Igor Korolev
Igor Borisovich Korolev (Russian: Игорь Борисович Королёв; September 6, 1970 – September 7, 2011) was a Russian-Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League (RSL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) before retiring from active play in 2010. In 2011, Korolev accepted an assistant coach position with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL. Korolev was killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash[1] along with nearly the entire roster of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. A native of the Russian Republic of the Soviet Union, Korolev became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 2000.[2][3]
| Igor Korolev | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 6, 1970 Zelenograd, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Died |
September 7, 2011 (aged 41) Yaroslavl, Russia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
HC Dynamo Moscow St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Metallurg Magnitogorsk Atlant Moscow Oblast Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | ||
| National team |
 Soviet Union and Russia | ||
| NHL Draft |
38th overall, 1992 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 1988–2010 | ||
Playing career
Korolev began his professional playing career with HC Dynamo Moscow in the 1988–89 season appearing once. The following season, Korolev became a full member of the team, playing 17 games. He played two further full seasons with Dynamo. In all three seasons, Dynamo won the league championship. Korolev was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round, 38th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. After five games with Dynamo in the 1992–93 season, Korolev left to join the Blues. Korolev played for the Blues for two seasons. Korolev was unsigned in the 1994–95 season and he returned to Dynamo. He was picked up by the Winnipeg Jets in the waiver draft in January 1995 and stayed with the team as it moved to Phoenix. He signed as a free agent with Toronto in 1997. He was traded to Chicago in 2001 where he played until 2004. He then returned to Russia and signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. After one season, he transferred to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he played three seasons. He played one season with Atlant Moscow Oblast and one final season with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl where he retired after the 2009–10 season. He became an assistant coach with the team and was still an assistant at the time of his death.
Death
Korolev died on September 7, 2011, the day after he turned 41, when a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger aircraft crashed just outside Yaroslavl, Russia while transporting Lokomotiv to Minsk to play their opening game of the season. Lokomotiv officials said "everyone from the main roster was on the plane plus four players from the youth team."[4][5][6] All aboard were killed, aside from one crew member.
Personal
Igor and Vera Korolev married in June 1990.[2] Igor and Vera have two daughters, Kristina and Anastasia. Korolev's family has a permanent home in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Korolevs obtained Canadian citizenship in 2000.[2] Korolev was buried in Toronto[3] at Mount Pleasant Cemetery[7] after a funeral on September 18, 2011.[8] Korolev was the godfather of fellow NHL player Nik Antropov's son. Korolev and Antropov both played the 2000–01 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.[9]
Honors
- Soviet championship: 1990 (with Dynamo)
- Soviet championship: 1991 (with Dynamo)
- Championship of SNG: 1992 (with Dynamo)
- International Hockey League: 1993 (with Dynamo)
- International Hockey League: 1995 (with Dynamo)
- Russian Super League: 2007 (with Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988–89 | MCOP Moscow | URS.3 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Dynamo Moscow | URS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Dynamo Moscow | URS | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | URS.3 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Dynamo Moscow | URS | 38 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | URS.3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Dynamo Moscow | CIS | 33 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | CIS.3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Dynamo Moscow | RUS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 74 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 73 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | Dynamo Moscow | RUS | 13 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 45 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 73 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 41 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Michigan K–Wings | IHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 22 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2000–01 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 62 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | RSL | 60 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 51 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 54 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 28 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 57 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 58 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Atlant Mytishchi | KHL | 56 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | 48 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 28 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| URS/CIS totals | 89 | 27 | 14 | 41 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 795 | 119 | 227 | 346 | 330 | 41 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| RSL totals | 222 | 23 | 68 | 91 | 140 | 48 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 24 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Soviet Union | EJC |  |
6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1991 | Soviet Union | CC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | Russia | WC | 5th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||
References
- "List of those killed in plane crash near Yaroslavl" (in Russian). sovsport.ru. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- Feschuk, Dave (September 8, 2011). "Ex-Leaf Korolev was devoted to family". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
- "Igor Korolev remembered as a proud Canadian". The Globe and Mail. September 8, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
- "First pictures from the crash of Yak-42 near Yaroslavl" (in Russian). Lifenews.ru. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- "The list of Lokomotiv players who died" (in Russian). Lifenews.ru. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- "Pavol Demitra among 43 killed in Russian plane crash". theglobeandmail.com. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- "Igor Korolev's funeral will be held in Toronto on Sunday". City TV. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- Shoalts, Dave (September 19, 2011). "Igor Korolev remembered as a quiet leader". Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- "Jets' Antropov mourns loss of friend in Russian plane crash". Winnipeg Free Press. September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database