Sergei Zinovyev: a star with his own personality
KHL.ru continues telling the stories of those who became league’s legends. Today, the talk is about Sergei Zinovyev. The forward won two gold medals at the IIHF World Championship level, and lifted the Gagarin Cup in 2011.
From Novokuznetsk to Moscow
A turning point in Sergey Zinovyev’s career occurred in 2001, when he joined Spartak. Before that, the young forward was mainly known to specialists and attentive fans. He began his career with Metallurg Novokuznetsk, then played for Salavat Yulaev and Lokomotiv. In 2000, he became a silver medalist in the World Junior Championship in Sweden. Russia faced the Czech Republic in the final, and after regulation and OT, the match ended 0:0. In the shootout, Zinovyev was one of those who failed to score. However, it was with the Red-and-Whites that Sergei became one of the leading players in the Russian championship, received a call-up to the national team, and finally became known to a wider audience.
In 2001, Spartak returned to the Super League after a two-year hiatus. In that team, the duo of Dmitry Gogolev and Mikhail Volkov played brilliantly. The challenge was finding a center who matched their level and had a similar style of play to these two fast, skilled wingers who played in a quick combination style. During the preseason, it was clear that 21-year-old Zinovyev was a perfect fit for Gogolev and Volkov. At times, it seemed like they were three brothers on the ice. They had an incredible understanding of each other.
Spartak became the sensation of the first part of the 2001-2002 season, spending most of it in the top three, sometimes even leading the standings. All experts and journalists admired the team’s play, which showcased the finest examples of Soviet hockey. Setting the tones for the Red-and-Whites was Sergei Zinovyev, a key player in the first line.
Even back then, Russian hockey suffered from a shortage of top-class center forwards. During the off-season, Zinovyev received an offer from Ak Bars in Kazan, where they allegedly offered him a salary seven times larger than in Moscow. However, Sergei had an existing contract with Spartak. This situation led to a scandal that stretched throughout the summer and into the fall. Presenting such a story today would be extremely challenging, but at that time, it was the norm – contracts were just paper.
Spartak in those years enjoyed limited financial capabilities. After the season, they lost practically all of their leaders. The club’s management had no plans to let go of Zinovyev. At the same time, the forward didn’t burn with desire to play for the Red-and-Whites. The league’s organizers did their best to resolve the issue. The end of September was approaching, and still, there was no solution. Finally, Spartak and Ak Bars reached an agreement between themselves.
From championship to scandal
After winning the Russian title in 1998, Ak Bars faced the task of repeating their success each subsequent year. The most realistic opportunity seemed to arise in the 2004-2005 season, when an NHL lockout brought many NHL stars to Tatarstan. However, forming a cohesive team from these stars proved challenging. Ak Bars was consequently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing to Lokomotiv.
In the offseason, all the NHL returnees came back, and head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov had the opportunity to build a new team according to his principles and requirements. In the previous season, he had formed the duo of Alexei Morozov and Sergei Zinovyev, and in the summer of 2005, he added Danis Zaripov to the mix. This resulted in one of the best lines in the history of Russian championships, supported on the blue line by Vitaly Proshkin and Raymond Giroux.
Sergei Zinovyev
290 games, 185 (70+115) points
2000 WJC silver medalist.
2005, 2007 bronze medal, 2008, 2009 gold medal at the IIHF World Championship.
2006, 2011 Russian champion.
2008 Continental Cup winner.
2009 Spengler Cup winner.
2010 KHL All-Star Game participant.
2011 Gagarin Cup winner.
30.04.2006 Becomes Russian champion with Ak Bars.
09.01.2008 Continental Cup winner.
In 2006, Ak Bars won the gold medals, losing only one playoff match to HC MVD in the first round. In 2007, they made it to the finals. Over both seasons, Morozov, Zinovyev, and Zaripov formed the most productive line and were awarded the award for the most productive unit. However, in the autumn of 2008, during the first KHL season, the ‘Zinovyev case’ ignited, becoming one of the most sensational stories in Russian hockey history. Sergei left both Moscow and Kazan amid controversy. In later interviews, he referred to himself as a ‘complex individual with a challenging personality.’
Falling out of favor in the main roster, Zinovyev stated that he didn’t want to play in Bilyaletdinov’s team and requested a trade. Ak Bars’ management declined, citing his existing three-and-a-half-year contract. Sergei then wrote a letter to KHL Managing Director Vladimir Shalayev, similar to the situation with Spartak, claiming contract violations and requesting termination. The KHL sided with the player, while Ak Bars disagreed. They convened a meeting of club leaders who supported Kazan, but the League upheld its decision.
Soon after, Zinovyev reached an agreement with Dynamo Moscow. At the center of Ak Bars’ top line, Swedish forward Tony Martensson emerged. In the spring, the team lifted the Gagarin Cup. A year later, they claimed it again. Bilyaletdinov had built a system that didn’t rely on one player, even one as talented as Zinovyev.
From experiments to triumphs
Zinovyev made his debut at the IIHF World Championship in 2003, in Finland. At that time, Vladimir Plyushev initiated an experiment by excluding almost all the older players and bringing a significant number of inexperienced players, including Zinovyev, to Tampere for the tournament. There were potential benefits in this decision, but ultimately, results matter. Unfortunately, the team didn’t perform well, reaching only the quarterfinals stage thanks to Sweden defeating Switzerland in the final match of the second group stage. If Team Switzerland had earned at least one point, Team Latvia would have advanced to the playoffs instead of Team Russia.
Zinovyev’s international career was on the rise until a certain point. He represented Russia at the 2005 World Championship in Austria, earning his first medal, a bronze. He then participated in the 2007 World Championship, where Russia once again finished third. Interestingly, it was during this tournament in Moscow and Mytishchi that the line of Morozov, Zinovyev, and Zaripov first showcased their exceptional skills on such a high stage.
18.05.2008 In the historical final game of the IIHF WC in Quebec, he won gold medals with Team Russia
07.01.2008 First KHL game.
16.12.2008 Moves to Dynamo Moscow, where he’ll reach the semifinals stage in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
24.06.2009 Signs with Salavat Yulaev.
16.12.2008 Participant at the first-ever KHL All-Star Game.
16.04.2011 Gagarin Cup triumph.
Perhaps some may be surprised, but these players rarely appeared together in major international competitions. Only at the 2007 World Championship and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics did they share the ice. Otherwise, Morozov, Zinovyev, and Zaripov appeared together only occasionally. For instance, in the 2008 World Championship semifinals against Finland, when Ilya Kovalchuk, who had previously played with Morozov and Zinovyev, was disqualified. That game saw the rekindled trio score two goals, and Russia ultimately became world champions for the first time since 1993. A year later in Switzerland, Zinovyev won his second world championship gold.
In Zinoviev's last world championship, the team finished without a medal. In 2011 in Slovakia, the team won only four out of nine matches, with the largest victory being just two goals over Slovenia. However, that year brought joy for Zinovyev. Salavat Yulaev, where the forward moved in 2009, lifted the Gagarin Cup. Former Ufa players call that roster the franchise’s ‘dream team.’ Indeed, there were no weak links in it. What can be said when the third-choice goalkeeper was a two-time world champion, six-time national champion, and three-time Gagarin Cup winner Alexander Yeryomenko?
Zinovyev played for Salavat for three more seasons, until 2014. He then signed a contract with KHL debutant HC Sochi, but terminated it before the start of the championship. He took a break. He repeatedly mentioned that he was thinking about retiring but didn’t make an official announcement. However, Sergei has been absent from the ice for months, counting into years. In the spring of 2016, the forward emphasized once again that his return was possible. Zinovyev stated that he would draw attention to himself during the preseason. But it didn’t happen. The two-time world champion never set foot on the rink again, playing his last game two weeks after his 34th birthday.
Dossier
Sergei Olegovich Zinovyev
Born: Mar 4, 1980, in Prokopyevsk.
Playing career: 1998-2000 – Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 2000-2001 – Salavat Yulaev, Lokomotiv, 2001-2002 – Spartak, 2002-2008 – Ak Bars, 2003-2004 – Boston, 2008-2009 – Dynamo Moscow, 2009-2014 – Salavat Yulaev.
Honors: gold (2008, 2009) and bronze (2005, 2007) medals at the IIHF World Championship, gold (2006, 2011), silver (2014) and bronze (2000, 2004, 2010) medals in the Russian championship, Gagarin Cup winner (2011), European Champions cup winner (2007), WJC silver medal (2000).
