Vyacheslav Kozlov

Vyacheslav Kozlov
Kozlov (right) during his time with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2005
Born (1972-05-03) 3 May 1972
Voskresensk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Khimik Voskresensk
CSKA Moscow
Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Atlanta Thrashers
Ak Bars Kazan
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Dynamo Moscow
Spartak Moscow
National team  Soviet Union and
 Russia
NHL draft 45th overall, 1990
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1987–2015

Vyacheslav Anatolevich "Slava" Kozlov (Russian: Вячеслав Анатольевич Козлов; born 3 May 1972)) is a Russian professional ice hockey coach and former ice hockey left winger. He is currently the head coach for Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He played parts of 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Atlanta Thrashers. Outside of the NHL, Kozlov played for Khimik Voskresensk, CSKA Moscow, Ak Bars Kazan, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Dynamo Moscow, and Spartak Moscow of the Russian Superleague (RSL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Kozlov is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with the Red Wings back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. He is also a two-time Gagarin Cup champion, winning with Salavat in 2011 and Dynamo in 2012.

Career

Before playing in the NHL, Kozlov played parts of four seasons with the Khimik Voskresensk of the Soviet Championship League.

He was drafted 45th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1990 NHL entry draft. Red Wings general manager Jim Devellano had been impressed after seeing Kozlov play at a youth tournament in Lake Placid, New York.[1] On 12 March 1992, Kozlov made his NHL debut in a 5–4 win against the St. Louis Blues. During the game, he recorded his first two NHL points, assisting on two goals from Sergei Fedorov.[2] On 8 October, Kozlov scored his first NHL goal against Kelly Hrudey in a 5–3 win against the Los Angeles Kings. With the goal, he became the then-youngest Red Wing to score an NHL goal at 20 years, 158 days.[3] Kozlov played well for the Red Wings which earned him more minutes. Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman decided to place Kozlov on a line with Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov, along with defencemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Slava Fetisov. This 5-man unit was named the "Russian Five" and they found a lot of production.[4] He helped the Wings when they went on a run in the playoffs. They defeated the St. Louis Blues, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Colorado Avalanche. They went on to sweep and defeat the Philadelphia Flyers four games to zero in the Final to win the Stanley Cup. The next season, Kozlov and the Wings kept up the success. In the playoffs, they went on to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars. They swept and defeated the Washington Capitals four games to zero in the Finals to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.[5]

On 30 June 2001, the Red Wings traded Kozlov along with a 2002 first-round pick and future considerations to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Dominik Hašek.[6] Kozlov scored 9 goals and recorded 13 assists for 22 points in 38 games. He did not play of rmost of the season because he was revoering from injury.

On 22 June 2002, the Sabres traded Kozlov along with a 2002 second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for a 2002 second-round draft pick and the 2002 third-round draft pick held by the Vancouver Canucks.[7] On 1 August, Kozlov signed a one-year contract to stay with the Thrashers.[8] The Thrashers named Kozlov, Uwe Krupp, Shawn McEachern, and Jeff Odgers as a pair of rotating captains.[9] On 26 July 2003, Kozlov signed a contract to stay with the Thrashers.[10] On 27 September 2005, the Thrashers named Kozlov as an alternate captain of the team.[11] In 2006, the Thrashers awarded Kozlov with the Dan Snyder Memorial Award for "best emboding perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed."[12] On 4 July 2007, Kozlov signed a three-year, $11–million contract to stay with the Thrashers.[13] On 26 December, Kozlov played his 1,000 NHL game in a 2–0 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With the goal, he became the then-youngest Red Wing to score an NHL goal at 20 years, 158 days.[14]

In 2015, Kozlov retired from playing professional ice hockey.

Personal life

In October 1991, Kozlov's car collided with a bus while he was driving. He was driving with fellow player Kirill Tarasov and Tarasov was killed in the crash. Kozlov had to have facial reconstruction surgery after suffering a serious injuries to his face and brain. He eventually made a recovery and returned to playing ice hockey.[15] Kozlov is the brother-in-law to Evgeny Namestnikov and is also the uncle of Vladislav Namestnikov, both of whom play professional ice hockey in the NHL themselves.[16]

References

  1. ↑ The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage. Gave, Keith. Gold Star Publishing. 2018. ISBN 978-1947165175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ "Mo' Muscle". Grand Rapids Griffins. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Youngest Players, First NHL Goal - Detroit Red Wings". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Wings' Victory March Has a Russian Flavor". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Back to 1998: Red Wings go back-to-back for Konstantinov, Mnatsakanov". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Sabres Trade Dominik Hasek to the Red Wings". Buffalo Sabres. Archived from the original on August 10, 2001. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ "Thrashers Pick Up 10 Players in Draft; Acquire Kozlov". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on August 10, 2001. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "Thrashers agree to terms with Kozlov, Kallio, Simon and unrestricted free agent Herperger". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ "Thrashers to Rotate Team Captaincy Among Four Players". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on December 20, 2002. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ↑ "Thrashers Re-sign Unrestricted Free Agent Forward Vyacheslav Kozlov". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Atlanta Thrashers Name Scott Mellanby Team Captain". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ↑ "Slava Kozlov Receives 2007 Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on June 15, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ↑ "Atlanta Thrashers re-sign veteran forward Slava Kozlov to three-year deal". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Blue Jackets blank streaking Thrashers". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Russian Five: Slava Kozlov goes from life support to life with Red Wings". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Bolts' Yzerman Facilitates Red Wing Reunion With Pick". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved February 9, 2026.

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