Columbus Blue Jackets: Sergei Bobrovsky Rank Among Russian NHL Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky was named the Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goalie, but today we take a look at where the Columbus Blue Jackets star netminder compares to other Russian goalies that played in the NHL.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a gem in Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob has a career 2.45 goals against average (GAA) and .920 save percentage (SV%). These numbers put Bobrovsky in the top tier of Russian goaltenders in the NHL. The two that join him toward the top include Nikolai Khabibulin and Ilya Bryzgalov.
Nikolai Khabibulin
Khabibulin played 19 NHL seasons for Winnipeg, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Edmonton. Nikolai made four all-star game appearances and even won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the first Russian goalie to do so.
His longevity and Stanley Cup victory is something that every goalie strives to have, but Bobrovsky’s regular season numbers are still much better. Bobrovsky has not been as good in the postseason, but he still ranks higher than Khabibulin.
Bob will have to keep up his productivity and improve his playoff performance to keep this position, because Khabibulin already proved that sometimes longevity can be the key to ranking goaltenders.
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Ilya Bryzgalov
Bryzgalov played in 465 NHL games with Anaheim, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Edmonton and Minnesota. Ilya may be more known for his on-ice antics and lovable personality, but he has spectacular career numbers with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 SV%.
The Russian beauty may be remembered by NHL fans because of the many odd stories that came out during his career, but his numbers do not lie. Bryzgalov had the skill to be a dominant goalie, but he did not always put it together.
Where Does Bob Rank?
When listing the top Russian NHL goaltenders, Sergei Bobrovsky has to be at the top of the list. He has outstanding numbers and he has the hardware to back it up. Winning two Vezina Ttrophies would be crazy for any goalie, but Bobrovsky has the honor of being the only Vezina Trophy winner from Russia.
While it is hard to argue against Bobrovsky to be the greatest Russian NHL goaltender, this does not take into account Vladislav Tretiak, one of the top goalies to ever play the game. Unfortunately, Tretiak did not play in the NHL.
Tretiak’s accolades would probably have been too much to overcome had he played in the NHL, but as of now Bobrovsky still holds the ranking as the top Russian goalie to ever grace the NHL. Bobrovsky is also the top cop on the force, and that’s pretty hard to argue against.