Denis Tsygurov is a retired former 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. Tsygurov was drafted in the second round, 38th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...

 in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft

1993 NHL Entry Draft

The 1993 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 26, 1993, at the Colisee de Quebec in Quebec City, Quebec.-Selections by round:Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise specified.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...

 following two seasons with HC 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 Russian Hockey Super League. Tsygurov came to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 the following year and played in 24 games with the Rochester Americans

Rochester Americans

The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial...

 of 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...

 and four games for the Sabres during the 1993–94 season.

Tsygurov returned to the Sabres during the 1994–95 season for four games before being involved in a blockbuster six-player deal with the Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

. Tsygurov was sent to the Kings along with future Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr

Grant Fuhr

Grant Scott Fuhr is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and currently the goaltending coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame...

 and defenceman Philippe Boucher

Philippe Boucher

Philippe Boucher is a retired French Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League. He is currently the General Manager of the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.-Amateur:...

 for defencemen Alexei Zhitnik

Alexei Zhitnik

Oleksiy Mykolaiovych "Alexei" Zhitnik is a retired Ukrainian-Russian ice hockey defenceman. Zhitnik has played more games in the National Hockey League than any other Soviet-born defenceman. He has represented the Soviet Union, CIS, and Russia internationally, and Ukraine during two NHL All-Star...

 and Charlie Huddy

Charlie Huddy

Charles William Huddy is a former NHL defenceman and current assistant coach of the Winnipeg Jets. He is also one of only seven Edmonton Oilers to be a member of all 5 of the franchise's Stanley Cup-winning teams 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988,1990.His greatest success came with the Oilers with whom he...

 and goaltender Robb Stauber

Robb Stauber

Robert Thomas Stauber is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who played 62 NHL regular season games between 1989 and 1995...

. Tsygurov went on to play in 39 games for the Kings over the next two seasons, amassing six points.

Following the 1995–96 season, Tsygurov returned to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, where except for a brief stint with the Long Beach Ice Dogs in 1997–98, he spent the last five years of his pro career. Tsygurov's European stops included HC Opava in the Czech Extraliga

Czech Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....

, Kärpät

Kärpät

Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...

 in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

's SM-liiga

SM-liiga

The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...

, CSK VVS Samara of the lower Russian league Vysshaya Liga, and HC 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...

 and HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Russian Hockey Super League.

External links