Sergei Bobrovsky won the Stanley Cup for the first time. The Russian goalkeeper achieved the first and most important triumph in his club career at the age of 35. About Bob's long but glorious journey – in the material Sport.
Missed the draft, but was given a chance in the USABobrovsky made his debut at the adult level at the age of 18 in the goal of his native Novokuznetsk Metallurg. He established himself in the main lineup quite quickly and took on leading roles – largely “thanks” to the fact that the club’s affairs were getting worse, which is why the goalkeeper had plenty of work. He gained experience, which, however, did not impress the scouts of NHL clubs: in the 2006 draft, no one chose Bobrovsky. Of the Russian goalkeepers, only Semyon Varlamov was drafted at that time.
A few years later, Bobrovsky finally received a call from North America. The leaders of Philadelphia recognized the talent of the Novokuznetsk native and signed a three-year contract with him in May 2010. Due to personnel difficulties, the Flyers entrusted Sergei with a place in the starting lineup, to which the Russian responded with a cool game, thanks to which he became one of the main discoveries of the league. But subsequently, the “pilots” entered into a generous agreement with Ilya Bryzgalov and gave Bobrovsky the role of the second goalkeeper. Subsequently, Sergei was completely traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. At that time, the Flyers did not yet know what mistake they had made.
The best Russian goalkeeper, who began to be laughed at. Later, Philadelphia simply bought out the multimillion-dollar contract of Bryzgalov, who was drowning in criticism. Bobrovsky achieved superstar status in Columbus. The Russian pleased with his statistical indicators in the regular championships and was recognized by experts as one of the best in the history of the league in his role. In 2013 and 2017, Bob achieved worldwide recognition by winning the Vezina Trophy. He became the first Russian goalkeeper to win this award, and the only one who managed to win it twice.
Bobrovsky became a crowd favorite in Ohio, but also an object of ridicule from North American fans. He was called a goalkeeper exclusively for the regular season and a loser for the playoffs. The Blue Jackets and Bobrovsky could not get past the first round for a long time, until they won a sensational victory over Tampa in the 2018/19 season. The Lightning were the heavy favorites in the tournament but fell to the Jackets with a 0-4 record in the series. Then Columbus lost in the second round, Beaver’s contract with the Blue Jackets expired, and the Russian refused to sign a new agreement.
Received millions of dollars, but became a burden. Bobrovsky went south and joined Florida, which showered the Russian with money. A contract for seven years and the amount of 70 million dollars – this is how the Panthers generously assessed the Russian goalkeeper, seeing in him the very goalkeeper who would help the club make its dream come true. However, expectations quickly darkened, and Bobrovsky became a disappointment.
He alternated one successful match with several unconvincing ones. Fans, journalists and experts unanimously insisted that “Florida” openly overpaid the Russian, who once completely lost the title of the team’s first goalkeeper. American media even claimed that the club was actively looking for options to exchange Bob, at least withholding half of his salary.
Revival and tears of happiness Subsequently, Bobrovsky proved that the failures in the first years in Florida were associated with adaptation to new conditions. But Sergei Andreevich overcame these difficulties and trials. The star Russian regained the public's trust, and the culmination was last season, when Florida jumped on the last carriage of the train to the playoffs and, unexpectedly for everyone, reached the final, alternately eliminating the powerful Boston, the bright Toronto and one of the main favorites of recent years, “Carolina”. Without Bobrovsky's phenomenal play, this would not have happened. And his tears after the decisive match of the series against the Hurricanes said it all: through failure, enormous work and all the problems, the great Russian reached the Stanley Cup final for the first time in his career. Even if he didn’t make it in the final series, losing to the prime Vegas.
That experience was extremely useful for Florida. The Panthers retained the core of the team, made targeted reinforcements and quickly grew into one of the coolest and most powerful gangs in the NHL, which was confident in its first number. Bobrovsky did not disappoint and made an invaluable contribution to the Panthers' historical success, winning the league's main trophy for the first time in his career. Now Sergei Andreevich has achieved complete greatness, and that is why in America they are increasingly saying that the Russian deserves a place in the NHL Hall of Fame. The President of the Russian Hockey Federation, Vladislav Tretyak, speaks about this, for whom Bobrovsky is a special goalkeeper and personality.
“”Bobrovsky is a world champion, winner of two prizes for the best goalkeeper of the NHL season. Now he has the Stanley Cup. That is, the greatest goalkeeper career has already taken place. Of course, I wish Sergei a lot of strength, health and opportunities to play for as long as he wants. But it is already clear that he is one of the strongest goalkeepers of the era. When he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, I will rejoice and congratulate him as sincerely. “I congratulate you today on your victory in the playoffs,” said Tretyak.
This is global recognition.
Recent Comments