Aleksandr MOGILNY

Aleksandr Mogilny began his hockey career with CSKA Moskva in 1986, playing there until the 1989 World Junior Championships, when he defected to the West. After defecting Mogilny played the next six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL. Mogilny tied Teemu Selänne for the most goals scored in the 1992–93 NHL season, with 76 goals, becoming the first European to lead the league. In 1995 Mogilny joined the Vancouver Canucks and in 2000 joined the New Jersey Devils, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2000. From 2001-04 Mogilny played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 2003. Mogilny finished his career back with the Devils in 2005-06. He was the first Russian to be named to the NHL All-Star Team, to be named captain of an NHL team, and at the end of 2009, is the second all-time Russian scorer in the NHL. Mogilny was the second Russian player to score 1,000 points in the NHL, reaching the milestone just a few days after Sergey Fyodorov. Internationally Mogilny played for the Soviet national team for two seasons and won Olympic gold in 1988 and was World and European Champion in 1989. He also won at the 1989 World Junior Championships and his team was second at the 1988 World Junior Championships, when he was named as the best forward. In 1996 Mogilny won a bronze medal at the World Cup.