| Alexei Yashin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Yashin withSKA Saint Petersburg in 2010 | |||
| Born | (1973-11-05)5 November 1973 (age 51) Sverdlovsk,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg; 16 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Avtomobilist Sverdlovsk Dynamo Moscow Ottawa Senators CSKA Moscow New York Islanders Lokomotiv Yaroslavl SKA Saint Petersburg | ||
| National team |  Unified Team and Russia | ||
| NHL draft | 2nd overall,1992 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 1990–2012 | ||
Alexei Valeryevich Yashin (Russian:Алексей Валерьевич Яшин; born 5 November 1973) is a Russian former professionalice hockeycentre who played 12 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for theOttawa Senators andNew York Islanders, serving as captain of both teams. He also played nine seasons in theRussian Superleague (RSL) andKontinental Hockey League (KHL) forDynamo Moscow,CSKA Moscow,Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, andSKA Saint Petersburg. He was inducted into theIIHF Hall of Fame in 2020.
Yashin received his initial fame for being the first draft pick in the history of the expansion Ottawa Senators (second overall in the1992 NHL Entry Draft). After remaining in Russia for the 1992–93 season withDynamo Moscow, Yashin arrived inOttawa for the1993–94 NHL season, along with Ottawa's other highly touted young draft selection,Alexandre Daigle. Yashin soon eclipsed Daigle as the team's brightest young star, scoring 79 points in his rookie season and earning a nomination for theCalder Memorial Trophy.
Subsequent seasons saw him emerge as a star player in the NHL, helping Ottawa make theStanley Cup playoffs for the first time in1997. In the1998 playoffs, he scored a key overtime goal against theNew Jersey Devils that helped the Senators win their first ever playoff series.
Yashin was eventually named teamcaptain of the Senators, and the pinnacle of his career came in the1998–99 season when he scored 94 points. At the conclusion of the season, Yashin was runner-up for theHart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's most valuable player, and named an NHL Second Team All-Star. Yashin's regular season success did not carry over into the1999 playoffs, and the Senators were swept in the first round by theBuffalo Sabres.
Off the ice, Yashin's time in Ottawa was tumultuous. Senators' management initially viewed Daigle, who had been selected first overall in the1993 NHL Entry Draft, as the franchise's cornerstone player. While they hesitated in offering Yashin a five-year, $4 million contract, they signed Daigle to one of the largest rookie contracts in history and touted him over Yashin for the Calder Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the 1993–94 season.[1] Several nasty contract disputes later developed between Yashin and the team, beginning when Yashin refused to honour his contract at the onset of the1995–96 season, unless the terms were renegotiated to make him the team's highest-paid player. Some commentators have sympathized with Yashin's position in the initial disputes, as Daigle had struggled to live up to his billing while Yashin's offensive numbers exceeded Daigle's in every season they played together on the Senators, yet the team inexplicably paid Daigle a higher salary.[1]
In 1998, Yashin initially pledged to give $1 million to theNational Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa, the Centre's largest ever donation.[2] The Senators had earlier collaborated with the NAC to produce the 1998–99 season program titled "Symphony on Ice", which featured Senators head coachJacques Martin on the front cover wearing atuxedo and waving a conductor's baton, while NAC music directorPinchas Zukerman was shown in the Senators' locker room with a #00 Senators jersey. When the NAC learned that one of the conditions of this donation was for them to pay Yashin's parents $425,000 in consulting fees for "loosely defined" services, they balked and Yashin cancelled the donation. The failed arrangement was a public relations disaster for Yashin and his family, and served to further damage Yashin's already strained relationship with the Ottawa public.[3]
Yashin's relationship with the Senators reached a new low after the1998–99 season. He refused to honour the final year of his contract and demanded a pay raise (he would have earned $3.6 million that year, compared to other star centremen in the NHL such asSteve Yzerman andJoe Sakic, who each made $6–7 million).[4] When the Senators refused, Yashin demanded a trade on the advice of his agent, Mark Gandler.[5] This was the third time that Yashin demanded a new contract during his five years with the team. The Senators refused to trade Yashin, instead stripping him of his captaincy and issuing it toDaniel Alfredsson. When Yashin still refused to report, the Senators suspended him for the remainder of the 1999–2000 season on 10 November, with the full support of the NHL. Yashin attempted to sign with a team in Switzerland, but theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended him from playing internationally until the dispute was resolved. After the season, an NHL arbitrator refused to grant Yashin the free agent status he claimed to have earned, insteadtolling his contract for another season on the grounds that Yashin owed the Senators the final year of his contract if he ever returned to the NHL. In contrast to earlier contract disputes where many sympathized with his situation, the latest holdout caused many journalists and Senators' fans to sour on him.
Yashin returned to the Senators for the2000–01 season. Despite being jeered by the crowd in every NHL arena, including Ottawa, Yashin had a solid regular season offensively. The Senators won the Northeast Division and made the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They were paired against the seventh-seededToronto Maple Leafs. Yashin had a poor series and did not attend the final team meeting, held after the Senators' early playoff exit.
On draft day,2001, Yashin was sent to theNew York Islanders in exchange for defencemanZdeno Chára, forwardBill Muckalt and the second overall draft selection, which the Senators used to draft highly touted centreJason Spezza.[6] Islanders' general managerMike Milbury promptly re-signed Yashin to an enormous ten-year, $87.5 million contract. Although his contract was reduced by 24% due to the newNHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2005, Yashin was widely considered to be grossly overpaid and virtually untradeable.[7]
After joining the Islanders, Yashin's point production declined. While he helped his new team make the playoffs for the first time in eight years in2001–02, the Islanders were still unable to advance beyond the first round. The Isles lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a hard-fought seven game series in 2001–02 and then lost in five games to Ottawa in2002–03 and the eventual championTampa Bay Lightning in2003–04. Yashin's play was generally praised in 2001–02, as he carried the team's offence for stretches during the season. The following years, his mediocre point production led people both inside and outside the Islanders organization to question his effort and salary.
Prior to the2005–06 season, the Islanders lost several key players to free agency or retirement and significantly retooled their roster. CaptainMichael Peca was traded to free up room to sign free agents such as high-scoring wingMiroslav Šatan[8] and Yashin became team captain.[9] Journalists suggested that the team had finally been built around Yashin and would sink or swim with his performance. A common defence of Yashin's decreased offensive output had been the lack of a legitimate first line winger to play with him. Šatan and Yashin showed signs of chemistry early in the season, but generally produced disappointing results. When Šatan was moved off Yashin's line, his offensive output increased markedly. After the season ended with the Islanders out of the playoffs for the first time since his arrival, Yashin acknowledged that he needed to score more. After the season ended, there had been speculation that the Islanders would buy out his contract and rebuild in a different image, but the team decided to retain him.
An October 2006 article inNewsday suggested that Yashin must "make a difference" in2006–07 or he will be bought out at the end of the season.[10] By the 20-game mark, Yashin was earning praise in the local media for the first time in recent memory, and his point totals were among the league leaders.[11] On 25 November 2006, Yashin suffered a knee sprain after taking a knee-to-knee hit. He initially returned after a few weeks, but his effectiveness was reduced, and the team revealed that the knee was not 100%. Early in February, Islanders head coachTed Nolan decided to rest Yashin until his knee was completely healthy, which prompted questions about whether the team still had faith in Yashin and whether the re-injury was legitimate or a pretext for benching him.[12]
Yashin finally returned to the line-up on 8 March 2007, recording 13 points (five goals and eight assists) in 16 games which helped the Islanders clinch the eighth and final playoff berth in theEastern Conference. In the first round series against the Buffalo Sabres, Yashin registered no points in five games and at times was demoted to the fourth line by head coach Ted Nolan.[13] The Islanders decided to buy-out the remainder of Yashin's contract in June 2007, according to a report inNewsday.[14] The contract was bought-out for $17.63 million, or two-thirds of the amount left on the contract, to be paid out over eight years at a rate of $2.2 million per year.[15]
Perhaps surprisingly, Yashin's agent, Mark Gandler, claimed that Yashin was keen on a return to Ottawa once his contract had been bought-out by the Islanders. "It's a new chapter and we'll be calling Ottawa for sure," Gandler was quoted in theOttawa Sun as saying, adding, "He'd love to return to Ottawa, in fact."[16] However, the Senators showed little to no interest in bringing Yashin back into the fold, and Gandler was subsequently "not happy with" contract offers from various NHL teams, resulting in threats of his client returning to Russia to resume his hockey career.[17] On 20 July 2007, Yashin signed a one-year contract withLokomotiv Yaroslavl of theRussian Superleague (RSL).[18]
On 29 May 2009, it was announced that Yashin had signed withSKA Saint Petersburg of theKontinental Hockey League (KHL). This news came several months after he helped Lokomotiv Yaroslavl reach the seventh game of theGagarin Cup final, which they lost 1–0. That season, he also led the team in both regular season as well playoff scoring, with 47 points (21 goals and 26 assists) in 56 regular season games, and 18 points (7 goals and 11 assists) in 19 playoff games.
During the summer of 2011, the New York Islanders and Yashin discussed the possibility of Yashin returning to play for the team in the2011–12 season.[19] Ultimately, the two sides failed to come to terms and Yashin subsequently signed a one-year deal withCSKA Moscow for the 2011–12 season.[citation needed] Following the 2011–12 season, Yashin retired.
In December 2012, Russian Hockey Federation presidentVladislav Tretiak appointed Yashin as the general manager of theRussia women's national ice hockey team.[20][21]
On the international stage, Yashin has represented his nativeRussia in the 1996 and 2004World Cup of Hockey and the1998,2002, and2006 Winter Olympics. He has won Olympic silver (1998) and bronze (2002) medals.[citation needed]
He was inducted into theIIHF Hall of Fame in 2020.[22] The induction ceremony was scheduled during the2020 IIHF World Championship, but was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The IIHF Hall of Fame class of 2020/2022 was inducted during the2022 IIHF World Championship.[23]
Yashin is not related to legendary Soviet and RussianfootballgoalkeeperLev Yashin.
He was in a long-term relationship with actress and formermodelCarol Alt.[24]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990–91 | Avtomobilist Sverdlovsk | USSR | 26 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Dynamo Moscow | USSR | 28 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1992–93 | Dynamo Moscow | RUS | 27 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 1993–94 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 83 | 30 | 49 | 79 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 24 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 47 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | CSKA Moscow | RUS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 46 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 44 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1998–99 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 44 | 50 | 94 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 40 | 48 | 88 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | New York Islanders | NHL | 78 | 32 | 43 | 75 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | New York Islanders | NHL | 81 | 26 | 39 | 65 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | New York Islanders | NHL | 47 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | RSL | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2005–06 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 28 | 38 | 66 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | New York Islanders | NHL | 58 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | RSL | 56 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 63 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 16 | ||
| 2008–09 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | 56 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 30 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 56 | 18 | 46 | 64 | 38 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 52 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 43 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 850 | 337 | 444 | 781 | 401 | 48 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 24 | ||||
| KHL totals | 207 | 63 | 101 | 164 | 136 | 30 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 10 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Soviet Union | EJC | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1992 | CIS | WJC | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1993 | Russia | WJC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1993 | Russia | WC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 1994 | Russia | WC | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1996 | Russia | WC | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | |
| 1996 | Russia | WCH | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1997 | Russia | WC | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | |
| 1998 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1999 | Russia | WC | 6 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2000 | Russia | WC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2001 | Russia | WC | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Russia | WC | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Russia | WCH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Russia | WC | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2006 | Russia | OLY | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | |||
| Senior totals | 88 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 73 | |||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| IIHF Hall of Fame | 2020[25] | |
| NHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 1994,1999,2002 | |
| Second All-Star Team | 1999 | |
| KHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2009,2010,2011 | |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none | Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Ottawa Senators captain 1998–99 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Islanders captain 2005–07 | Succeeded by |
