Sergey kostitsyn biography. Sergey Kostitsyn: career path of a Belarusian hockey player. Sergei Kostitsyn - career highlights

In modern history, the number of Belarusian hockey players who played in the NHL is less than two dozen. Among them is the current forward of the Minsk “Dynamo” Kostitsyn Sergey, who for 5 years has demonstrated a high level of play overseas.

Belarusian starts

Sergey Olegovich Kostitsyn was born on March 20, 1987 in Novopolotsk. After graduating from the Novopolotsk children's and youth hockey school in 2002, the young Belarusian began his career with his native “Polimir”, for which he spent two seasons. In 2003, Sergei played several matches for Yunost-Minsk, but could not get into the base, then moved to Gomel. As part of the reigning champion, Kostitsyn won the Belarus Cup, after which, having received an offer from the Canadian team "London Knights", he went overseas.

Game overseas

For two seasons spent in the Ontario Hockey League, Sergey Kostitsyn showed an incredible result, gaining more than 200 points. As a result, since 2007, he began to play for the AHL team - "Hamilton Bulldogs", which is the farm club of "Montreal", as well as for the main team of the NHL. Kostitsyn could not finally gain a foothold in the basis of the Canadian club, and in 2010 he moved to another club of the National Hockey League - “Nashville”.

In the American team, in the very first season, Sergey Kostitsyn became the key player in the attack. The hockey player took part in all meetings: both in the regular championship and in the playoffs, gaining a total of 55 points. Within the framework of this championship, the Belarusian forward showed the best implementation of shots in the League, showing the result of 24.7% of successful shots. A year later, Sergei did not drop out of the team, having played another high-quality season in America, but at the end of the contract with he decided to return to Europe.

Return to Europe

To accept a talented and still young striker agreed to Omsk “Vanguard”, with whom Sergei Kostitsyn signed a three-year contract. However, for the first Russian club in his career, the forward played only one season. Already in the summer of 2014, Sergei moved to Kazan "Ak Bars" as a result of an exchange for

Every year the player's performance fell, and after three dozen points in Omsk in the Kazan club, the Belarusians barely reached the mark of 20 points. As a result, for the next two years, Kostitsyn continued to change teams - after Kazan, it was the turn of the Nizhny Novgorod “Torpedo”, followed by the Belarusian club “Dinamo Minsk”, a native for the hockey player. As part of the Minsk team, the striker is one of the main links of the attack, and in 43 matches of the regular championship he scored 25 points, which contributed to the club's entry into the playoffs.

Personal life

Since 2014, the forward has Russian citizenship, which is why he has ceased to be considered a KHL legionnaire. In the summer of 2015, Sergei Kostitsyn married Elena Tabloich, who a few months later (September 6) gave birth to a hockey player's daughter. The happy couple named her Eve, and now her father spends all his free time with his family.

Older brother Kostitsyn, also played for a long time in the United States, and now plays for HC Sochi. In his interviews, the forward of the Minsk “Dynamo” more than once noted that, despite the relationship, on the ice rink, both brothers act as the situation requires - if necessary, even tough.

Forward from Belarus. At the moment, the player of the hockey club from Russia, HC Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, playing in the KHL. Sergey is the younger brother of Andrey Kostitsyn. National team player from Belarus. Pupil of the Novopolotsk children and youth hockey school.

Place of birth Novopolotsk, BSSR.

The physical data of the athlete: height 183 cm, weight 89 kg.

Hockey rink position right winger.

Player career

Kostitsyn has played in four leagues throughout his career.

2002-2003 season Polymir Novopolotsk, Belarus.
2003 Youth-Minsk, Belarus.
2004-2007 Gomel, Belarus.
2007-2010 Montreal Canadiens, Canada.
2010-2012 Nashville Predators, USA.
2012-2014 Avangard, Russia.
2014-2019 Ak Bars, Russia.
2019 - present Torpedo, Russia.

Performances internationally. Participated in the 2008 and 2014 World Championships as a member of the main national team of Belarus. In total, he played 8 matches for the national team and scored 6 points (2 + 4). In the NHL, he played only 232 games in the regular seasons and scored only 118 points (47 goals, 71 assists).

Abilities and manner of play

Analyzing the abilities of Sergei Kostitsyn, one can note his quick lunges and dagger attacks. This hockey player can combine the skill of an attacker and a defensive player. He has good skating and excellent puck control.

Kostitsyn is a smart hockey player. This means a set of qualities such as: a vision of the hockey rink, anticipating the actions of an opponent, planning an attack, connecting partners to their actions and non-standard solutions to confuse players from another team.

Sergei Kostitsyn - career highlights

He played the AHL season in 2005/2006.
Participation in the junior world championship U-20, 2006.
Season in the AHL 2006/2007
Season in the KHL 2012/2013
Season in the KHL 2013/2014
Participation in the World Championship 2014

Video: Sergey Kostitsyn is a productive striker in any team

Goal against Detroit. February 2011

Achievements in Avangard! July 2013

Player presentation from fans. June 2019.

There are about two dozen of them. Sergey Kostitsyn has been showing incredibly high results for several years. You can learn about his career and life by reading this article.

Successful start

The hockey player was born in Novopolotsk in 1987, on March 20. He studied playing skills at a children's and youth hockey school, after which he began his professional career in 2002. Initially, he played for Polimir, where he spent two seasons. In the future, his career continued at Yunost-Minsk, but not being included in the main team, he moved on and came to Gomel. This team was considered very strong: in its composition Sergey Kostitsyn achieved considerable success, was able to show his abilities. The young athlete was noticed by the Canadians and offered to join their staff at London Knights. Of course, it was stupid to refuse such an offer, and the hockey player went to conquer distant lands overseas.

Career abroad

In the Hockey League of Ontario, the Belarusian hockey player has shown excellent results in two seasons and scored two hundred points. After such a stunning success, he was bought by the Montreal farm club "Hamelton Bulldogs". Sergey also played in the main squad of the National Hockey League. In the main line-up of Bulldogs, Sergey Kostitsyn could not become his own, so in 2010 he again changed the "workshop", moving to Nashville.

In the new team, Kostitsyn became a key attacker in the first season. He was able to score fifty-five points, having played in absolutely all matches, starting with the usual championship and ending with success in the playoffs. The best implementation of shots in this championship went to Sergei, he showed the result of successful shots in almost 25%. Of course, they don't leave the team with such results, so Sergey Kostitsyn played for the Americans for another season. But after the end of the contract, he did not renew it and decided to return to Europe.

European career

The young and talented hockey player was indescribably happy to return to his native land. It would seem that any club should have hospitably opened its doors to him, but everything did not go as expected. Only the Avangard Omsk hockey club agreed to accept the hockey star. The management signed a three-year contract with Kostitsyn, but only a season the guy was able to play in it. In the summer of 2014, he again changed the composition, moving to Kazan "Ak Bars". Such a transition was associated with the exchange of a player for Konstantin Barulin. This is how the career of a Belarusian hockey player began in Russian teams.

With each subsequent season, the hockey player's performance fell uncontrollably. He begins to miss, weaken, spoil performance. For several matches played, he was able to score twenty points with great difficulty, after the previous fifty-odd ones. Of course, this influenced his sports career. Over the next few years, Sergey Kostitsyn moved from team to team, changing one composition to another. The field change also influenced the hockey player's game, he did not have time to adapt to one squad and coach, as he left for another.

After playing at Ak Bars, the athlete moved to the Novgorod club Torpedo. Here, again, it was not destined to stay, but it was for the better, since the time has come to return to his native “Dynamo” Minsk, in which Sergei began his career.

Returning to his native club, Sergei Kostitsyn perked up, his strength again came to him. As part of Minsk, the guy became a key link in the attack. Having spent forty-three meetings, Sergei was able to score a quarter of a hundred points and thus lead the Minskers to the playoffs.

Personal life

In 2015, Sergey Kostitsyn married. The forward's wife is Elena Tabolich, a beautiful blonde, two years older than her husband. Elena is a cousin of Aleksey Tabolich, the leader of the Belarusian band ZNICH. In September of the same year, Sergey Kostitsyn became the father of a wonderful daughter. The wedding was in the summer, so it's easy to guess that the couple was already going to become parents.

In the summer of 2014, the Belarusian hockey player received Russian citizenship. After that, the athlete was no longer considered a legionnaire of the Continental Hockey League. His brother also plays professional hockey and shows himself well: Andrei Kostitsyn develops good speed, masterfully owns a wrist throw and an accurate pass.