Alexander Semin
Encyclopedia
Alexander Valerievich Semin , also known by fans as The Great 28, The Other Alex, or most commonly known as Sasha, is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player currently playing for the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

 in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL).

Early career

Semin was trained in the Traktor Chelyabinsk hockey school and made his professional debut in Russia's second-tier Russian Major League in 2001–02. After scoring 21 goals and eight assists with Chelyabinsk that season, the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

 selected Semin with their second pick, 13th overall (they selected Steve Eminger
Steve Eminger
Steve Eminger is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Rangers..-Playing career:Eminger, who is also known for his physical play, started his hockey career with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League in 1999. He was drafted in the first round, 12th overall by...

 with their first pick, 12th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
2002 NHL Entry Draft
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22–23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. 291 players were drafted in total: 35 from the OHL; 23 from the QMJHL; 43 from the WHL; 41 from the NCAA; 6 from U.S high schools and 110 from outside North America....

. Remaining in Russia for the subsequent season, he joined Lada Togliatti
HC Lada Togliatti
HC Lada is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Togliatti, Russia. They were members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.Due to a lack of a satisfactory arena the KHL expelled the team...

 of the first-tier Russian Superleague
Russian Superleague
The Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...

 (RSL) in 2002–03 and scored 10 goals and seven assists in 47 games.

Semin made his NHL debut in the 2003–04 season, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. However, he missed his team's flight to Pittsburgh when the Capitals closed out their season against the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

. Semin then reported to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 to play for the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

's Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...

, where he collected 15 points in four regular season and seven playoff games.

Military duty controversy

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Semin returned to Russia and played 50 games for Lada Togliatti
Lada Togliatti
Lada Togliatti may refer to one of the following sports clubs in Togliatti, Russia:*HC Lada Togliatti , a a women's handball club*HC Lada Togliatti, an ice hockey club*FC Lada Togliatti, a football club...

, scoring 19 goals, assisting on 11 goals, and compiling a plus/minus rating of +15. The Capitals suspended him for that whole season for not reporting to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...

, preferring the club's younger players to play the locked-out season with their farm team. (Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...

, meanwhile, the Capitals' 2004 first-round trip, remained with his Russian club, Dynamo Moscow
HC Dynamo Moscow
HC Dynamo Moscow was a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Moscow. They were members of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League...

, because the Capitals felt that he would have been ready to play in the NHL.)

Due to confusion about Semin's obligations to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...

, which requires all Russian men to serve two years, Semin was not allowed to return to the Capitals when NHL resumed the following season in 2005–06. Russian Armed Forces allow conscripted soldiers who are hockey players to play for professional teams in Russia during their period of service, but they are not allowed to play for teams based in other countries. Other young Russian players, such as Nikolai Zherdev
Nikolai Zherdev
Mykola Olehovych "Nikolay" Zherdev is a Ukrainian-Russian professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for Atlant Moscow Oblast of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League...

 and Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...

, however, were allowed to return to their NHL clubs following the lockout, circumventing any additional military duty they had to serve in Russia.

While Semin's 2004–05 season with Lada was considered his first year of military service, it was arranged for Semin to continue with Lada for his second year of service in 2005–06. Lada is located in the military district into which Semin was drafted, and they were the only team with whom Semin could fulfill his military obligation. He was signed to a tax-free $2 million contract, along with a car and a condo. News about Lada's struggling financial situation early in the season initially offered the Capitals some hope that Semin would join the team afterall. It was reported that the Russian team was expected to cut its payroll in half, while Semin was Lada's highest paid player.

On October 26, 2005, Capitals general manager George McPhee
George McPhee
George McPhee is the general manager of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals as well as the team's alternate governor and vice president...

 announced that the Capitals had filed a complaint against Semin and his agent Mark Gandler. McPhee stated, "We have done everything we could to avoid this step, but we felt we had no choice but to now seek a legal remedy. This filing seeks to compel Alexander Semin's agent and the Russian hockey team Lada Togliatti to return Alex to the Washington Capitals ... We look forward to the resolution of this process so that we can welcome Alex back to the Capitals this season." Likewise, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League , a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association...

 said, "This is a situation where a valid, legally-binding contract is not being honored, and that's not right." U.S. District Court Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr. issued a temporary restraining order on November 4, 2005, ordering Gandler and his International Sports Advisors Company to stop representing Semin in contracts with teams other than the Capitals. Due to Lada Togliatti's financial challenges, Lada released Semin, but he instead signed with Russian squad Mytischi Khimik on November 22.

On December 5, 2005, Kennedy denied the Capitals request for preliminary injunctions against Semin and Gandler. Alexander Berkovich, Semin's lawyer, stated that Semin intended to play for Khimik for the remainder of the 2005–06 season, and that Semin's military obligations would be fulfilled by fall 2006. He completed the campaign with nine points in 15 games with Lada and 10 points in 26 games with Khimik.

Return to the NHL

With Semin's military obligations fulfilled, he agreed to a two-year contract with the Capitals on April 11, 2006, resolving the conflict between the two parties. Playing in his first game for the Capitals in two years, Semin scored the team's first goal of the 2006–07 season against the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 on October 5, 2006. In his next game against the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

, he recorded a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...

. On March 18, 2007, Semin tallied the second natural hat-trick of his career against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

, scoring three goals on three successive shots in a span of 7:04 in the second period. Late in the season, Capitals coach Glen Hanlon
Glen Hanlon
Glen A. Hanlon is a retired Canadian National Hockey League goaltender and a former head coach of the Washington Capitals of the NHL, Dynamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League , and the Belarusian national ice hockey team. He was a goaltender scout for the Vancouver Canucks...

 started Alexander Ovechkin and Semin together on the powerplay and occasionally on the team's first scoring line. Ovechkin and Semin finished as the team's top two scorers and Semin soon became known as "The Other Alex". He completed the season with 38 goals (13th in league scoring) and 73 points in 77 games, missing five games to an injury early in the season. Semin was one of three 30-goal scorers for the Capitals for the season, along with Ovechkin and captain Chris Clark.

After a successful NHL comeback in 2006–07, Semin's struggled in comparison during the 2007–08 season, scoring 42 points while being sidelined for 19 games. Along with Ovechkin and second-year forward Nicklas Backstrom
Nicklas Bäckström
Lars Nicklas Bäckström is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and an alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .-Early life:...

, Semin helped form a highly offensive core with the Capitals in 2008–09
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...

. On March 3, 2009, Semin's 25th birthday, he scored his 100th career goal, against the Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward
Cam Ward
Cameron Kenneth Ward is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League . Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he was raised in Sherwood Park, Alberta...

. Semin spent much of the first couple months of the season as the league's top point-scorer, but tailed off as he began to experience injury troubles. Regardless, he finished with a career-high 79 points in just 62 games, third in Capitals scoring behind Ovechkin and Backstrom. In the 2009 playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 15, 2009, after the 2008–09 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference , play a best-of-seven series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and...

, Semin added 14 points in 14 games, including a three-point effort (two goals and an assist) on April 20, 2009, leading the Capitals to a crucial playoff win against the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 in Game 3 of the opening round.

Midway through the 2009–10 NHL season
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

, Semin signed a one-year, $6 million contract extension with the Capitals.

Semin played for Team Russia in the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

.

In Washington's 2010 quarter-final match-up against the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

, Semin received large amounts of criticism due to his poor play, as he did not score any goals despite firing 44 shots on Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak
Jaroslav Halák
Jaroslav Halák is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . Halák was the 271st overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.-Montreal Canadiens:...

, and finished the series with just 2 assists in 7 games as Montreal upset Washington 4-3 in the series, with the Capitals blowing a 3-1 lead. Semin was identified as one of the key players, along with Capitals defenseman Mike Green, who did not play well under the pressure.

Semin signed another one-year extension with the Washington Capitals in early 2011, worth $6.7 million.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

TeamLeague GPG
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

A
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

Pts
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...

PIM
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

GPGAPtsPIM
2001–02 Traktor Chelyabinsk RUS-2 46 13 8 21 52
2002–03 Lada Togliatti
HC Lada Togliatti
HC Lada is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Togliatti, Russia. They were members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.Due to a lack of a satisfactory arena the KHL expelled the team...

RSL 47 10 7 17 36 10 5 3 8 10
2003–04 Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

52 10 12 22 36
2003–04
2003–04 AHL season
The 2003–04 AHL season was the 68th season of the American Hockey League. The league introduces the Willie Marshall Award in honour the career points leader in the AHL, and awards it to the annual top goal scorer....

Portland Pirates
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

4 3 1 4 6 7 4 7 11 19
2004–05 Lada Togliatti RSL 50 19 11 30 54 10 1 1 2 0
2005–06 Lada Togliatti RSL 16 5 4 9 52
2005–06 Khimik Moscow Oblast RSL 26 3 7 10 26 8 3 2 5 6
2006–07 Washington Capitals NHL 77 38 35 73 90
2007–08 Washington Capitals NHL 63 26 16 42 54 7 3 5 8 8
2008–09
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...

Washington Capitals NHL 62 34 45 79 77 14 5 9 14 16
2009–10
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

Washington Capitals NHL 73 40 44 84 66 7 0 2 2 4
2010–11
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...

Washington Capitals NHL 65 28 26 54 71 9 4 2 6 8
NHL totals 392 176 178 354 394 37 12 18 30 36

International play

International statistics

Year Team Event Place   GP G A Pts PIM
2002
2002 IIHF World U18 Championships
The 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships were held in Piešťany and Trnava, Slovakia. The championships began on April 11, 2002, and finished on April 21, 2002. Games were played at Zimny Stadion in Piešťany and Zimny Stadion in Trnava...

Russia WJC18
IIHF World U18 Championships
The IIHF World U18 Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a system similar to Ice Hockey World Championships and World...

8 8 7 15 16
2004
2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland...

Russia WJC 5th 6 2 2 4 10
Junior int'l totals 14 10 9 19 26
2003
2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-Relegation round: avoids relegation by defeating 4-1 in the 2004 IIHF World Championship Far East Qualification game. and are demoted to Division I at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:-Group A:...

Russia WC 5th 6 0 0 0 0
2005
2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico...

Russia WC 6 3 0 3 8
2006
2006 IIHF World Championship
-Group B :All times local - Group C :All times local - Group D :All times local -Qualifying round:The top three teams from each group in the Preliminary round advance to the Qualifying Round...

Russia WC 5th 7 3 3 6 8
2008
2008 IIHF World Championship
The 2008 IIHF World Championship was played between May 2 and May 18, 2008 in the Canadian cities of Halifax and Quebec City . The two venues were the Halifax Metro Centre and the Colisée Pepsi...

Russia WC 9 6 7 13 8
2010
Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the...

Russia Oly
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...

6th 4 0 2 2 4
2010
2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...

Russia WC 8 1 4 5 12
Senior int'l totals 40 13 16 29 40

External links

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