Five Alexei Emelin facts

Montreal Canadiens and Russian national team defenseman Alexei Emelin is known for his rough and tough antics on the ice, and over the years, he has built up a huge reputation with his physical approach. Alexei has been included in the Russian World Cup of Hockey squad, and is preparing to once again show the world what he is made of.

Surprised Carey Price

When Montreal's goaltender Carey Price smashed the record of amount of NHL regular season victories, fellow Russian Andrei Markov came up with the wise idea of pushing a custard pie into Carey's face. Alexei was left with the honours, and he did his duty, much to the horror of the Canadian goalkeeper!

Tough competitor

As already mentioned, Alexei is known for being one of the world game's hardest players, and he is never afraid to throw in a heavy hit. Marc Bergevin is a big fan, and he noted how much he loves the fact that Alexei is one of the few players who can play physical. If you ever happen to play against Alexei, be sure to keep your head up!

Takes no prisoners

Back in 2010, Alexei stated that on the ice there are no friends, and he is ready to hit any player which comes down his path, no matter what their status is. He has lived up to the big talk, and has pulled off stunning hits against the most talented of forwards. 

In 304 NHL matches, Alexei has registered 995 hits, which works out at around 3.5 every game. You don't want to come across him late at night...

A big game player

During the 2010 KHL Gagarin Cup final, Alexei racked up five points (1+4) in a large 7:1 game six victory. Interestingly, during the whole regular season, he only took seven from 46 appearances.

Gives great advice

After taking the decision to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Nikita Zaitsev turned to Alexei for some advice in making the move to Canada. He pointed out that he and Alexei became great friends during the 2016 World Championship, and that he has already learnt a lot about the way of living in North America.

Alexei Emelin will be a part of the Russia - Czech Republic match which will take place on the 8th of September in Saint Petersburg. Don't forget to snap up your ticket! 

Russian Ice Hockey Federation