Sergei Gonchar
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Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg/15 st 5 lb)
NHL Team F. teams	Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Boston Bruins
Nationality	Russia
Born	April 13, 1974 (1974-04-13) (age 34), Chelyabinsk, U.S.S.R.
NHL Draft	14th overall, 1992 Washington Capitals
Pro career	1991 – present

Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar (Russian: Сергей Викторович Гончар, Sergej Gončar; born 13 April 1974 in Chelyabinsk, USSR) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman and an alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He has also played for the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins.

Playing career

Sergei Gonchar began his professional career in 1991 with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Russian Super League. He also played two seasons for Moscow Dynamo.

Gonchar was the 1st round pick, 14th overall, of the Washington Capitals in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He began his North American career in 1994, suiting up in two playoff games for the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. He continued with Portland in 1994–95, before making his NHL debut, with the Capitals, on February 7, 1995 against the Buffalo Sabres.¹ He would appear in 31 games total during the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. The following year, in his first full-length campaign in the NHL, Gonchar would tally 41 points, showing his potential as an effective offensive defenceman.

Sergei Gonchar in action with Pittsburgh

After 57 and 67-point (tied for a career high) seasons in 2000–01 and 2002–03 respectively, Gonchar was named to the Second All-Star Team both seasons.

On March 3, 2004, in his ninth season with the Capitals, Gonchar was traded to the Boston Bruins for Shaone Morrisonn and two draft picks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Finishing the season with Boston, he would tally 58 points, leading all league defencemen.¹ Between 2000 and 2004, Gonchar recorded more points than any other defenceman, with 74 goals and 241 points.^{citation needed}

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Gonchar returned to Russia to play for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he played with future teammates Petr Sýkora and Evgeni Malkin.¹ After the lockout, Gonchar signed a 5-year, $25 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 4, 2005.²

In 2006–07, his second season with Pittsburgh, Gonchar tied a career-high with 67 points. In addition to his on-ice duties for the Penguins, Gonchar housed rookie Evgeni Malkin when he arrived from Russia in October 2006.³

The following season, Gonchar helped lead the Penguins with offensive superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals – the franchise's first finals appearance since 1992. After a 65-point regular season (the eighth 50-plus point season of his career), Gonchar added 14 points in 20 playoff games en route to a match-up against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite staving off elimination in a game five overtime win, the Penguins were defeated in game six.

During the first game of the 2008–09 pre-season, Gonchar was hit into the boards by David Koci in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, dislocating his shoulder. It was reported that he will miss 4-6 months after opting for arthroscopic surgery.⁴ While both Gonchar and defensive partner Brooks Orpik claimed the hit was late, well after Gonchar had completed a pass, it was also asserted by coach Michel Therrien as a clean hit and that Koci had simply "finished his check".⁵⁶

Awards

• NHL All-Star Game - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008
• NHL Second All-Star Team - 2001, 2003

Career statistics

International play

Gonchar is a two-time Olympic medal-winner with Team Russia. He earned a silver medal at the 1998 Games, and a bronze medal at the 2002 Games.

In addition, Gonchar also competed in the 1993 World Junior Championships, two World Cups and two World Championships.

External links

• Sergei Gonchar at ESPN.com

• Sergei Gonchar's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

References