Sergei Pryakhin
Sergei Pryakhin | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Moscow, Soviet Union | December 7, 1963||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Krylya Sovetov Moscow Calgary Flames ZΓΌrcher SC Kiekko-Espoo Oji Eagles | ||
National team | Soviet Union | ||
NHL Draft |
252nd overall, 1988 Calgary Flames | ||
Playing career | 1980β2000 |
Sergei Vasilievich Pryakhin (sometimes Priakin; born December 7, 1963) is a Russian former ice hockey forward who played 20 seasons in several leagues. He is a former captain of Krylya Sovetov Moscow (Soviet Wings) of the Soviet League and is best known in North America for being the first Soviet given permission to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He joined the Calgary Flames in 1989 and played parts of three seasons in the NHL. Pryakhin returned to Europe in 1991 where he spent three seasons in Switzerland with ZΓΌrcher SC, then four in Finland with Kiekko-Espoo. He also played with the Oji Eagles in Japan for one year before returning to Kryla for a final season before retiring in 2000.
Internationally, Pryakhin was a member of the Soviet national team. He appeared in two World Junior Championships and won a gold medal in 1983. He was a member of two World Championship teams, winning a silver medal in 1987 and gold in 1990. Pryakhin was also a member of the second place Soviet team at the 1987 Canada Cup.
Playing career
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Soviet Union | ||
Men's ice hockey | ||
World Junior Championship | ||
1983 Soviet Union | ||
World Championship | ||
1987 Austria | ||
1990 Switzerland |
Pryakhin's top level career began in 1980 when he appeared in one Soviet League for Krylya Sovetov Moscow (better known in North America as the Soviet Wings). He joined the team full-time in 1981β82 as a 17-year-old, appearing in 43 games for the Wings.[1] Pryakhin's debut with the Soviet national team came the 1982 World Junior Hockey Championship in a fourth-place finish. He returned for the 1983 tournament and scored six points in seven games to help the Soviets win the gold medal.[2]
A mid-level player on both the Wings and the national team,[3] Pryakhin's best seasons in the Soviet league came in 1983β84 when he scored 18 goals, and 1986β87 when he had 32 points.[1] He ultimately rose to become captain of the Wings.[4] He was a member of a Soviet squad that won a silver medal at the 1987 World Championship and finished as runners-up to Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup.[2]
The National Hockey League (NHL)'s Calgary Flames, anticipating that it would be easier to convince the Soviet Hockey Federation to release a non-star member of their national team to play in North America, opted to select Pryakhin with the 252nd, and last, pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.[4] The Soviets began negotiations with the Flames in February 1989, and he signed a contract with Calgary on March 29. He became the first Soviet player permitted by his national federation to play in the NHL.[3] Pryakhin made his NHL debut on March 31 against the Winnipeg Jets.[5] He was the second Soviet player to appear in an NHL game, following Victor Nechayev.[6] Pryahkin appeared in the Flames' final two games of the regular season, and one game of the 1989 playoffs as the Flames went on to win the Stanley Cup. He did not play enough games or in the finals so his name was left off the Cup. Calgary did give Pryakhin a Stanley Cup ring, and included him on the team picture.[1]
Pryahkin scored his first NHL goal on October 10, 1989, against the New Jersey Devils.[6] He appeared in 20 games with the Flames in 1989β90 and scored 2 goals and 4 points. He added 1 goal and 6 assists in 24 games in 1990β91 and made appearances with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, Calgary's International Hockey League affiliate in both seasons.[1] Internationally, Pryahkin appeared in three games and won a gold medal with the Soviet team at the 1990 World Championship.[2]
Returning to Europe in 1991β92, Pryahkin joined ZΓΌrcher SC of the Swiss top division. He was a member of the team for three seasons, splitting 1992β93 with Krylya Sovetov in his Russian home, before moving onto the Finnish SM-liiga for four seasons with Kiekko-Espoo. Pryahkin spent a season in Japan in 1998β99 before closing out his career with Krylya Sovetov in the Russian second division in 2000.[1]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1979β80 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1980β81 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1981β82 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 43 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 23 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1982β83 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 35 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 18 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1983β84 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 44 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 24 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1984β85 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 32 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 10 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1985β86 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 39 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 16 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1986β87 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 40 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 18 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1987β88 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 44 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 16 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1988β89 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 44 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 23 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1988β89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1989β90 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 20 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1989β90 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1990β91 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 24 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1990β91 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 18 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 2 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1991β92 | ZΓΌrcher SC | NLA | 42 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
1992β93 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | Soviet | 20 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1992β93 | ZΓΌrcher SC | NLA | 23 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
1993β94 | ZΓΌrcher SC | NLA | 29 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 20 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1994β95 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-liiga | 50 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
1995β96 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-liiga | 49 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 53 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1996β97 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-liiga | 50 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1997β98 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-liiga | 46 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
1998β99 | Oji Eagles | Japan | 19 | 6 | 10 | 16 | β | β | β | β | β | β | ||
1999β00 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow | RUS-2 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | β | β | β | β | β | ||
Soviet totals | 343 | 96 | 103 | 199 | 158 | β | β | β | β | β | ||||
NHL totals | 46 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
NLA totals | 94 | 52 | 45 | 97 | 56 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | ||||
SM-liiga totals | 195 | 48 | 93 | 141 | 179 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
International
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Soviet Union | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
1983 | Soviet Union | WJC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 | |
1987 | Soviet Union | WC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
1987 | Soviet Union | CC | 2nd | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
1990 | Soviet Union | WC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Junior totals | 14 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 17 | |||
Senior totals | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
References
- Career statistics: "Sergei Priakin player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Sergei Priakin player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- 1 2 3 Podnieks, Andrew, ed. (2011). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2012. International Ice Hockey Federation. p. 508. ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
- 1 2 Mifflin, Lawrie (1989-03-30). "N.H.L. team signs first Soviet player, and he's a surprise". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- 1 2 Cotton, Crosbie (1989-04-10). "A red-letter day". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- β Duhatschek, Eric (1989-04-01). "Priakin loves playing in 'Dome". Calgary Herald. p. G1.
- 1 2 Halls, Pat, ed. (1990). 1990β91 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
External links
- Sergei Pryakhin career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Sergei Pryakhin profile at Eurohockey.com