In this week’s edition of our series looking back at former Boston Bruins players is a former Calder Trophy winner. Many Bruins fans will remember him for his blazing speed, silky hands, and ability to make highlight reel dangles. Take a look at the former Boston Bruin Sergei Samsonov‘s journey to the NHL.
A Forgotten Star: Former Boston Bruin Sergei Samsonov
Humble Beginnings
Sergei Samsonov was born on October 27, 1978, in Moscow, Russia which was at that time still known as the Soviet Union. Viktor, Samsonov’s father, was an electrician in Moscow however, he quit his job so he could dedicate himself to Sergei’s promising hockey career. Every day Viktor drove Sergei to the rink and he would drive a cab during the night to pay the family bills. “He pushed me, and he’s a big reason I am here today,” Samsonov said in a Sports Illustrated article by Gerry Callahan published November 16, 1998.
Samsonov first came to North America while playing in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee tournament in 1992. As a young teenager, Samsonov drew comparisons to Russian superstar, Pavel Bure. It wasn’t until 1996 that Samsonov would be playing hockey full-time in North America.
CSKA Moscow and World Juniors
During the 1994-95 season, while playing for the Red Army junior team, Samsonov scored an incredible 110 goals in just 50 games. During that same season, the shifty and skilled forward made the jump to the Elite Russian squad CSKA Moscow. In his first season with the team, Samsonov appeared in just 13 games, scoring two goals and adding two assists. The following season Samsonov played 51 games scoring 21 goals and adding 17 assists for 38 points.
1994 Sergei Samsonov CSKA Russian Penguins Hockey Feature https://t.co/8hje7zX2eU via @YouTube Check out this old video! Watch for my Sergei Samsonov article coming soon! #nhlbruins #NHL
— Justin Caron (@JustinCaron18) November 12, 2022
Samsonov played in two World Junior U-20 Championships for Russia totalling ten goals and three assists for 13 points in 13 games. He won a bronze medal with Russia in the 1997 tournament.
Detroit Vipers IHL
The Russian phenom made the jump to North America ahead of the 1996-97 season playing with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. During his season with the Vipers, Samsonov won the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Samsonov’s stellar play also helped lead the Vipers to a league championship, winning the Turner Cup for the first time in franchise history.
In 73 regular season games, Samsonov scored 29 goals and added 35 assists for a total of 64 points. He also posted an exceptional +/- rating of +33. During the Vipers’ playoff run Samsonov added eight goals and four assists in 19 games.
NHL Draft and Rookie Season
Boston held the 1st overall selection in 1997, which they used to draft Joe Thornton. In 1994, Boston made a trade, sending defenseman Glen Wesley to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for the Whalers’ first-round picks in 1995,1996, and 1997. All of the Whalers first round picks turned out to be top-ten picks for the Bruins and they used the 8th overall pick in 1997 to select Sergei Samsonov.
While Thornton was selected ahead of Samsonov as the 1st overall pick, it was Samsonov who would have the better rookie season for the Bruins. On October 25, 1997, Samsonov scored his first career goal in a 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers. After a slow start to the season, head coach Pat Burns put Samsonov onto a line with Jason Allison and Dmitri Khristich. The trio formed instant chemistry and quickly became one of the top lines in the league.
Calder Trophy Winner
By the season’s end, Samsonov led all rookie skaters in scoring with 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points in 81 games. In comparison, the closest rookie to Samsonov was Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. Marleau was selected 2nd overall and posted 32 points in 74 games. Samsonov was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL’S Rookie of the Year. He was the first Bruin to win the award since longtime Captain Ray Bourque accomplished the feat in the 1979-80 season.
Samsonov Continues Dazzling with Bruins
Samsonov, or “Mighty Mouse” as he was nicknamed played in parts of seven more seasons with the Bruins. His flashy hands and blazing speed created many highlight reel plays. Samsonov and Allison had great chemistry on a line together with both players enjoying career highs in the 2000-01 season. Samsonov put up 29 goals to go along with 46 assists for 75 points in 82 games played. He was selected to represent the Bruins in the 2001 All-Star game.
The Russian winger followed up his strong 2000-01 season by matching his career high 29 goals in 2001-02. He fell short of breaking his career high in points, posting 70, however in just 74 games.
Season-ending and Career-Altering Wrist Injury
Sergei Samsonov was looking like a player on the verge of superstardom, however, those plans were altered during the 2002-03 season. Samsonov suffered a setback on a previously injured wrist and played in just eight games. Opting to have surgery on the wrist he missed the remainder of the regular season. “It’s not an easy choice but I’m going to try, see what the word is tomorrow, maybe play one more game and go from there,” Samsonov said prior to making the decision to have the surgery done. Through his eight games, he posted the best points-per-game average of his career with 11 points.
Bruins Trade Samsonov to Edmonton
After returning to play, Samsonov was never able to replicate the same type of offensive production he once seemed destined for. In 2003-04 he put up a respectable 40 points in 58 games before heading back to Russia during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout.
While there was no shortage of jaw-dropping plays made by Samsonov, the Bruins only ever won one playoff series while he was with the team. He chipped in 23 points in 35 playoff games with the Bruins. The lack of playoff success forced the team to make some changes.
On March 9, 2006, Samsonov was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Marty Reasoner, Yan Statsny, and a 2006 second-round draft choice. The Bruins used the second-round pick to select power forward Milan Lucic. Samsonov finished the season with the Oilers posting 16 points in 19 games played.
The Oilers went on a cinderella type playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals where they would lose to the Carolina Hurricanes. Through 24 playoff games, Samsonov notched 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points.
Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and Carolina Hurricanes
After the Oilers’ magical playoff run, Samsonov found himself suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens. He played just one season with the Bruins’ sworn rivals, posting a disappointing 26 points in 63 games.
In 2007-08 Samsonov found himself on the move yet again, this time to Chicago. He put up just four assists in 23 games with the Blackhawks before he was claimed off of waivers by the Hurricanes. In Carolina, the speedy left winger found re-discovered his game posting 32 points in 38 games to finish the season.
Samsonov played three more seasons with the Hurricanes appearing in 249 games scoring 54 goals and 81 assists for 135 points.
Retiring in Florida
On February 28, 2011, the Florida Panthers acquired Samsonov in exchange for defenceman Bryan Allen. This marked the last stop of Samsonov’s playing career. He went on to play 20 games for the Panthers scoring just three goals and adding 11 assists. At the conclusion of the season Samsonov remained an unrestricted free agent and following the 2012-13 lockout, he called it a career.
Post-Playing Days
After his 13-year playing career, Samsonov joined the Hurricanes as a part-time scout in 2014. “He’s a good student of the game, and he’ll be a nice addition to our staff.” General Manager Ron Francis said about Samsonov joining the scouting department.
In 2017 Samsonov became the director of forward development and the team has responded by continued growth and becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup Contender. Samsonov continues to work with the Hurricanes front office today.
Thanks for the Memories Sergei!
All stats for this article came from www.hockeydb.com and www.hockey-reference.com
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
