Pavel Datsyuk

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Position Centre/Left Wing
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Pasha
Dats
Pav
Houdini
Height
Weight		 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
194 lb (88 kg/13 st 12 lb)
NHL Team Detroit Red Wings
Nationality Flag of Russia Russia
Born July 20, 1978 (1978-07-20) (age 29),
Sverdlovsk, USSR
NHL Draft 171st overall, 1998
Detroit Red Wings
Pro career 1998 – present
Website datsyuk13.com

Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk (Russian: Па́вел Вале́рьевич Дацю́к, Pavel Valer'jevič Dacjuk) (born July 20, 1978, in Sverdlovsk, USSR) is a Russian-born professional ice hockey player playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. He is known for his quiet, humble demeanor, as well as his flashy moves on the ice.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Pre-NHL career

Datsyuk was not considered an elite hockey player because of his small size. The Red Wings scouts liked his skills, but they were not certain he would ever grow enough and become strong enough to play in the NHL. As it turns out, he did grow and gain the necessary strength and the Wings decided to bring him to North America after drafting him in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He arrived in Detroit for the 2001–02 season. He played for the Ekaterinburg Dynamo for the 1997–1998 and 1999–2000 seasons before moving to the Russian Super League's Ak Bars Kazan for the 2000–2001 season. His numbers were not exceptionally impressive in the RSL, but the Red Wings saw enough in him to bring him to the NHL the next season.

[edit] NHL career

When Datsyuk began his NHL career for the Red Wings, he had mentors including Soviet legend Igor Larionov, Detroit captain Steve Yzerman, and Russian star Sergei Fedorov to help him learn his way around the NHL. He was put on a line with Brett Hull and Boyd Devereaux, and had a moderately productive first year. The length and difficulty of the NHL season got to him eventually, causing him to sit out a clump of games at the end of the year in preparation for the playoffs. He contributed three goals and three assists to the Red Wings' Stanley Cup run.

Expectations were high for Datsyuk's second season, particularly with the addition of another highly touted prospect to the team, Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg replaced Devereaux on the Datsyuk-Hull line and the famous version of the "Two Kids and an Old Goat Line" was born. He played only 64 games due to a knee injury, but ended up with 51 points in the 2003 season. His playoff performance was a bit disappointing that year but the same could be said about the entire Red Wings team. They were swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round and Datsyuk was held pointless.

Datsyuk skates with the Wings
Datsyuk skates with the Wings

The departure of Sergei Fedorov in the 2003 off-season made room for Datsyuk to rise to prominence on the Red Wings. He took full advantage of his extra ice time, where his dazzling playmaking skills elevated him to the ranks of legitimate scorers in the NHL. He earned a spot in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game. In the playoffs, he had no goals and 6 assists through 12 games before the Wings were eliminated in the second round.

He was a restricted free agent during the 2004–05 off-season, but could not reach a deal with the Red Wings despite repeated statements by his agent indicating his desire to stay in Detroit. He chose not to go into salary arbitration and played with HC Dynamo Moscow during the 2004–05 lockout. On September 4, 2005, Datsyuk signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Hockey League,[1] and Moscow Dynamo matched the offer two days later.[2]

On September 19, 2005, the day the arbitration committee of the Russian Hockey League was set to determine which club had Datsyuk's rights, Datsyuk agreed to a two-year deal with the Red Wings for a total of US$7.8 million.[2]

During the 2005–06 season, his high level of play combined with his exceptional sportsmanship (he recorded just 22 penalty minutes the entire season) won him the Lady Byng Trophy.[3], and would go on to a second Lady Byng award the following season. He also earned himself a spot on the Russian team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

During the 2006–07 season, Datsyuk debuted RBK's new hockey stick with holes bored into the shaft to make it more aerodynamic, dubbed the 9KO.[4]

On April 6, 2007, Pavel signed a 7 year contract extension with the Red Wings for US $46.9 million.

On January 8, 2008, Pavel was voted by the NHL fans to start for the Western Conference in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. He was voted to start the game along with teammates Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg.

Pavel has led the Red Wings in scoring for the last three seasons joining Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman as the only players in franchise history to lead the team in scoring in 3 consecutive seasons.

On April 24, 2008, it was announced that Pavel was one of the three finalists for the 2007-2008 Lady Byng Trophy. This was his third consecutive nomination for the Lady Byng. If Datsyuk wins the 2007-2008 Lady Byng Trophy, he will become the first NHL player to win the award three consecutive times in over 70 years. Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers was the last player to do so, winning the Lady Byng from 1933-35([1]).

On April 25, 2008, Datsyuk was also announced as a finalist for the 2007-2008 Frank J. Selke Trophy, along with his teammate Henrik Zetterberg ([2]). He and his fellow linemate Henrik Zetterberg have been nicknamed by commentators and the Detroit media as the "Euro Twins" and "The Pav and Hank Show".

Datsyuk scored his first career NHL hat trick on May 12, 2008, in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars in game three of the Western Conference Finals.

In Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, Datsyuk recorded two assists in Detroit's 3-2 win to clinch Detroit its 11th Stanley Cup and its fourth in 11 years.

[edit] Personal life

He and his wife Svetlana have a daughter, Elizabeth.[5]

[edit] Awards

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1996–97 Dynamo Yekaterinburg RSL 18 2 2 4 4 -- -- -- -- --
1997–98 Dynamo Yekaterinburg RSL 24 3 5 8 4 -- -- -- -- --
1998–99 Dynamo Yekaterinburg RSL 22 12 15 27 12 9 3 7 10 10
1999–00 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 15 1 3 4 4 - - - - -
2000–01 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 42 9 17 26 10 4 0 1 1 2
2001–02 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 11 24 35 4 21 3 3 6 2
2002–03 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 12 39 51 16 4 0 0 0 0
2003–04 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 30 38 68 35 12 0 6 6 2
2004–05 HC Dynamo Moscow RSL 47 15 17 32 16 10 6 3 9 4
2005–06 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 28 59 87 22 5 0 3 3 0
2006–07 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 27 60 87 20 18 8 8 16 8
2007–08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 31 66 97 20 22 10 13 23 6
RSL Totals 168 42 60 102 50 23 9 11 20 16
NHL Totals 445 139 286 425 117 76 21 33 54 18

[edit] International play

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice Hockey
Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City Ice Hockey

Played for Russia in:

International statistics

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
2002 Russia Oly 6 1 2 3 0
2003 Russia WC 7 1 4 5 0
2004 Russia WCH 4 1 0 1 0
2005 Russia WC 9 3 4 7 0
2006 Russia Oly 8 1 7 8 10
Senior int'l totals 34 7 17 24 10

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Kulfan, Ted (2005). Russian team signs Datsyuk. The Detroit News. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  2. ^ a b IIHF News: September news from around the hockey world. IIHF.com (2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  3. ^ Coffey, Phil (2006). Thornton, Lidstrom big winners at Awards Show. NHL.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  4. ^ Grossman, Evan (2007). Pushing the hockey envelope. NHL.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  5. ^ Datsyuk's family.http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii45/55fan/datschristmas.jpg

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Brad Richards		 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Winner
2006, 2007		 Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
Thomas Vanek		 Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
2008		 Succeeded by
incumbent