Biography
At present, the name of Pavel Datsyuk is known to all hockey fans. He is called “Genius”, “Wizard” and many other flattering words … Such nicknames stick to him as if by themselves. After all, it is very difficult not to admire the game of a talented striker.
At 35, Pavel still plays in the NHL and is regularly called up to the Russian national team. In his life was the gold of the 2012 World Cup and two Stanley Cups. He participated in the NHL All-Star Game several times, and also became the owner of the Lady Byng Trophy, an award for outstanding gentlemanly qualities. Today Datsyuk is at the top, but what was his way up? Where did his hockey career begin, and what significant stages did his biography contain? We will try to understand all this today.
The early years of Pavel Datsyuk and the first steps in hockey Pavel
Datsyuk was born in provincial Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). It was here that his professional hockey career began. The future forward learned the basics of sports discipline in the local sports school “Yunost”.
The first coach of Pavel was the famous specialist Valery Goloukhov, who also brought up Alexei Yashin and many other talented players. It was he who identified the young striker in his first professional club. Such was the Yekaterinburg “Spartak”, which played in one of the junior hockey leagues in Russia.
Pavel spent one year in this team, after which he began to play for another local club – Dynamo-Energia. In his second professional team, Datsyuk spent three seasons. It is quite remarkable that the player’s statistics during this period were quite average.
Moreover, due to his small size (height – 178 cm).
Pavel always played secondary roles in the team.
He was not trusted with the realization of the majority. And in the first links “raised” quite rarely. That is why getting into the NHL draft was a pleasant surprise for Pavel.
True, in 1996 and 1997, the hockey player was never chosen by any of the clubs. A year later, the young player was drafted by the famous Detroit Red Wings team with a total of 171 numbers.
The management of the North American team really liked his style of play and hockey skills, however, certain doubts related to his physical condition were still present.
As noted by overseas experts, they were not completely sure that the Russian would grow up strong and strong enough to play in the NHL. However, getting into the structure of the Detroit “Red Wings” gave a new impetus to the career of Pavel Datsyuk. Over the years, he has built up impressive muscle mass and began to perform more often in a more powerful manner.
In 2000, the hockey player joined the ranks of Kazan Ak Bars, one of the most titled clubs in Russia. In 42 matches for the club from Tatarstan, the forward scored 27 points on the “goal + pass” system and became the silver medalist of the Russian championship.
Datsyuk made his first debut with the Russian national team at the World Championships in Germany. The hockey player went to the world championship as a player from Kazan Ak Bars. However, immediately after that he joined the Detroit Red Wings.
Pavel Datsyuk’s career in the NHL
In 2001, three years after that fateful draft, Pavel Datsyuk made his debut in the National Hockey League.
Detroit had high hopes for the young hockey player. The team was on the move and already had a lot of world-class stars in its composition. Moreover, remarkable personalities met not only on the ice, but also on the coaching bridge. At that time, Igor Larionov and Scotty Bowman worked on the team’s game.
It was they who made a significant contribution to the formation of Datsyuk as a world hockey star. They taught him many aspects of the game and supported him in case of mistakes. The Red Wings were racing towards their next Stanley Cup. Pavel Datsyuk went on the ice with Boyd Devereaux and Brett Hull. In his debut season, the Russian gave 24 assists and scored 11 goals in the NHL championship.
Having shown an excellent ability to use a club, Datsyuk made a significant contribution in the playoffs as well, gaining 6 points according to the “goal + pass” system. Thanks to his inspired play, Pavel made a name for himself overseas and won his first trophy in 2002 – the coveted Stanley Cup.
It is worth noting that there will be many more awards in the career of a talented hockey player.
In 2005, during the NHL lockout, Datsyuk moved to Dynamo Moscow, with which he won the Russian Championship. It is quite remarkable that this season he was also recognized as the most valuable player in the playoffs and the regular season.
After the end of the season, the hockey player went to Austria, where, together with the Russian national team, he won bronze medals at the World Championship. In 2005, due to disagreements over the amount of the contract, Pavel Datsyuk again briefly left the NHL. Returning to Russia, he signed a contract with Omsk Avangard, but he never played a single official match for this club. The labor agreement with Detroit was signed on mutually beneficial terms. The contract amount was $ 7.9 million.
In 2008, as part of the same Red Wings, Pavel won his second Stanley Cup. Speaking of other significant awards in the player’s career, a number of individual prizes should be noted (Frank J. Selkie Trophy, Lady Bing Trophy, Kharlamov Trophy), as well as silver (2010) and gold (2012) World Championship. In addition, Pavel Datsyuk’s personal collection of medals also contains the bronze of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Currently, the player is still playing in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings. In 2013, the forward earned the 1000th career point.
Personal life of Pavel Datsyuk
Pavel Datsyuk is married. The player met his chosen one Svetlana in one of the cafes of his native Yekaterinburg. Soon, a couple of lovers had a daughter, Lisa. Currently, the hockey player’s wife and daughter live in Russia. Lisa goes to school and learns to play the piano.
