Athletistic / Hockey. The NHL has been reluctant to accept foreign goaltenders for many years. Until the mid-1990s, when Czech Dominik Hasek moved into the league, only one non-North American goalie received the Vezina Trophy (award awarded to the best goalie of the season): in 1985, it was won by the Swedish Pelle Lindberg. of the Philadelphia Flyers. Only then came the era of Hasek, who was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the league six times. The Russian guards did not even approach the Vezina.

If Vladislav Tretiak had managed to play in the NHL, he probably would have received a Vezina, but he never played in the North American League. Nikolai Khabibulin, Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov were very good goaltenders, but their best years came during the era of Hasek and Canadian Martin Brodeur. Until 2013, Russia had not won the vote for the best goalie in the NHL.

Sergei Bobrovsky managed to break the vicious circle. The Novokuznetsk Metallurg graduate made his debut in adult hockey in the 2006/2007 season. Playing against Kuznya will greatly help Sergei in the future, because from an early age an unbearable burden fell on his shoulders. Bobrovsky repeatedly stopped over 50 shots per game and clearly stood out for his team. In 2007, he was invited to the All-Star Game of the Russian Super League. And that at 19 years old! It is even more surprising that Sergei was never drafted into the NHL.

Bobrovsky played for his native Metallurg until the end of the 2009/2010 season, after which, becoming a restricted free agent, he went abroad. On May 6, 2010, Sergei signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The “Pilots” immediately adopted him – at the end of the season, the Pennsylvania team lost its main goalkeeper Ray Emery. Bobrovsky performed well in summer camp and began to be considered for Philadelphia’s second goalie position. The first was Michael Leighton. However, the Canadian suffered a serious injury a few days before the start of the regular season, which is why Bobrovsky stepped on the ice in the Flyers’ first game of the season. The Russian’s debut in the NHL turned out to be magnificent, as he helped his team beat one of the best teams in the league and the irreconcilable rival of the “pilots” – the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Photo source: NHL

At the beginning of the season, Bobrovsky won 11 of 14 matches, leading the list of NHL goaltenders in victories, for which he was rightly recognized as the best NHL rookie of the month. In his first season, the Russian won 28 victories in the regular season and had a chance to participate in the playoffs. However, in the Stanley Cup, Bobrovsky played only the first and last games for Philadelphia, which ended in the playoffs after the second round.

This summer, the management of Philadelphia decided to sign a contract with Ilya Bryzgalov. A multimillion-dollar contract was concluded with another Russian (under which Bryzgalov still receives money). So, for the first time, an all-Russian team of goaltenders was formed in an NHL team. The bet, logically, was placed on Bryzgalov.

Sergei had no intention of being a reserve and, after completing his second season with the Flyers, requested a trade. On June 22, 2012, the Russian was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. But Bobrovsky could not quickly make his debut in the camp of the Ohio team – a lockout broke out at the NHR. During the lockout in the NHL, Sergei went to the KHL, where his rights already belonged to SKA. In 24 home matches, Bob won 18 times, conceding an average of just 1.95 goals per game. In early January, the NHL lockout ended, after which all players under contract in the North American League left the KHL.

Photo source: Columbus Blue Jackets HC

Columbus was terrible early in the lockout-shortened NHL season and quickly fell to last place in the Western Conference. Sergei Bobrovsky was not initially his new team’s first choice and shared playing time almost equally with Canadian Steve Mason. However, gradually the Russian won the competition against North America and became the first choice of the Blue Jackets goalkeeper team. In March, Columbus had a record 12-game point streak (undefeated in regulation). In 11 matches, Bobrovsky defended the team’s goal. During this time, the Russian conceded only 17 goals (less than 2 goals on average per game), and also had two shutouts (one game without conceding a goal). For his play, the Russian was recognized as the third star of the month of March.

At the end of the regular season, Columbus, thanks to an incredible effort, moved closer to the playoff limit. Bobrovsky stood tall, did unthinkable things in goal and managed to lead the team to eight victories in the last nine matches of the season. However, even this was not enough for the Jackets to reach the playoffs – according to additional indicators, they lost to the Minnesota Wild, who took 8th place in the West.

Even the failure of the club did not affect the recognition of Bobrovsky’s merits. By the end of the season, Sergei significantly improved his statistical indicators, becoming the second goalkeeper in the NHL in terms of the percentage of saved shots. For this, he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy. His opponents in this conflict were the current Vezina winner, Swede Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, as well as the Finnish goalkeeper of the San Jose Sharks, Antti Niemi. The fact that his team never made the playoffs, while the Rangers and San Jose reached the second round of the Stanley Cup, worked against Bobrovsky. But in the end, the 24-year-old Russian’s advantage over the Scandinavians turned out to be colossal.

The winner of the Vezina Trophy is traditionally determined by vote of the general managers of NHL clubs. For each first place, the goalkeeper receives five points, for second – three, and for third – one. In 2013, Bobrovsky scored 110 points (17 first places), exactly twice ahead of Henrik Lundqvist (55 points), who became second. Many general managers then explained their choice by the fact that if Lundqvist or Niemi had defended the Columbus goal, they would not have been able to participate in the playoffs either.

Photo source: NHL

After his third season in North America, Sergei Bobrovsky reached a peak that had never been reached by other Russian goaltenders. By receiving the Vezina, Bob became the first goalkeeper from the post-Soviet space and only the sixth European to receive such an honor.

In the 2016/2017 season, Bobrovsky received his second Vezina and almost won the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the NHL season. In Columbus, Sergei was in his place, but still did not stay in Ohio for long. The Russian was unable to qualify for the Stanley Cup with the Blue Jackets. At the end of the 2018/2019 season, he left the club and signed a seven-year contract worth $70 million with the Florida Panthers. The Russian’s first seasons with the Panthers were mixed, but he managed to improve things. Bobrovsky led Florida to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in a row. If in 2023 his efforts were not enough for the team to win the trophy, then in 2024 the Russian approached his cherished goal. Bobrovsky, more than anyone, deserves to hold the Stanley Cup above his head. Maybe not just him, because the Conn Smythe Trophy (the prize awarded to the MVP of the playoffs) could well end up in the Russian goalkeeper’s collection.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic



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