The Top 5 Russian Hockey Players of All Time

From Vasili Vladimirovich Markov to Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin, these are the top 5 Russian Hockey Players of all time.

Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian professional Ice Hockey winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft With 646 goals and 1,180 points in 1,088 games through the 2019–20 season, he has been one of the league’s most consistent goal-scorers, and is its eighth-highest all-time goal scorer.

Sergei Fedorov

Sergei Fedorov is widely considered one of the best Russian hockey players of all time. He was a key member of the Detroit Red Wings’ Stanley Cup winning teams in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward in 1994. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure is widely considered to be one of the top Russian Hockey players of all time. He was an electric player with a tremendous scoring touch, and he quickly became a fan favorite wherever he played. Bure spent parts of his career with the Vancouver Canucks the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Igor Larionov

With a decorated career that includes three Stanley Cups a Canada Cup, and an Olympic gold medal Igor Larionov is widely considered one of the best Russian hockey players of all time. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008, and his number 14 jersey was retired by the Detroit Red Wings in 2014.

Larionov began his career with HC CSKA Moscow in the late 1970s, where he helped the team win two Soviet championships. He made his debut with the national team in 1981 and went on to play in three World Championships and two Olympics. In 1989, he was part of the historic “Green Unit” line with Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov, which is often considered one of the best hockey lines of all time.

Larionov defected to North America in 1989 and joined the Vancouver Canucks, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings He won his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1997 and would go on to win two more titles with the team in 1998 and 2002. Larionov retired from hockey in 2004 but remains active as a player agent and as an ambassador for both hockey and Russia.

Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Tretiak is widely regarded as not only the best Russian hockey player of all time, but also as one of the best goaltenders in the history of the sport. He was born in Moscow in 1952 and began playing organized hockey at the age of eight. He joined the Central Red Army team in 1969 and played with them until his retirement in 1984. He was a member of the Soviet National Team from 1969 until he retired from international play in 1983.

Tretiak is perhaps best known for his performance at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, where he helped lead the Soviet team to a win over the heavily-favored United States team in the final game The Soviets went on to win the gold medal, with Tretiak named as the tournament’s most Valuable Player

Since retiring from playing, Tretiak has served as president of the Ice hockey Federation of Russia and as chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee He was inducted into both the International ice hockey Federation Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, and he was named one of The 100 Greatest NHL players during the league’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 2017.