The biographical information was provided by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
General Interests
Hobbies: He plays billiards and goes fishing. (Sport-Express, 26 Mar 2009)
Club name: Pittsburgh Penguins: Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Coach: Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh Penguins, 25 Aug 2009)
Position / Style: Forward (IHWC.net 2005)
Handedness: Shoots left (IHWC.net 2005)
Sporting Relatives: His father, Vladimir, and his brother, Denis, both played in the Metallurg Magnitogorsk hockey system. He also played for Metallurg before moving to the NHL. (pittsburgh.about.com, 25 Aug 2009)
Debut: 2005 for Russia, World Championships, Austria (Hockey Hall of Fame, 04 Dec 2005)
Injuries: He missed seven games after straining his right shoulder in October 2009. (thehockeynews.com, 07 Jan 2010)
He missed four games in October 2006 after dislocating his left shoulder. (thehockeynews.com, 07 Jan 2010)
In 2004 he suffered from concussion and in 2003 he sprained his knee in the World Cup after colliding with the goalkeeper and a defender. (Russian Prospects, 07 Jun 2005)
As the pilot for the USA-1 bobsled, I broke a 62-year gold medal drought when my sled, the 'Night Train" won the Olympic title at the 2010 Vancouver Games. A degenerative eye condition nearly caused me to quit my sport in 2008, but corrective surgery restored my vision to 20-20.
