Sergei Gonchar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sergei Gonchar |
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Gonchar in March 2018
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| Born | 13 April 1974 Chelyabinsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Traktor Chelyabinsk Dynamo Moscow Washington Capitals Lada Togliatti Boston Bruins Metallurg Magnitogorsk Pittsburgh Penguins Ottawa Senators Dallas Stars Montreal Canadiens |
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| National team |  Russia |
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| NHL Draft | 14th overall, 1992 Washington Capitals |
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| Playing career | 1991–2015 | ||
Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar (Russian: Серге́й Ви́кторович Гонча́р; born 13 April 1974) is a former professional ice hockey player from Russia. He played as a defenceman for many teams in the NHL from 1995 to 2015. Sergei is famous for winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. After his playing career, he became a coach. Currently, he works as a Defensive Development Coach for the Vancouver Canucks.
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Sergei Gonchar's Hockey Journey
Starting in Russia
Sergei Gonchar began his professional hockey career in 1991. He played for Traktor Chelyabinsk in Russia. Later, he also played two seasons for Dynamo Moscow.
Joining the NHL: Washington Capitals
In 1992, the Washington Capitals picked Sergei in the first round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 14th player chosen overall. He started playing in North America in 1994 with the Portland Pirates, a team connected to the Capitals.
Sergei made his first NHL appearance with the Capitals on February 7, 1995. In his first full season, he scored 41 points. This showed everyone he was a strong offensive defenceman.
Making History as a Defenceman
Sergei Gonchar set some cool records. In the 1998–99 season, he became the first Russian defenceman to score more than 20 goals in a single season. The next year, he scored over 50 points for the first time. He was even considered one of the best defencemen in the NHL, finishing fifth in the voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy.
He continued to have strong seasons, scoring 57 and 67 points in different years. Because of his great play, he was named to the second All-Star team twice.
In 2004, after playing ten seasons with the Capitals, Sergei was traded to the Boston Bruins. He finished that season leading all NHL defencemen in points. Between 2000 and 2004, Sergei scored more points than any other defenceman in the league.
Playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Sergei went back to Russia. He played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk with future Penguins teammates Petr Sýkora and Evgeni Malkin. After the lockout, Sergei signed a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005.
In his second season with Pittsburgh, he tied his career high with 67 points. Sergei also helped rookie Evgeni Malkin when he first came to the U.S. from Russia.
In the 2007–08 season, Sergei helped lead the Penguins to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. This was the team's first trip to the finals since 1992. He had 65 points in the regular season and 14 points in the playoffs. Even though they lost to the Detroit Red Wings, Sergei was still recognized as one of the best defencemen.
Sergei faced some tough injuries. In 2008, he dislocated his shoulder and missed many months. He came back in February 2009 and helped the Penguins make the playoffs. Later, he had a serious knee injury during the playoffs. Even with a partially torn knee ligament, he kept playing! Sergei and the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. They beat the Detroit Red Wings in an exciting seven-game series.
He continued to be a top player, even with injuries. In the 2009–10 season, he scored his 200th NHL goal. This made him the first Russian defenceman to ever reach that milestone.
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From 2000 to 2010, Sergei Gonchar scored 500 points. This was the second-highest among all NHL defencemen during that time. He also led the league in goals scored by a defenceman in that period.
Later NHL Teams
On July 1, 2010, Sergei signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators. During another NHL lockout in 2012–13, he played in Russia again for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He was later traded to the Dallas Stars in 2013 and then to the Montreal Canadiens in 2014.
In 2015, the Canadiens announced that Sergei would not return. He tried out for the Pittsburgh Penguins again but was not signed. This marked the end of his amazing playing career.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Sergei Gonchar became a coach. In October 2015, he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as a development coach. He helped the Penguins win two more Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017! Because of his success, he was promoted to a full-time assistant coach in 2017.
In August 2020, his contract with the Penguins ended. Then, in January 2023, the Vancouver Canucks hired Sergei Gonchar as a Defensive Development Coach. The Canucks were excited to add him to their team, saying he brings "championship pedigree" and lots of experience as an NHL defenceman.
Awards and Achievements
Sergei Gonchar has achieved many great things in his hockey career:
- Led NHL defencemen in goals during the 1997-1998 NHL Playoffs (7 goals).
- Led NHL defencemen in goals (26) and points (59) in 2001-2002.
- Led NHL defencemen in goals (18) in 2002-2003.
- Led NHL defencemen in assists (47) and points (58) in 2003-2004.
- Led NHL defencemen in assists (54) in 2006-2007.
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game five times: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008.
- Named to the NHL second All-Star team in 2002 and 2003.
- Won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a player in 2009.
- Won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a development coach in 2016 and 2017.
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Russia |
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 1998 Nagano | |
| Bronze | 2002 Salt Lake City | |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2010 Germany | |
| Bronze | 2007 Russia | |
Sergei Gonchar proudly represented Russia in many international tournaments. He won two Olympic medals: a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
He also played in the 1993 World Junior Championship, two World Cups, and three World Championships.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990–91 | Mechel Chelyabinsk | USSR-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | CIS | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Mechel Chelyabinsk | CIS-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Dynamo Moscow | IHL | 31 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 70 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 1992–93 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | RUS-2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Dynamo Moscow | IHL | 44 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1993–94 | Portland Pirates | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 61 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 31 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 78 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 57 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Lada Togliatti | RSL | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 72 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 66 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 30 | ||
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 53 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 73 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 52 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2000–01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 70 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 18 | 49 | 67 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 56 | 7 | 42 | 49 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 15 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 40 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 57 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 12 | 46 | 58 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 82 | 13 | 54 | 67 | 72 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 78 | 12 | 53 | 65 | 66 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 25 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 62 | 11 | 39 | 50 | 49 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 67 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 74 | 5 | 32 | 37 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 37 | 3 | 26 | 29 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 45 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 2013–14 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 76 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,301 | 220 | 591 | 811 | 981 | 141 | 22 | 68 | 90 | 102 | ||||
International Play Statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Russia | EJC | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | |
| 1993 | Russia | WJC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 1996 | Russia | WCH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2000 | Russia | WC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Russia | WCH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2006 | Russia | OLY | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2007 | Russia | WC | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2010 | Russia | OLY | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Russia | WC | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 52 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 26 | |||
See also
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
