Evgeni Nabokov

Evgeni Nabokov (Ru: Евгений Набоков, Jevgenij Nabokov) (born July 25, 1975 in Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R., now Kazakhstan), is a professional ice hockey player. He plays as a goaltender for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League.

Nabokov was selected by San Jose in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (9th round, 219th overall). In the 2005-06 NHL season, he played for the San Jose Sharks. When he first played in North America, he went by John, rather than Evgeni, fearing that English-speakers would have a hard time pronouncing his name. However, this change did not last.

Playing career

San Jose Head Scout Tim Burke saw Nabokov playing during a trip to Russia. Taken very late in the ninth round, Nabokov had progressed tremendously. When Burke went to see who owned Nabokov's rights, he was surprised (and pleased), and he immediately signed Nabokov to a pro contract in the summer of 1997. After a few years in the AHL, and Nabokov played his first NHL game on the first day of the new millennium, as he stopped his first four shots, all breakaways, when he replaced Steve Shields in a game against the Nashville Predators.

On January 19th, 2000, Nabokov started in his first NHL game, playing against the Colorado Avalanche and the famous Patrick Roy. Impressively, Nabokov stopped all 39 shots he faced in a 0-0 tie. Nabokov stopped all but one of his first 104 shots, and the one goal he allowed was when Stephane Matteau put the puck into an empty net when Nabokov was skating to the bench on a delayed penalty.

In the second game of the 2001 season, Shields hurt his ankle, leaving San Jose without a number #1 goalie. Instead of giving the job to the very well known Miikka Kiprusoff, whom the Sharks brass considered the "goalie of the future," they left Kiprusoff in the AHL so he could get more experience, and gave the starting position to Nabokov, and he ran away with it, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year. Also, he played in the 2001 All-star game and took San Jose to the playoffs.

On March 10, 2002 he became the first netminder in NHL history to score a powerplay goal against the Vancouver Canucks. He was also the first European goaltender to score a goal.

Nabokov was considered one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, and is often ranked as one of the top ten, if not top five goaltenders in the NHL by magazines like ESPN The Magazine and The Hockey News. However, the 2005-2006 season has been an off year for Nabokov. His save percentage of under .900 is a big concern to the team. More notably, he has been relegated to the role of backup goaltender, in deference to Vesa Toskala, whose spectacular play in the second half of the season, coupled with the offensive firepower of Jonathan Cheechoo, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Nils Ekman, carried the Sharks into the playoffs. Nabokov, who is known for his excellent positioning and how he challenges shooters, has been unable to utilize his circus-save style due to a lingering groin injury. Many wonder whether he will ever return to his old form. However, due to Vesa Toskala's so-so play in the 2006 playoffs, especially in the second round series against Edmonton where the Sharks were eliminated in six games, it is entirely possible that Evgeni Nabokov will reclaim his position as San Jose's No. 1 goalie. It is also likely that, when both goaltenders are surveyed during training camp in September, that either Nabokov or Toskala will be traded to a different team.

Contracts

In the 2003 season, Nabokov held out, refusing to sign San Jose's proposed contract. After making only US$1 million for two years of stellar play, he wanted much more. When he finally signed a contract, he struggled to regain his form, as he had taken too long of a break. Later, he remarked that holding out was extremely unsportsmanlike, and that he would never do it again. He held to his word when he avoided arbitration by signing a two-year deal worth US$4.425 million per year in 2004, even when players comparable to him were getting more than US$6 million per year.

Despite his less-than-stellar play during the 2006 season, Nabokov was signed to a four-year contract extension worth roughly US$21.5 million. The contract has a no-trade clause that will be activated, since San Jose made the playoffs.

International career

While he is a Russian citizen, he was previously denied permission by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to play for Russia, because he had competed for Kazakhstan as a junior. In 2005, Nabokov was granted permission to play for Russia in the IIHF World Championships, but declined. He eventually played for Russia in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Awards

Calder Memorial Trophy - 2001
2000-01 NHL - All-Rookie Team
Played in the 2001 and 2002 NHL all-star games

Career statistics

Regular season


Season	Team	League	GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1997-1998	Kentucky Thoroughblades	AHL	33	10	21	2	1866	122	0	3.92
1998-1999	Kentucky Thoroughblades	AHL	43	26	14	1	2429	106	5	2.62
1999-2000	Kentucky Thoroughblades	AHL	2	1	1	0	120	3	1	1.50
1999-2000	Cleveland Barons	AHL	20	12	4	3	1164	52	0	2.68
1999-2000	San Jose Sharks	NHL	11	2	2	1	2645	15	1	2.17
2000-2001	San Jose Sharks	NHL	66	32	21	7	3700	135	6	2.19
2001-2002	San Jose Sharks	NHL	67	37	24	5	3901	149	7	2.29
2002-2003	San Jose Sharks	NHL	55	19	28	8	3227	146	3	2.71
2003-2004	San Jose Sharks	NHL	59	39	19	8	3455	127	9	2.21
2004-2005	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	RSL	14	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
2005-2006	San Jose Sharks	NHL	44	16	18	7	2515	129	1	3.08
NHL CAREER TOTALS			302	137	112	36	17212	701	27	2.44

International play

Played for Kazakhstan in:

1993 World Junior Championships

Played for Russia in:

2006 Winter Olympics

Season	Team	Event	GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1993	Kazakhstan	WJC	3	--	--	--	--	--	--	2.57
2006	Russia	Oly	7	5	2	0	359	8	3	1.34
Senior Int'l Totals			7	5	2	0	359	8	3	1.34

Evgeni Nabokov | Набоков, Евгений Викторович | Jevgenij Nabokov | Jevgeni Nabokov