Anton Volchenkov Anton Alekseyevich Volchenkov ( Russian : Антон Алексеевич Волченков ; born February 25 , 1982 ) , also known as the " A - Train " and the " Russian Bear " , is a Russia n professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Playing career . Volchenkov grew up in Moscow and began attending the CSKA hockey school at the age of six . Around time when he was in fourth grade , his family moved to Kiev , Ukraine and he began attending the Sokil Kyiv hockey school , as his uncle became the director of that school . After a year in Kiev , Volchenkov returned to the CSKA program in Moscow . Volchenkov was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round as the 21st overall selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft . In the 2002 – 03 NHL season , he came to North America and played the entire season with the Senators . He is known for his fearless attitude towards other players and the puck , and is generally considered to be amongst the toughest players in the league . In his early days playing in Europe , he played goaltender . However , his coach instructed him to play defence , which may help explain why he led the NHL in blocked shots in 2006 – 07 by a large margin . He is consistently amongst the top shot blockers and hitters . NHL career . After his first stint in Ottawa , he became a regular in the Senators ' starting line - up . As a " stay - at - home " defenceman , he is known primarily for his blocked shots and massive hits . He also played in the 2006 Olympic Games for the Russian national ice hockey team and was considered to be among Ottawa ' s top two defenders , along with Chris Phillips . On April 9 , 2007 , Volchenkov announced he would be staying with the Senators , signing a three - year deal . Ottawa ' s General Manager John Muckler said , " Anton has been one of our top defencemen all season . " He was usually paired with fellow stay - at - home defenceman Chris Phillips . Volchenkov was voted as the fifth - best defensive defenceman by " The Hockey News " in June 2007 . With the defensive help of Volchenkov and Phillips , the Senators made their 2007 Stanley Cup run to the finals , where they were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in another five - game series . Volchenkov also led the league in shots blocked during the 2007 playoffs . On July 1 , 2010 , Volchenkov signed a 6 year , $ 25 . 5 million dollar contract with the New Jersey Devils . International play . In the early days of his hockey career , he captained the 2001 Russian World Junior Hockey team to a championship in which he scored the winning goal against Team Canada , catching the attention of many pro scouts . Throughout 2001 - 2003 , he was mentored by James " JP " Kunda . Volchenkov has also played for team Russia in the 2006 Winter Olympics , the 2010 Winter Olympics , and in the 2009 IIHF World Championship . Injuries . In a game against the Boston Bruins , on December 8 , 2003 , he suffered a shoulder injury and took the majority of the 2003 – 04 season to recover . In a regular season game against the Nashville Predators , on November 29 , 2007 , he suffered a broken finger in an attempt to block a shot . He would come back after missing 15 games . In the 2008 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins , Volchenkov fell in front of the net and was struck in the face by a puck , suffering a laceration . He returned the following game , and finished the series with one assist , one penalty , and one shot in four games . Personal life . After playing as a goaltender when he began playing hockey as a child , Volchenkov was switched to defence by his coach . He has been among the NHL league leaders in blocked shots since the 2005 – 06 season . Volchenkov has been married for five years . He and his wife have a son , Anton Jr . and on February 20 , 2011 he and his wife welcomed twins , a boy and a girl . Volchenkov ' s father Alexei was a defenceman on the Red Army hockey team during the 1975 Super Series .