Alexei Zhitnik
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| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
ft in
( m) 214 lb (97 kg) |
| NHL Team F. Teams |
Atlanta Thrashers Los Angeles Kings Buffalo Sabres New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers |
| Nationality |  Russia |
| Born | October 10 1972 , Kiev, U.S.S.R. |
| NHL Draft | 81st overall, 1991 Los Angeles Kings |
| Pro Career | 1989 – present |
Alexei Nikolayevich Zhitnik (pronounced ZHIHT-nihk IPA: [ˈʒɪt.nɪk]) (Ukrainian: Олексій Миколайович Житник, Russian: Алексей Николаевич Житник) (born October 10, 1972 in Kiev, U.S.S.R. (now Ukraine)), is a Ukrainian-born ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League.
Playing career
Zhitnik was drafted 81st overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft after playing for Sokol Kiev in the Soviet League for two years. After another year, he came to the NHL for the 1992-93 NHL season.
He made his NHL debut on October 6, 1992 against the Calgary Flames and scored his first goal nine nights later, also against Calgary. In his rookie season with the Kings, he finished second among rookie defenceman in points with 48. He was an important part of the Kings' playoff run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
After another year of playing with the Kings and Wayne Gretzky, he was traded on February 14, 1995, along with Robb Stauber, Charlie Huddy and a fifth-round draft pick, to the Buffalo Sabres for Grant Fuhr, Denis Tsygurov and Philippe Boucher. He became one of the team's best players, helping the Sabres win the Northeast Division in the 1996-97 NHL season, his second year with the team. He also helped the Sabres reach the finals in the 1998-99 NHL season and stayed on the team until the 2004-05 NHL lockout when he returned to the Russian Super League.
Following the lockout, he signed a four-year contract with the New York Islanders. He became an effective force on the team, and even though he missed the last 18 games of the season with a fractured ankle, he finished second among team defenceman in scoring.
On December 16, 2006, in move to clear some room under the new salary cap, Zhitnik was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Freddy Meyer and a conditional third round draft pick. However, he was traded two months later on February 24, 2007 to the Atlanta Thrashers to add experience for playoffs, in exchange for Braydon Coburn.
Awards
- 1992: Gold Medal (XVII Olympic Winter Games)
- 1996: Bronze Medal (World Cup of Hockey)
- 1998: Silver Medal (XVIII Olympic Winter Games)
- 1998-99: Played in the All-Star Game (NHL)
- 2001-02: Played in the All-Star Game (NHL)
Records
- On February 20, 2007, as a Flyer, he became the eighth defencemen born outside of North America, and first born in the former USSR to appear in 1,000 NHL games. The others are: Nicklas Lidstrom, Borje Salming, Calle Johansson, Ulf Samuelsson, Fredrik Olausson (all from Sweden), Petr Svoboda from the Czech Republic and Teppo Numminen of Finland.
See: List of NHL players with 1000 games played
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989-90 | Sokol Kiev | RSL | 32 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990-91 | Sokol Kiev | RSL | 46 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1991-92 | CSK Moscow | RSL | 36 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992-93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 12 | 36 | 48 | 80 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 26 | ||
| 1993-94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 12 | 40 | 52 | 101 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1994-95 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 21 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |||
| 1995-96 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 6 | 30 | 36 | 58 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996-97 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 95 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 1997-98 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 15 | 30 | 45 | 102 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 36 | ||
| 1998-99 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 96 | 21 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 22 | ||
| 1999-00 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 74 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 95 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2000-01 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 8 | 29 | 37 | 75 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2001-02 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 82 | 1 | 33 | 34 | 80 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 70 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 85 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 68 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 102 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004-05 | Kazan Ak-Bars | RSL | 23 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2005-06 | New York Islanders | NHL | 59 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 88 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2006-07 | New York Islanders | NHL | 30 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 40 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 31 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 38 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 18 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
| NHL Totals | 1020 | 93 | 370 | 463 | 1210 | 98 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 168 | ||||
Statistics as of the end of the 2006-07 season.
International play
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Ice hockey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1992 Albertville | Ice hockey | |
| Silver | 1998 Nagano | Ice hockey | |
Played for the USSR in:
- 1990 - World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- 1991 - World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- 1991 - Canada Cup
Played for the Unified Team team in:
- 1992 - XVII Olympic Winter Games
Played for Russia in:
- 1992 - World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- 1992 - Ice Hockey World Championships
- 1994 - Ice Hockey World Championships
- 1996 - Ice Hockey World Championships
- 1996 - World Cup of Hockey
- 1998 - XVIII Olympic Winter Games
- 2000 - Ice Hockey World Championships
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | USSR | EJC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1991 | USSR | WJC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1991 | USSR | CC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1992 | Russa | WJC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1992 | CIS | Olym | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | Russia | WC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1994 | Russia | WC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 1996 | Russia | WC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 1996 | Russia | WCH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | Russia | Olym | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | Russia | WC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
References
- Atlanta Thrashers. (24 Feb 2007). Thrashers Acquire Defenceman Alexei Zhitnik from Philadelphia. Press release.
- Eurohockey.net. Aleksei Zhitnik. Retrieved 16 Dec 2006.
- Internet Hockey Database. Alexei Zhitnik. Retrieved 25 Feb 2007.
- National Hockey League Players Association. Alexei Zhitnik. Retrieved 16 Dec 2006.
- Philadelphia Flyers.
- (16 Dec 2006). Flyers Acquire Defenceman Alexei Zhitnik. Press release.
- (16 Dec 2006). Zhitnik Brings Speed and Experience to Blue Line. Press release.
- (24 Feb 2007). Flyers Acquire Defenceman Braydon Coburn from Atlanta. Press release.
- Sports Network, The.
- Alexei Zhitnik. Retrieved 16 Dec 2006.
- Isles trade Zhitnik to Flyers for Meyer. 16 Dec 2006.
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