Alexander Mogilny

**Alexander Mogilny** (born Alexander Gennadevich Mogilny on February 18, 1969 in Khabarovsk, Russia) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mogilny was drafted 89th overall by Buffalo in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

Growing up in the Soviet Union, Alexander was recruited at a young age to join CSKA Moscow, commonly referred to as the "Red Army Team".

As the CSKA organization was a functioning division of the Soviet Army, it was able to draft the best young hockey players in the Soviet Union onto the team. In 1986, he was made a full-time player of CSKA Moscow. He finished his first year with 15 goals and 16 points in 28 games.

At only 17 years old, Alexander and Sergei Fedorov were the youngest members on the team. Still, team officials anticipated that the duo, along with the looming arrival of Pavel Bure would succeed the top line of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.

Alexander's first major appearance for the Soviet Union on the international stage was at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He finished the tournament with 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 games.

However, his team was ejected from the tournament during its last game as a result of the brawl between the Soviet Union players and Team Canada known as the "Punch-up in Piestany". The International Ice Hockey Federation suspended all the players involved in that game from competing in international events for 18 months.

The penalty was eventually reduced to six months, which allowed Mogilny to compete in the 1988 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Alexander finished the tournament with 9 goals and 18 points in 7 games en route to a silver medal finish and winning the Top Forward award. He also played with the senior team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, where he won a gold medal as the team's youngest player.

The next year at the 1989 World Junior Championships, he served as team captain and was a part of the commanding Bure-Fedorov-Mogilny line which led their team to a gold medal. He finished that tournament with 7 goals and 12 points in 7 games. He went on to win his first World Championships when the Soviet Union won the 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Despite his success with the Soviet National team and his growing importance on CSKA Moscow, Alexander yearned for a life in the NHL and decided to join the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL team that had drafted him 89th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He boarded a plane in Stockholm at the end of the 1989 World Championships and defected to North America.

### Professional

Prior to the start of his rookie season, Alexander was given the number 89 by team management in recognition of both the year he arrived and his place in the draft. He subsequently wore #89 for his entire playing career.

He made his NHL debut on October 5, 1989 against the Quebec Nordiques during the 1989–90 season and scored his first NHL goal just 20 seconds into his first shift. (Coincidentally, the Sabres were celebrating their 20th season in the NHL.)

After the perfect start to his new life, the rest of his first season was middling. He was considered by some to be one of the best players outside the NHL prior to his defection, but it took time for him to adjust to a new country and culture. He finished his first NHL season with 43 points in 65 games and improved to 30 goals and 64 points during his sophomore season.

Alexander continued his ascension with 39 goals and 84 points in only 67 games the next year and broke out as an NHL superstar in his fourth season. On December 21, 1991, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he scored five seconds into the game to tie the NHL record for fastest goal scored to start a game.

In the 1991–92 season, the Buffalo Sabres acquired future captain Pat LaFontaine from the New York Islanders. LaFontaine developed an instant chemistry playing with Alexander and two players elevated their games to new heights by maximizing their speed and skill.

The 1992–93 season was a banner year for Alexander as he scored an astonishing 76 goals and 127 points in 77 games. His 76 goals tied Finnish rookie Teemu Selanne for the NHL goal-scoring lead that year, which was the fifth-highest season goal total in NHL history and the first time a European player led the NHL in goals.

His 76 goals and 127 points set the highest season totals ever for a Russian NHL player, a record which held until Nikita Kucherov scored 128 points in the 2018-19 NHL season and the highest goal totals in Buffalo Sabres franchise history.

Alexander scored his 50th goal in his 46th game that year, but it did not count as an official 50 goals in 50 games record as it occurred during the team's 53rd game. He finished the season with seven hat-tricks including three in four games, two four-goal games and a stretch where he scored 23 goals in 13 games.

In the 1993 playoffs, he played a critical role for the Sabres in the first round, with 6 goals in 4 games, which helped his team sweep the Boston Bruins in the first round. In the second round, the Sabres were matched with the Montreal Canadiens, who had just finished a 100-point regular season.

After scoring a goal and an assist in the series opener, Alexander broke his leg during a collision in game 3 and was unable to return for the rest of the series. Without their superstar sniper, the Sabres would go on to lose the next game and the series in 4 games. It was the second time in back-to-back years that he had broken his leg, the first time during the 1992 playoffs.

The multiple broken leg injuries in such a short time would limit the potential of Alexander's talent before he reached his prime. The second leg injury would also delay his start to the next season. He served as the Sabres' captain for a period that year, the first Russian captain NHL history and finished the year with 79 points in 66 games.

Due to financial restraints brought about by the contractual demands of Lafontaine and Dominik Hašek, the Sabres were forced to trade him along with a fifth round draft pick (Todd Norman), to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Peca, Mike Wilson and a first-round draft pick (Jay McKee) on July 8, 1995.

Vancouver Canucks President Pat Quinn acquired Alexander with the sole intention of winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup. The team had just been swept in round 2 of the 1995 playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks and Quinn gave up three important pieces to acquire one of the league's best talents.

The motive was to pair Alexander with Pavel Bure and form a dominant scoring line, as the two had played together at CSKA Moscow and had a well-established chemistry off the ice.

However, Bure would miss almost their entire first season together with a torn ACL, so Alexander played with primarily with Cliff Ronning and Martin Gelinas. He had an outstanding first year, leading the team with 55 goals, 107 points, and finishing 3rd in the league in goals.

Alexander followed that with 9 points in 6 games in his first playoff series for Vancouver, but it was to no avail as the Canucks were ousted in the first round by the Stanley Cup champions that year, the Colorado Avalanche, who were led by Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy. He would lead the Canucks in scoring again his second year with 73 points, but it would mark the end of his success in Vancouver.

In the subsequent years, assorted injuries and inconsistency dropped his production to 128 points in 157 games over the next three seasons and the Canucks missed the playoffs each year. He was also unable to find the expected on-ice success with Bure as both players preferred to play on their off-wing.

After trading Bure to the Florida Panthers in January 1999, the Canucks traded Alexander to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline in 2000 in exchange for Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson.

Alexander did not produce at the level that was expected, but nonetheless, the Devils won the Stanley Cup that year after beating the Dallas Stars in the finals. With the win, he captured his first Stanley Cup and became a member of the prestigious Triple Gold Club.

The next year, he stayed mainly injury-free for the first time in three years had a strong bounce-back season, leading the Devils with 43 goals and finishing with 83 points. The Devils went back to the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive season, but could not repeat and lost to the Colorado Avalanche in 7 games.

During the free agency period of 2001, multiple teams expressed interest in Alexander as the Devils couldn't meet his market price. On July 3, 2001, he signed a four-year, $22 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, citing the team's fanbase and that there was no better place to be for his decision.

Alexander became the elite winger the Leafs lacked for many years since Wendel Clark's first stint with the team. The Maple Leafs expressed interest in Mogilny as he was able to provide scoring relief for team captain Mats Sundin and bolster their chances for a Stanley Cup that year; this was also a reunion for Alexander and Quinn, as the latter was the General Manager of the Leafs who signed him that summer and was the one who traded for Mogilny to Vancouver.

Alexander had a strong start with his new team, scoring two goals in his Maple Leafs debut. He also scored his 400th career NHL goal a few games later, in a 6-1 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Alexander battled through various injuries throughout the season, but was able to finish his first year third in team scoring playing primarily on a line with Gary Roberts and Robert Reichel. He followed that season by playing a substantial role during the Leafs playoff run that spring.

With Sundin injured for most of the 2002 playoffs, Alexander led the Leafs in playoff goal-scoring and scored two goals in both Game 7 wins against the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators. Toronto; however, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the stingy Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The next season, head coach Pat Quinn decided to start the season by pairing his two best forwards, Alexander and Mats Sundin, on the team's first line. Darcy Tucker was the initial third forward on the line but was soon replaced by Nik Antropov after Tucker could not find consistency with the dynamic duo.

The new Leafs trio became a dangerous line for the remainder of the season. He and Sundin had good chemistry playing together, particularly on the powerplay, and both players finished with 70+ point seasons.

Alexander led the team with 79 points, 3 shorthanded goals (tied with Sundin), 9 game-winning goals and added two hat-tricks that year. It was also the only year that Sundin did not lead the Leafs in regular season scoring during his Maple Leafs career. They were matched with the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, where he scored his first career playoff hat-trick in Game 1 win, led the team in playoff goals again, but the Leafs were eliminated in six games.

Alexander was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct at season's end, the first Leaf to win it since Dave Keon in 1963. It was also the first individual award won by a Maple Leafs player since 1993 when Doug Gilmour was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

The next year, Alexander spent most of the season injured as he underwent major hip surgery. He returned late in the season where he recorded his 1,000th career NHL point in dramatic fashion against the Buffalo Sabres: down 5–2 in the third period, the Leafs completed their comeback when Gary Roberts tipped Alexander's shot for his 1,000th career point and the game-tying goal late in the third period.

Alexander then set up Tomas Kaberle for the thrilling overtime winner immediately after serving a questionable penalty.

Despite high expectations for the team that year for a Stanley Cup with many future Hockey Hall of Famers on the roster, they would not have much success in the playoffs. With outstanding performances by goaltender Ed Belfour, Toronto edged the Ottawa Senators in the first round but was eliminated by a physical Philadelphia Flyers team in the second round.

His fourth season with the club was cancelled due to the lockout and he became a free agent in 2005, as the Leafs were unable to afford Alexander under the new salary cap.

Recovering over the lockout cancelled 2004–05 season, on August 16, 2005, Alexander returned to New Jersey Devils after agreeing to a two-year, US$7 million contract Although he scored 25 points in 34 games, his chronic hip problem left him as a shadow of his previous self and he was unable to perform at his previous levels.

He agreed to play for the Albany River Rats, the Devils' then-American Hockey League affiliate, midway through the 2005–06 season for salary cap reasons. His 473 career NHL goals at the time were the most ever for a player entering the AHL.

Alexander finished the year after playing 19 games for the River Rats, but could not gain medical clearance to return to the NHL for the 2006–07 season. He was placed on long-term injury reserve during training camp and retired from professional hockey at the end of the season.

## Post-Playing Career

After retiring from professional hockey following the 2005-06 season, Alexander returned to Russia and began consulting for his hometown team, Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL hired him as its president in 2013. After two seasons with that club, Alexander returned to Khabarovsk to become its president and still holds that title.

## International Play

At the 1988 Winter Olympics, Alexander made his senior debut with the Soviet national team as an 18-year-old in Canada. He played with the full-roster Soviet Union team that won the gold medal.

In the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Russia had played five preliminary games in order to set the groupings for the main tournament stage. Russia was the only team that went undefeated (winning against Finland (Moscow), Germany (Landshut), Sweden (Stockholm), the United States (Detroit) and tied against Canada (Calgary).

The United States, Sweden and Finland games saw the pairing line of "Bure-Fedorov-Mogilny", for the first and only time internationally at the senior level and was considered "perhaps the best forward line on earth" at the time.

Alexander and Fedorov played on the same line and both led the team in scoring, but they lost in the semi-finals against the United States after defeating Finland 5–0 in the quarter-finals.

## Accolades

* NHL All-Star – 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003 (injured)
* NHL Second All-Star Team – 1993, 1996
* Stanley Cup champion – 2000
* Goal-scoring leader (tied with Teemu Selanne) – 1993 (76)
* Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – 2003
* Most game-winning goals in a season – 1993 (11)
* Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame (inducted on January 1, 2011)
* World Junior Championships All-Star Team – 1988
* World Junior Championships best forward – 1988
* Member of the Triple Gold Club (June 10, 2000)
* Inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2016
* 83rd greatest Maple Leaf of all-time