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| SW# | POS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | BORN | BIRTHPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | C | 6.03 | 228 lbs. | 1973 11 05 | SVERDLOVSK,RUS |
Tagged as a potential 90- to 100-point man ever since coming to the NHL in 1993, Yashin statistically failed to fulfill the expectation again in 1997-98, but was nevertheless the Senators' top scorer for a second straight year with 72 points. Only one of two Ottawa skaters to play in all 82 games, Yashin also placed fourth in the NHL for shots on goal (291) and 10th for goals (33).
Yashin is the highest-drafted Russian in NHL history--second overall in 1992 behind Tampa Bay's Roman Hamrlik. The big centre scored an impressive 30 goals and 79 points for Ottawa in his 1993-94 rookie season but was bested by New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur in the Calder Trophy race. As a sophomore, he enjoyed a similar pace with 44 points in 47 games during the 1994-95 strike-shortened season. Then came the "money thing". Yashin and the Senators were engaged in a seven-month war of words prior to the 1995-96 season concerning his contract--despite the fact he already had one. Newly-appointed GM Pierre Gauthier--who would leave the team two years later--finally gave him a new five-year deal believed to be worth more than $13 million U.S.
Even if his 1995 holdout extended well into the regular season, Yashin was nevertheless the Senators' second leading scorer that year, with 39 points. He followed that tumultuous season with a team-leading 35 goals and 75 points in 1996-97.
Yashin played one season with Sverdlovsk (USSR) before being recruited by the Moscow Dynamo of the CIS, league where he proved to be a playoff hero in 1993 with seven goals and 10 points in 10 games. He played in the 1994 NHL all-star game as a rookie and led the Russian squad to a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano.
For more on Alexei Yashin, check out Hockey PLUS