Kazan, the future champion of 2008-2009 season, in the second round but failed to hold on to their one-goal lead and went on to concede an overtime
goal in the deciding match at TatNeft Arena
.
with Lasse Kukkonen
in the summer and Anton Babchuk
with Denis Kulyash
during the season. However, a lack of quality players up front soon became apparent as Igor Nikitin, the head coach, was struggling to find players matching Jágr
's ability to play in the first line, and the team found it difficult to achieve the results that the fans expected.
On 9 January 2010, a massive brawl broke out in a game against Vityaz Chekhov
. The conflict started during pre-game warm-ups when Darcy Verot
intentionally shot a puck at Lasse Kukkonen
forcing Alexander Svitov to stand up for his team-mate. Soon after the game started Brandon Sugden
challenged Svitov to another fight, which then involved all other 8 skaters on the ice. A number of other fights ensued resulting in a bench- and penalty-box clearing. The officials had to suspend the game just after 3 minutes 39 seconds in the first period as there were only four players left to play the game. A world record total of 840 penalty minutes were incurred during the game. The KHL imposed heavy fines on both teams, some players and the head coaches as well as disqualifying 6 Vityaz's players and Avangard's Dmitry Vlasenkov, who was first to leave the bench during a fight. The game was counted as a 5-0 defeat for both teams with no points being awarded.
The brawl appeared to give the team a morale boost as they went on to win the next six games. However, mediocrity soon returned, and Igor Nikitin was replaced by Raimo Summanen
just hours before the playoffs started. The new head coach failed to deliver as the team suffered three straight defeats at the hands of Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
and was eliminated at the first hurdle.
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...
team from Siberia
Siberian Federal District
Siberian Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its population was 19,254,300 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
based in the city of Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, 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...
. They are members of the Chernyshev Division 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....
.
Overview
Avangard, which translates to "VanguardVanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
" in English, was established in 1950. The logo features a stylised hawk. The club has changed names several times, with previous names including Spartak Omsk, Aeroflot Omsk, Kauchuk Omsk, Khimik Omsk, and Shinnik Omsk.
Avangard Omsk won the Russian Super League in 2004, which qualified them for the inaugural IIHF European Champions Cup
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...
. They would be the first winners of that competition, beating Kärpät Oulu
Kärpät
Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...
from Finland.
The team is not owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
as it may be concerned. Russian oil company Gazprom-Neft partly finances the team, but the majority of its budget comes from province tax money.
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...
, HC Sibir, Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
, Ak Bars Kazan and, to a lesser extent, Vityaz Chekhov
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
are considered to be Avangard's fiercest rivals in the KHL.
2008-2009
This season is considered to be one of the worst in the franchise history with the club's reputation being tarnished both on and off ice. During the summer, Anatoly Bardin, the GM, was kept busy bringing 18 new players in, including former 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...
superstar Jaromir Jagr
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...
, John Grahame
John Grahame
John Gillies Mark Grahame is currently the goaltender coach for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL and is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played most recently for the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:Grahame played in the USHL for the Sioux City...
and Stanislav Chistov
Stanislav Chistov
Stanislav Mikhailovich Chistov is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .- Playing career:...
.
After an unconvincing start, the head coach Sergey Gersonskiy was sacked just 6 games into the season. He would later start legal proceedings against the club to obtain compensation that he was allegedly entitled to under his contract. After a number of hearings and appeals, Gersonskiy was awarded 1 million rubles, only a small proportion of what he originally claimed. Wayne Fleming
Wayne Fleming
Wayne Fleming is a Canadian ice hockey assistant coach currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. He has previously served as assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and New York Islanders.Fleming began his coaching career in 1980 with...
was promptly appointed as the head coach.
On 13 October 2008, young Avangard Omsk forward Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
died after collapsing on the bench during a game against Vityaz Chekhov
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
. He played a shift with teammate 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...
, and the two were talking on the bench shortly after they left the ice, when he suddenly collapsed. After being attended to on the bench, he was carried to the dressing room where he was revived for several brief moments before finally being rushed to an intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, but it was too late. The ambulance that is normally at all games had already departed and had to be called back; doctors arrived on the scene a full 12 minutes after Cherepanov collapsed, and the battery on the defibrillator used to attempt to shock Cherepanov's heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
back to life was drained. It took approximately 20 minutes to get him to a hospital. While in the care of Chekhov doctors, he was again resuscitated briefly on two occasions, before ultimately passing.
On 29 December 2008, Russian investigators revealed that he suffered from myocarditis
Myocarditis
Myocarditis is inflammation of heart muscle . It resembles a heart attack but coronary arteries are not blocked.Myocarditis is most often due to infection by common viruses, such as parvovirus B19, less commonly non-viral pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi or Trypanosoma cruzi, or as a...
, a condition where not enough blood gets to the heart, and that he should not have been playing professional hockey. The federal Investigative Committee also announced that a chemical analysis
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
of Cherepanov's blood and urine samples allowed experts to conclude "that for several months Alexei Cherepanov engaged in doping". Official sources have stated the banned substance taken was nikethamide
Nikethamide
Nikethamide is a stimulant which mainly affects the respiratory cycle. Widely known by its former trade name of Coramine, it was used in the mid-1900s as a medical countermeasure against tranquilizer overdoses, before the advent of endotracheal intubation and positive-pressure lung expansion...
, a stimulant
Stimulant
Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...
, and that it had been taken 3 hours prior to the game in which he passed.
Club director Mikhail Denisov has since been fired, whereas the league Disciplinary Committee has since removed Omsk's doctors from that role with the club, and has requested the suspension of GM Anatoly Bardin and team president Konstantin Potapov until the investigation being conducted by the Russian Federal Prosecutor's Office was concluded. Anatoly Bardin was eventually reinstated as the club's GM.
Meanwhile, Avangard's poor performance on the ice continued. This resulted in a bizarre incident when Anatoly Bardin asked Wayne Fleming
Wayne Fleming
Wayne Fleming is a Canadian ice hockey assistant coach currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. He has previously served as assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and New York Islanders.Fleming began his coaching career in 1980 with...
to leave the bench during the second intermission of a home game against Vityaz Chekhov
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
. In just under a month the head coach was relieved of his duties, and inexperienced Igor Nikitin was appointed as his replacement. Having finished the regular season on the 16th place, Avangard only just managed to get into the playoffs. However, they surprised everyone by knocking the regular season champions Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
out of the competition by winning 3 games to 1. Moreover, they were only 15 seconds away from defeating Ak Bars Kazan, the future champion of 2008-2009 season, in the second round but failed to hold on to their one-goal lead and went on to concede an overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
goal in the deciding match at TatNeft Arena
TatNeft Arena
TatNeft Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Kazan, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 10,000 and was opened in 2005. The arena is home to Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League.-External links:**...
.
2009-2010
The club made a few solid roster additions by signing Karri RämöKarri Rämö
Karri Rämö is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. His contract rights are owned by the Montreal Canadiens and he has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:Rämö was drafted by the...
with Lasse Kukkonen
Lasse Kukkonen
Lasse Kukkonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League...
in the summer and Anton Babchuk
Anton Babchuk
Anton Anatoliiovych Babchuk is a Ukrainian-Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was a first round selection, 21st overall, of the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and has played for the Blackhawks,...
with Denis Kulyash
Denis Kulyash
Denis Kulyash is a professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League . Kulyash has been a long-time member of Russia's national ice hockey team known for his extremely hard slap shot, which gained him a nickname "Tsar Cannon"...
during the season. However, a lack of quality players up front soon became apparent as Igor Nikitin, the head coach, was struggling to find players matching 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...
's ability to play in the first line, and the team found it difficult to achieve the results that the fans expected.
On 9 January 2010, a massive brawl broke out in a game against Vityaz Chekhov
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
. The conflict started during pre-game warm-ups when Darcy Verot
Darcy Verot
Darcy Verot is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League....
intentionally shot a puck at Lasse Kukkonen
Lasse Kukkonen
Lasse Kukkonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League...
forcing Alexander Svitov to stand up for his team-mate. Soon after the game started Brandon Sugden
Brandon Sugden
Brandon Sugden is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who plays for Vityaz Chekhov of the Kontinental Hockey League. He was selected by Toronto Maple Leafs in the 5th round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft....
challenged Svitov to another fight, which then involved all other 8 skaters on the ice. A number of other fights ensued resulting in a bench- and penalty-box clearing. The officials had to suspend the game just after 3 minutes 39 seconds in the first period as there were only four players left to play the game. A world record total of 840 penalty minutes were incurred during the game. The KHL imposed heavy fines on both teams, some players and the head coaches as well as disqualifying 6 Vityaz's players and Avangard's Dmitry Vlasenkov, who was first to leave the bench during a fight. The game was counted as a 5-0 defeat for both teams with no points being awarded.
The brawl appeared to give the team a morale boost as they went on to win the next six games. However, mediocrity soon returned, and Igor Nikitin was replaced by Raimo Summanen
Raimo Summanen
Raimo Olavi Summanen , is a former professional ice hockey forward and also a former coach of the Finnish national team. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, 125th overall, and spent his NHL career with Edmonton and the Vancouver Canucks...
just hours before the playoffs started. The new head coach failed to deliver as the team suffered three straight defeats at the hands of Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
HC Neftekhimik is a professional ice hockey team based in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League.-Champions:...
and was eliminated at the first hurdle.
Champions
- Russian Super League Championship (1): 2004
- IIHF European Champions CupIIHF European Champions CupThe 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...
(1): 2005
Honored members
- 7 Alexei CherepanovAlexei CherepanovAlexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
, RW, 2006–08, number retired October 13, 2008
All-time KHL scoring leaders
'Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals'| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jaromír JágrJaromir 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... |
155 | 66 | 80 | 146 | 160 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 12 |
 Anton KuryanovAnton Kuryanov Anton Kuryanov is a professional ice hockey centre forward who is currently playing for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
139 | 44 | 60 | 104 | 56 | 37 | 17 | 1 | 12 |
| Alexander Popov Alexander Popov Alexander Popov may refer to:*Alexander Ivanovich Popov , Soviet physicist and inventor*Aleksandr Sergeyevich Popov , Russian footballer*Alexander Stepanovich Popov , Russian physicist... |
153 | 29 | 70 | 99 | 60 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Dmitry Pestunov |
104 | 12 | 52 | 64 | 88 | -3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Roman Cervenka Roman Červenka Roman Červenka is a Czech professional ice hockey player who plays for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .... |
51 | 31 | 30 | 61 | 56 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Jakub Klepiš Jakub Klepis Jakub Klepiš is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
111 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 101 | -9 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Igor Volkov Igor Volkov Igor Volkov is a Russian professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .-References:... |
110 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 80 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Alexander Svitov |
76 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 181 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dmitri Vlasenkov Dmitri Vlasenkov Dmitri Vlasenkov is a Russian professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . He was selected by the Calgary Flames in the 3rd round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.... |
120 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 91 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Alexander Perezhogin Alexander Perezhogin Alexander Perezhogin is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
51 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
External links
- Avangard Omsk official website (in Russian)
- NHL.com article on Omsk