Five Dmitry Kulikov facts

Russian national team defenseman Dmitry Kulikov missed out on the World Championship, but he is in top form for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in Canada. Let's learn five fascinating facts about Dmitry:

Made an historic assist

In an NHL match against the Winnipeg Jets, Dmitry handed a pass to Jaromi Jagr, who netted his landmark 741st goal. After the game, Dmitry noted that he couldn't have even dreamed about playing in one team with the Czech legend, and was proud of assisting his record tying marker.

Spent seven seasons with Florida

Before his trade to the Buffalo Sabres, Dmitry had spent a long seven years with the Florida Panthers. Despite the transfer, Dmitry looked upon the move with a philosophical mentality, and is looking forward to the new challenge.

Loves playing hard

Fans of the NHL won't be surprised to hear that Dmitry is a big fan of making crunching hits, and Dmitry himself noted that during his childhood, Darius Kasparaitis was his idol.

Interestingly, both their wives hail from Sweden.

Was criticised by Don Cherry

Canadian commentator Don Cherry will rip into a player who he likes, no matter what their status is. After making a physical play against Tyler Seguin, Don called for Dmitry to be banned for six straight NHL games, but after review, the league gave him a four match disqualification.

Knows how to stop Pavel Datsyuk

How can you get the better of legend Pavel Datsyuk? According to Dmitry, the only way you can prevent him from scoring is grabbing his stick and taking a penalty. We can't disagree!

Watch Dmitry Kulikov in action at the Russia - Czech Republic friendly on the 8th of September in Saint Petersburg. Purchase a ticket today.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation