One of the last players to be manufactured from the U.S.S.R., Vyacheslav Kozlov played for the Soviet Union as a Junior and was a two-time Silver Medalist in the World Junior Hockey Championship.  Entering the NHL two months before his 20^th birthday, Kozlov would provide a solid scoring touch for the Detroit Red Wings a team he was comfortable with as they had four other Russians on the team.  With Detroit he would have two 70 Point seasons but more importantly was a cog in the machine that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 & 1998.

Alexander Mogilny may not go down as the best player (though he is up there) to come from Russia but he may be the one who broke down the most barriers in the NHL. Mogilny was the first player from the Soviet Union to defect to the west, the first Russian to make an NHL All-Star Team, and the first European to be an NHL captain. Mogilny was a brilliant scorer whose whopping 76 goals led the league in the 1992-93 season. Although hip injuries prevented him from keeping that scoring touch late in his career, “Alexander the Great” went down as the second leading Russian scorer in NHL history and is a select member of the Triple Gold Club (Olympic Gold, World Championship Gold, and Stanley Cup). It shouldn’t be a surprise if Alexander Mogilny is the next Russian to enter the Hall.

With a devastating wrist shot and smooth skating skills, Sergei Gonchar has quietly put together a very good career in professional hockey. Gonchar is a four-time All-Star and had eight seasons of fifty points plus which is very good for a defenseman. With over twenty campaigns in the National Hockey League, Gonchar had a great career, but without that elusive Norris Trophy, the Russian may not be considered for the Hall despite being a two time Second Team All-Star. Perhaps his four All-Star Appearances and international play with Russia will assist his chances.

While Nikolai Khabibulin actually has a losing won/loss record in the NHL, nobody can say that he did not have a very good career in the National Hockey League.  The “Bulin Wall” may never have been considered the top goaltender in the league (or maybe even in the top three), but he was always better than most of his peers and did backstop the Lightning to a Stanley Cup, becoming the first Russian to do so. Throw in the fact that he also had an excellent performance leading the Russians to the Olympic Gold Medal; you have the makings of a fringe candidate for the Hall of Fame.

With the distinction the first ever Russian born player to be drafted in the first round by a team in the National Hockey League, Alexei Kovalev did not disappoint. Kovalev would score over 1,000 Points in the NHL and is a winner of the Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal as a member of the 1992 Unified Team. The crafty forward was a three-time All-Star and would earn Second Team All-Star honors once in his career.