Alexei Ponikarovsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexei Ponikarovsky |
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Ponikarovsky with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012
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| Born | 9 April 1980 Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Krylya Sovetov Dynamo Moscow Toronto Maple Leafs Khimik Voskresensk Pittsburgh Penguins Los Angeles Kings Carolina Hurricanes New Jersey Devils Donbass Donetsk Winnipeg Jets SKA Saint Petersburg Kunlun Red Star |
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| National team |  Ukraine |
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| NHL Draft | 87th overall, 1998 Toronto Maple Leafs |
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| Playing career | 1998–2018 | ||
Alexei Ponikarovsky (born April 9, 1980) is a former professional ice hockey player. He was a left winger and played for many teams. He has both Ukrainian and Canadian citizenship. He also holds Russian citizenship.
Alexei played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams. These included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets. The Maple Leafs picked him in the third round of the 1998 NHL entry draft.
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Hockey Journey
Alexei started playing hockey when he was young. He even played in a big youth tournament in Quebec in 1994. His first professional team was HC Dynamo Moscow in Russia. He played for their junior teams from 1995 to 1999. He became a regular player for the main Dynamo Moscow team in the 1999–2000 season. That year, Dynamo won the Russian Superleague (RSL) championship.
In 1998–99, he also played a few games for Krylya Sovetov Moscow. He then played for THK Tver before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Time with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Ponikarovsky joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2000–01 NHL season. He also spent some time playing for their minor league team, the St. John's Maple Leafs. By the 2003–04 NHL season, he was a full-time player for Toronto.
The 2005–06 NHL season was a great year for Alexei. He scored more goals and points than ever before. He also helped his team by playing on the penalty-kill unit. This is when a team has fewer players on the ice. He even scored four shorthanded goals that season.
On December 16, 2006, he had an amazing game against the New York Rangers. He scored two goals and had three assists, totaling five points. His teammates often called him "The Poni Express" or "The Ukraine Train." The Maple Leafs signed him to a new contract in 2007.
Moving to Other NHL Teams
On March 2, 2010, Ponikarovsky was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored his first goal with the Penguins just a few days later. After that season, he signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings in July 2010.
In 2011, he signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. Then, in January 2012, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. He played well for the Devils, scoring 18 points in 33 games. He helped them reach the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. He even scored an overtime winning goal in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In July 2012, Ponikarovsky signed with the Winnipeg Jets. However, there was a lockout in the NHL that year. So, he played for a team in Ukraine called HC Donbass for a while. After the lockout ended, he returned to the Jets. In February 2013, he was traded back to the New Jersey Devils.
Playing in the KHL
After the 2012–13 NHL season, Alexei decided to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He signed a two-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in Russia in August 2013. He played alongside his former Devils teammate, Ilya Kovalchuk, there. He also played for Kunlun Red Star before ending his career in 2018.
Life Outside Hockey
On June 7, 2007, Alexei Ponikarovsky became a Canadian citizen. He lives in Miami with his wife, Inna, and their children, Jessica, Alex, and Maxim. He also still owns a house in Toronto. He often wore the number 23 because two of his grandparents and his wife were born on the 23rd day of the month.
