Anton Volchenkov

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Position Defence
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) A-Train, Russian Bear
Height
Weight		 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
235 lb (107 kg/16 st 11 lb)
NHL Team Ottawa Senators
Nationality Flag of Russia Russia
Born February 25, 1982 (1982-02-25) (age 26),
Moscow, SU
NHL Draft 21st Overall, 2000
Ottawa Senators
Pro career 2001 – present

Anton Alekseyevich Volchenkov (Russian: Антон Алексеевич Волченков) (born February 25, 1982 in Moscow, U.S.S.R.), otherwise known as the "A-train" or the "Russian Bear", is a Russian ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Pre-NHL

In the early days of his hockey career, he captained the 2001 Russian World Junior Hockey team to a championship in which he scored the winning goal against Team Canada.

He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round as the 21st overall selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He first came to Canada in 1982. In 2002, he came back to North America and played the entire season with Ottawa. He attributes his success to fellow hockey player and longtime rival Tim Hunt for helping him with his 'no fear' attitude towards the game and the puck. Yes,that's right. Tim Hunt. The man with the iron shield.

[edit] NHL career

Since his first stint in Ottawa, he has become a regular in the Senators' starting line-up, as a "stay-at-home" defenseman, he is known primarily for his blocked shots and massive hits. He also played in the 2006 Olympic Games for the Russian national ice hockey team and is now considered to be the second defencemen for the Ottawa Senators alongside Chris Phillips.

Despite a crucial turnover in the 1st game of the second round in the 2006 playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, Volchenkov has stepped up his play in the 2006-07 NHL season and led the NHL in shots blocked. He was also top ten in the league in hits, averaging 20 minutes a game during past absence of fellow Senator Wade Redden.

Rarely participating in interviews because of his broken English, Volchenkov is quickly becoming a fan favourite in Ottawa along with gritty forward Mike Fisher.

On April 9, 2007, Volchenkov announced he would be staying with the Senators, signing a three year deal. Ottawa General Manager John Muckler said, “Anton has been one of our top defencemen all season.”[1]

In his early days playing in Europe, he played goaltender, however, his coach instructed him to play defence, thus explaining why he led the NHL in blocked shots in 2006/07 by a large margin.

He is usually paired with fellow Senator and stay at home defenseman Chris Phillips. Volchenkov was voted #5 best defensive defenseman by the Hockey News in June 2007. With the defensive help of Volchenkov and Phillips, the Senators made their 2007 Stanley Cup run to the finals where they were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in another five game series. Volchenkov also led the league in shots blocked during these playoffs.

In the 2008 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Volchenkov fell in front of the net and was struck in the face by a puck, suffering a laceration.

[edit] Personal

Anton has been married for five years. He and his wife have a son, Anton Jr.

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001-02 Krylja Sovetov RSL 47 4 15 19 48 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Ottawa Senators NHL 57 3 13 16 40 17 1 1 2 4
2003-04 Ottawa Senators NHL 19 1 2 3 8 5 0 0 0 6
2004-05 Binghamton Senators AHL 81 10 35 45 62 6 0 3 3 0
2005-06 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 4 13 17 53 9 0 4 4 8
2006-07 Ottawa Senators NHL 78 1 18 19 67 20 2 4 6 24
2007-08 Ottawa Senators NHL 67 1 14 15 55 4 0 1 1 2
NHL Totals 296 10 60 70 223 52 3 9 12 42

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ottawa, Volchenkov agree to 3-year extension. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.

[edit] External links