Sergei Mozyakin: winning it all
After 15 full seasons of the KHL, it’s a great time to look back at the careers of some of the guys who have become league legends. In the new material, the story is about the main record holder of the KHL, Sergei Mozyakin, whose achievements will be remembered for many years to come.
Brilliance after missing a year
Sergei Mozyakin played great at the junior level, but at the age of 17, he lost an entire season, and his prospects in professional hockey seemed uncertain.
In 1998, Mozyakin, along with his long-time school and linemate from Torpedo Yaroslavl, Igor Yemeleyev, went to play in North America. It was trendy back then. However, the Russian club contested their departure, and they were even prohibited from playing overseas. In 1999, Mozyakin and Yemeleyev returned to Russia. But they didn’t join HC CSKA right away. Initially, they trained with Krylya Sovetov and even played in an amateur league. Only later, upon Valery Gushchin’s invitation, they joined Victor Tikhonov’s team, where Maxim Osipov was placed on their right flank. This formed a youth miracle line that caught the attention of the entire hockey community, even though they were playing only in the Higher League. They collected 121 points as a trio in 44 games, averaging 2.75 points per game for each player. Impressive statistics indeed.
Mozyakin didn’t seem to notice that missed season at all. At the age of 18, he became the second top scorer in the Higher League. At that time, it was a strong tournament with teams of good level, including well-known masters. Spartak, for example, featured 1992 Olympic Champion, Igor Boldin, the renowned master Maxim Stepanov, and a 16-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk. Vityaz had Valery Belov, who won the Russian championship with Dynamo, 1986 World Champion Sergei Ageykin, and many other experienced players. Khimik acquired Roman Oksyuta during the season, who had spent several seasons in the NHL, and Sergei Korolyov, who would soon win a title with Lokomotiv.
HC CSKA lived poorly during those years. After an excellent season, naturally, wealthy clubs from the elite of Russian hockey courted Mozaykin. He himself mentioned this in an interview in the summer of 2000. However, Sergei remained loyal to his team and Tikhonov.
First game at the elite level
In the 2000-2001 season, Mozyakin finally played in the Russian Super League. HC CSKA failed to earn a promotion and gave several players to CSKA, who then was fiercely struggling to remain in the top-flight league and avoid a relegation. In the last game against Vityaz in Podolsk, a draw with CSKA would have been enough for them to be relegated to the Higher League. At that point, the Moscow Region team was leading 3:1 after two periods. However, in the final minute of the closing frame, the guests tied things up, followed by an OT win and a consequently relegation for Vityaz.
Mozyakin scored his first point at the elite level in his debut game on Jan 24, 2001. On that day, CSKA played at home against the same Vityaz (1:1). CSKA was then led by the legendary forward Vladimir Krutov. In the beginning of the second period, Mozyakin made a signature pass from behind the net to Sergei Zimakov, who was rushing in from the blue line. How many assists did Sergei earn this way? Countless.
The loan of the leaders from HC CSKA to CSKA was called the “step towards the unification” of the two clubs. However, in 2001, it did not happen. Mozyakin returned to Tikhonov’s team. Finally, the club had money. HC CSKA received support from Norilsk Nickel. According to Tikhonov, the “big” CSKA even offered him to temporarily change the team’s name and become “HC Norilsk Nickel,” but, of course, it didn’t happen. The team assembled a strong roster, bolstered by experienced players such as Ilya Stashenkov, Yuri Gunko, Nikolay Semin, Alexander Savitsky, Sergey Luchinkin, Albert Leschev, Valery Cherny, Konstantin Shafanov, Ilnur Gizatullin, and qualified for the Super League.
In the first half of his career, before he started winning medals and trophies, Mozyakin regularly encountered stereotypes and clichés. He was not selected for the Russian squad at the WJC. Head coach Pyotr Vorobyov justified this decision by pointing out that the player was not suitable for him, as he was allegedly weak in physical battles and defense. However, in 2000, the team managed to secure at least the second place without him, but in 2001, the home tournament was unsuccessful, losing to Team Sweden in the quarterfinals.
It was said that Mozyakin was an excellent player, no doubt, but only by the standards of the Higher League, but also that the Super League demanded a faster game.
When it turned out that Mozyakin was in good shape and among the strongest, another stereotype emerged – Mozyakin was allegedly “not a playoff’s player.” They claimed that neither CSKA nor Khimik had success with him. However, this perception was shattered in 2008 and 2009 when the forward triumphed at the IIHF World Championship. He wasn’t the leading figure for the Russians in Quebec or Bern. But firstly, it showed that he could play different roles. Secondly, breaking into the lineups of those teams, especially in 2008, was no easy task.
The stereotype that Mozyakin was “not a playoffs’ player” completely collapsed when Atlant reached the Gagarin Cup finals in 2011, and he became the second-leading scorer in the playoffs.
In the future, Mozyakin lifted the Cup twice. In 2014 and 2016, he became the top scorer in the elimination stage. His dynamic trio with Danis Zaripov and Jakub Kovar will remain forever in the memories of many fans.
Mozyakin’s successes with the national team were not limited to World Championships. In 2018, he added an Olympics gold medal to his hardware collection. And it was Oleg Znarok, a demanding specialist, who coached the team. Znarok would never include a player who struggled in defense, avoided physical battles, or had character issues, especially in such a crucial tournament like the Olympics.
By the way, Mozyakin could have become a three-time world champion. In 2014, Znarok was waiting for him to join the national team, which ultimately won gold in Minsk. However, after a long season in the KHL, where he led Magnitogorsk to another Gagarin Cup triumph, Mozyakin honestly admitted that he was exhausted and wouldn’t be able to play.
Records
Indeed, Mozyakin is a player who won it all. Some may argue that he didn’t play in the NHL, but this is a relative and individual measure. What would have happened to Sergei’s career overseas, had there been no ban on playing in 1998, no one knows.
“Afterwards, Sergei’s career took a different path, and going abroad again didn’t make sense. He felt comfortable here. His hard work started to pay off well. He has three children – that should also be taken into consideration,” said his agent, Sergei Paremuzov.
Mozyakin holds almost all imaginable and unimaginable records for domestic championships, the KHL, and Metallurg. We intentionally won’t list them all. Those interested can refer to Wikipedia and explore them. Here, we will focus on the most significant, epoch-making records that seemed unbeatable.
For 35 years, from 1981 to 2016, Boris Mikhailov held his record of 428 goals scored in the domestic championship. Mozyakin not only surpassed the longtime captain of the Soviet national team but also raised the bar to 556 goals. How many years will this record hold? Moreover, 89 of Mozyakin’s goals did not count in the overall standings as they were scored in the Higher League.
For an even longer period – 54 years – the record of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion Veniamin Alexandrov stood at 53 goals scored in a single championship (1963). Mozyakin surpassed this record by netting 55 tallies in the 2016-2017 season.
Mozyakin is the second player in the Russian hockey history to reach 100 points or more in a single season. The first was the current president of the KHL and former Ak Bars forward, Alexei Morozov, who scored exactly 100 points in the 2006-2007 campaign. In 2014, Mozyakin achieved 106 points, with 109 scored in 2017.
Indeed, Mozyakin holds over a hundred records, and this speaks volumes about the caliber of player he was.
Dossier
Sergei Mozyakin
Born on Mar 30, 1981, in Yaroslavl
Playing career: 1998-1999: Val d’Or Foreurs (Canada); 1999-2006 CSKA; 2006-2011, Atlant; 2011-2021, Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Achievements: Olympic gold medal (2018), World Championship gold medal (2008, 2009), World Championship silver medal (2010, 2015), World Championship bronze medal (2016, 2017), Russian champion and Gagarin Cup winner (2014, 2016).
Main records:
Mozyakin is the all-time leading scorer, sniper, and playmaker in the Russian championships (1212 points, 556 goals, and 656 assists). He also holds the title of best scorer, sniper, and playmaker in the KHL championships (928 points, 419 goals, 509 assists). He set the record for the most points and goals in a single season in the Russian championships (109 points and 55 goals). Mozyakin has won seven times, another record, the Golden Helmet award. Additionally, he holds the record for the most appearances in the KHL All-Star Games with 12 participations.
