Sergei Zholtok

Sergei Zholtok ((December 2, 1972 – November 3, 2004) was a Latvian (ethnic Russian) professional ice hockey center who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators. 
==Playing career==
Zholtok was drafted by the Boston Bruins 55th overall in 1992 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to being drafted, he won a gold medal with USSR national team in IIHF Junior World Championships in 1992. After playing 25 games with the Boston Bruins in the 1992–93 NHL season and the 1993–94 NHL season, Zholtok spent the next years playing in minor leagues.
Zholtok returned to the NHL in the 1996–97 NHL season with the Ottawa Senators. In the following years, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators. 
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Zholtok returned to Latvia and played for the Riga 2000 team in the Latvian national hockey championship and the Open Belarus hockey championship. On November 3, 2004, his cardiac arrhythmia resurfaced during the game between HK Riga 2000 (Latvia) and HC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus). Zholtok left the game with 5 minutes remaining, collapsing and dying after returning to the dressing room. An autopsy determined heart failure as the cause of death. This was not the first occurrence; in January 2003 he had to leave a game due to this arrhythmia, and had been observed in a hospital overnight. He was allowed to return to play after missing seven games.
During his 10 years in the NHL he played in 588 regular-season games, scored 111 goals and had 147 assists. He is survived by his wife, Anna, and sons Edgar and Nikita.
==Awards and achievements==
* 1996: Ironman Award, International Hockey League, given to a player who has played in every game for his team and displayed outstanding offensive and defensive skills.
* 2005: Riga Secondary School No. 55 was named in honour of Sergei Zholtok.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1990–91 	Dinamo Riga 	LHL 	 	39 	4 	0 	4 	16 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1991–92 	Pardaugava Riga 	LHL 	 	27 	6 	3 	9 	6 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1992–93 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 	 	64 	31 	35 	66 	57 	 	6 	3 	5 	8 	4
1992–93 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 	 	1 	0 	1 	1 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1993–94 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 	 	54 	29 	33 	62 	16 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1993–94 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 	 	24 	2 	1 	3 	2 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1994–95 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 	 	78 	23 	35 	58 	42 	 	13 	8 	5 	13 	6
1995–96 	Las Vegas Thunder 	IHL 	 	82 	51 	50 	101 	30 	 	15 	7 	13 	20 	6
1996–97 	Las Vegas Thunder 	IHL 	 	19 	13 	14 	27 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1996–97 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	 	57 	12 	16 	28 	19 	 	7 	1 	1 	2 	0
1997–98 	Ottawa Senators 	NHL 	 	78 	10 	13 	23 	16 	 	11 	0 	2 	2 	0
1998–99 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	70 	7 	15 	22 	6 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL 	 	7 	3 	4 	7 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1999–00 	Quebec Citadelles 	AHL 	 	1 	0 	1 	1 	2 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1999–00 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	68 	26 	12 	38 	28 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	32 	1 	10 	11 	8 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Edmonton Oilers 	NHL 	 	37 	4 	16 	20 	22 	 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0
2001–02 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 	 	73 	19 	20 	39 	28 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 	 	78 	16 	26 	42 	18 	 	18 	2 	11 	13 	0
2003–04 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 	 	59 	13 	16 	29 	19 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Nashville Predators 	NHL 	 	11 	1 	1 	2 	0 	 	6 	1 	0 	1 	0
2004–05 	HK Riga 2000 	BHL 	 	6 	4 	3 	7 	12 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals	 	588 	111 	147 	258 	166 	 	45 	4 	14 	18 	0
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==External links==
*Official Sergei Zholtok Memorial Site
*
Category:Born in 1972
Category:Dead in 2004
Category:Latvian ice hockey players
Category:Nashville Predators players
Category:Minnesota Wild players
Category:Edmonton Oilers players
Category:Boston Bruins draft picks
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Ottawa Senators players
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:Quebec Citadelles players
Category:Providence Bruins players
Category:Dinamo Riga players