Ilya Nikulin lives behind the fence. Ilya Nikulin: Sasha Ovechkin is the godfather of my son Askhat Ibrashev: - Why didn’t you stay in the NHL

Birthday March 12, 1982

Russian hockey player, defender, Honored Master of Sports of Russia

The defender's first professional club was HC Tver. In 2000, Nikulin moved to Dynamo Moscow. That same year, he was selected in the 2nd round, 31st overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

In 2005, Nikulin moved to Ak Bars Kazan, where he became one of the best Russian defenders, a regular participant in major international competitions as part of the Russian national team. Two-time world champion (2008, 2009).

Together with Ak Bars, he became the winner of the very first two editions of the Gagarin Cup (2009, 2010), and in the spring of 2010, in the absence of the injured team captain Alexei Morozov, it was Ilya who led his partners and was the first to lift the main KHL trophy over his head.

Nikulin is a close friend of the star Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, with whom he played together for Dynamo Moscow. Ovechkin is the godfather of Ilya's son.

International competitions

Achievements

• Silver medalist at the World Junior Championships (2000).
• 4-time Russian champion (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010)
• Silver medalist of the Russian Championship (2007).
• Winner of the European Cup (2007).
• Winner of the Continental Cup (2008).
• Bronze medalist at the World Championship (2007).
• Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2008/2009) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
• Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2009/2010) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
• World champion 2008, 2009 as a member of the Russian national hockey team.
• Participant in the KHL All-Star Game (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).

Awards

• Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (June 30, 2009) - for his great contribution to the victory of the Russian national hockey team at the world championships in 2008 and 2009

Hockey fans are always interested in the lives of their idols, those players who bring victory to the team and make every match bright and exciting. In this article we will talk about one of the most successful Russian hockey players, we will find out which team hockey player Ilya Nikulin plays on, how and what he lives outside of the rink.

Biography of the athlete

Ilya Nikulin, a world-famous athlete, was born in Moscow in 1982 and grew up in the family of a hockey referee. It was his father who brought young Ilya to the Moscow hockey club "Spartak", which determined the boy's future fate. Ilya became a fairly successful striker. Already in 2000, at the age of 18, he received silver at the Junior World Championships. And this is a worthy start to a career!

Next, Ilya Nikulin becomes the defender of Dynamo Moscow. His sporting successes could not go unnoticed, and very soon he received an offer from one of the NHL clubs. Ilya did not want to leave his native country and refused.

Since 2005, Ilya Nikulin has been a hockey player for Ak Bars Kazan. A period of career take-off and brilliant world-class victories begins.

Achievements of the Russian hockey player

So, Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player (where he has been playing since 2005, we have already found out) who did not want to exchange playing in the Kazan hockey club for tempting offers from the NHL that involve moving abroad. However, this did not in any way affect his outstanding sporting achievements.

From 2007 to 2010, in which Ilya Nikulin played as a defender, she participated in 27 matches, never experiencing defeat!

In 2009 and 2010 - victories in the Gagarin Cup, in which the defender played one of the main roles.

From 2007 to 2012, Ilya Nikulin, a hockey player who became a four-time champion of Russia, was awarded the European Championships Cup and the Continental Cup. He is also the happy owner of two Gagarin Cups; in various years, he has won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships, and three times a gold medal. All these years, Ilya played both as part of the Ak Bars club and as part of the Russian national team.

In 2009, Ilya Nikulin was awarded the second degree.

Ilya Nikulin today

Today, or more precisely, since May 2015, Ilya Nikulin is playing for Dynamo again. According to the hockey player himself, he is very glad that he returned to his native team, here he feels warmth and support. It is especially pleasant for him to once again go on the ice with those athletes with whom he played 10 years ago, notes Ilya Nikulin. The hockey player still rejects offers and chooses to play on his native Moscow ice.

Speaking about the years of playing for Ak Bars Kazan, the hockey player does not hide some resentment and admits that he felt like a person whose merits were not fully appreciated. In his native Moscow hockey club, Ilya feels a completely different atmosphere, feels as if he has finally returned home.

Hockey player family

Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player for whom his family is no less important than his sports career. His family is his wife Ekaterina, son and daughter.

The love story of Ilya and his wife Ekaterina is very romantic. She herself is from Latvia, and their meeting was completely accidental: at one of the resorts in Turkey, where both were vacationing at the same time. Their holiday romance was very beautiful, contrary to all stereotypes, it ended with a wedding. Ilya proposed to his beloved on a luxurious snow-white yacht, which he rented especially for this occasion. In an interview, Catherine said that one of the gifts from Ilya during the affair was a double star in the constellation Taurus. Well, how can we resist here?

After the wedding, Ekaterina lived for some time in Latvia, where their first child was born (we note, by the way, that Ilya’s best friend, hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, became the child’s godfather), then the young family moved to Kazan while Ilya played in Ak Bars, then to Moscow. Ekaterina remained a citizen of Latvia, Ilya remained a citizen of Russia.

In 2009, a girl appeared in the family. Children with great pleasure cheer for dad during matches, which they watch most often on TV. Ilya notes that he will be glad if his son also wants to play hockey, but he does not intend to force the child to do this.

Ilya tries to spend every free minute at home with his family. He is not even afraid of long flights just to see his family.

New sports victories

Very important for Ilya Nikulin was the first goal that he scored in the form of a hockey player for the Dynamo club, returning here after 10 years of playing in Ak Bars Kazan. Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player who has many medals and awards at various levels: from junior competitions to World Championships. But he is not going to stop there and sees many more victories ahead.

Spectators and fans can only wait for new interesting matches, where they can watch the brilliant performance of the Russian national team athletes and cheer for their success!

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Ilya Nikulin(March 12, 1982, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Russian hockey player, defender, Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

The defender's first professional club was HC Tver.
In 2000, Nikulin moved to Dynamo Moscow. That same year, he was selected in the 2nd round, 31st overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
In 2005, Nikulin moved to Ak Bars Kazan, where he became one of the best Russian defenders, a regular participant in major international competitions as part of the Russian national team. Three-time world champion (2008, 2009, 2012).
Together with Ak Bars, he became the winner of the very first two editions of the Gagarin Cup (2009, 2010), and in the spring of 2010, in the absence of the injured team captain Alexei Morozov, it was Ilya who led his partners and was the first to lift the main KHL trophy over his head.
Nikulin is a close friend of the star Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, with whom he played together for Dynamo Moscow. Ovechkin is the godfather of Ilya's son.

Achievements
- Silver medalist at the World Junior Championships (2000).
- 4-time Russian champion (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010)
- Silver medalist of the Russian Championship (2007).
- Winner of the European Cup (2007).
- Winner of the Continental Cup (2008).
- Bronze medalist at the World Championship (2007).
- Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2008/2009) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
- Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2009/2010) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
- World champion 2008, 2009, 2012 as a member of the Russian national hockey team.
- Participant in the KHL All-Star Game (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).

Awards
Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (June 30, 2009) - for his great contribution to the victory of the Russian national hockey team at the world championships in 2008 and 2009

I have known the captain of the Russian national team Ilya Nikulin for several years. He is a positive person. And it is not at all surprising that at the last World Cup it was he who was entrusted with the captain’s armband.

Dinara Kafiskina

- You won gold for the third time. How does it feel?

The most beautiful ones. But I can’t say that at the first two world championships the victory was more difficult to achieve than it is now,” Nikulin believes. - It’s never easy in games of this level. Especially, of course, in the playoff matches, where the very, very best meet.

Skeptics assumed that the Russians had nothing to gain at this championship. They made these conclusions after a not entirely successful performance at the Eurotour.

However, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team, as they say, wiped everyone’s noses.

Eurotour is Eurotour. The World Cup is completely different. A new coach arrived and many debutants appeared in the team. It was necessary to play. And there was not much time to prepare. Therefore, at first, in general, not everything worked out. But then with each match our team played better and better. We all followed the coaching instructions, everyone knew what to do in a given situation. And there was a wonderful atmosphere in the team. Like one family. This is, of course, very important. We felt each other. As for the fact that someone thought that we had problems in defense, this is not so.

- Your game is really worthy of respect...

I wouldn’t like to evaluate my game or delve into its nuances. There is always work to be done. There is something to strive for. When I know that I have made a mistake, I reproach myself greatly. I try to forget as quickly as possible. If you delve into yourself for too long, it will not lead to anything good.

You give the impression of a fairly balanced person in life. On game day, is there anything that can throw you off track?

We must approach the matter professionally. Go out and play, do your job. And so that no extraneous factors affect the quality of your play, the quality of the team’s play. I'm a really calm person in life. But it happens that sometimes I explode. True, then I analyze and understand that it is better not to do this. Different situations arise. And on the ice, sports anger is always present. Emotions are overwhelming.

- Have you accumulated fatigue after such a tense tournament?

There is little. But this fatigue is pleasant. Of course, any reward comes with great difficulty. And this one too. Ten tense games are behind us.

Experts noted that the quarterfinal match with the Norwegians was a turning point for our team. How do you evaluate this team, which was not taken seriously before?

Probably because she was different. But recently the level of almost all teams has increased. And the Norwegians are also not what they used to be. Now their team is combative and fast. We met with them at the preliminary stage. And then it was clear that this opponent was not an easy one. So, we took them seriously. Moreover, they had a player like Patrick Thoresen in their lineup, who fought for leadership with Evgeni Malkin.

The leader of our team at this championship got the full package. The opponent tried to unsettle him.

It was so. But Zhenya is just great. He endured everything. I tried not to give in to provocations, so as not to leave our team in the minority. Malkin is the kind of player who, of course, can stand up for himself. The most difficult game was with the Swedes. Both psychologically and physically. After it we felt confident. In general, we prepared very seriously for each opponent. They analyzed it thoroughly. But, it seemed to me, throughout the entire championship none of us were very nervous. We were all confident in our abilities.

Some hockey players speak of Bilyaletdinov as a tough and demanding coach. What do you say? This is not the first year you have been working under his leadership.

I have a lot of good things to say about him. He is an excellent specialist. And really demanding. I believe that every coach should be like this. How else?

- And, for example, can you talk to him for life?

There should still be some distance between the coach and the player. I have a very good attitude towards him, but I think that heart-to-heart conversations are unnecessary. And I haven’t had such moments yet. Although, in principle, I am sure that if I come up and start talking to him about life, he will not refuse me. He will be friendly.

- Let's talk about friends. More precisely, about one of them - Alexander Ovechkin. I know that you are still friends with Dynamo...

Yes. This is true. Not every day, but we call each other. After all, there is a big time difference with America. When he comes to Moscow, we, of course, see each other and communicate. Sometimes we go somewhere to relax together. By the way, he is my son's godfather. As for his career, I'm truly happy for him. He reached great heights. I never thought about whether he would be a star or not. Sashka was simply doing his job. But he already played very well here and made a name for himself. I saw his great desire and his efforts. He certainly has talent and has grown a lot. Became a world star.

- Are you thinking about the upcoming Olympics?

I think about her constantly. There is no other way. Still, this is the most important tournament. You might get an invitation to play for him only once in your career. Every athlete's dream. Now I want to spend my holidays with my family. At the end of the World Cup, my greatest desire was to return home as quickly as possible and hug my wife and children. But that’s a completely different story (smiles). I'll tell you about it next time.

Ilya Vladimirovich Nikulin(March 12, 1982, Moscow, USSR) - Russian hockey player, defenseman. A student of the Dynamo Moscow hockey school. Three-time world champion (2008, 2009, 2012) as a member of the Russian national team. Currently plays for the Dynamo hockey club. Honored Master of Sports of Russia (2009).

A close friend of Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, with whom he played together for Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Ovechkin is the godfather of his son Ilya.

Career

At the beginning of his career he played for the Dynamo Moscow farm club and for THC Tver. Since 2000, he has been a player in the main Dynamo squad. That same year, he was selected in the 2nd round, 31st overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

In 2005, Nikulin moved to Ak Bars Kazan, where he became one of the best Russian defenders, a permanent participant in major international competitions as part of the Russian national team.

Together with Ak Bars, he became the winner of the first two editions of the Gagarin Cup (2009 and 2010), and in the spring of 2010, in the absence of the injured team captain Alexei Morozov, it was Ilya who led his partners and was the first to lift the main KHL trophy over his head. In May 2015 he moved to Dynamo Moscow. He wears number 77

Achievements

• Silver medalist at the World Junior Championships (2000).
• Four-time Russian champion (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010).
• Silver medalist of the Russian Championship (2007).
• Winner of the European Cup (2007).
• Winner of the Continental Cup (2008).
• Bronze medalist of the World Championship (2007).
• Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2008/2009) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
• Winner of the KHL Gagarin Cup (2009/2010) as part of Ak Bars Kazan
• Silver medalist of the World Championship (2010).
• Three-time world champion (2008, 2009, 2012) as a member of the Russian national team.
• Six-time participant in the KHL All-Star Game (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015).

Statistics

Club career

Ilya Nikulin was born on March 12, 1982 in Moscow. The father of the future athlete was a professional hockey referee. Until recently, he worked as deputy head of the referee committee of the Russian Hockey Federation. It was the father who brought his nine-year-old son Ilyusha to the Spartak hockey section.

By today's standards, Nikulin started playing sports late. Boys who start playing hockey at such a “venerable” age do not reach the heights of big-time sports. Ilya refutes this generally accepted truth. From the very first classes, Ilyusha was assigned to the defense. He was not suitable for a striker, because... I wasn’t quite confident on my skates. However, hockey captivated the boy and he trained hard. The result was immediate. Already in 2000, playing for the junior team of the THL Tver, he became a silver medalist at the World Junior Championships.

Ilya himself believes that his parents brought up perseverance in him. Even as a child, they hung a magazine clipping over the table where he did his homework: “It is not the one who runs first who wins. And the one who continues to run.” This expression became the life motto of Ilya Nikulin. At the age of 18, Ilya Nikulin moved to the blue and white club Dynamo Moscow. He plays in parallel in two squads - in juniors and Dynamo-2. Dynamo coaches Vladimir Semenov, Vladimir Krikunov and especially Zinetula Bilyaletdinov played a significant role in the formation of Nikulin as a high-class defender.

In 2000, Ilya Nikulin was invited to the NHL club Atlanta Thrashers. And again Ilya decides to take an extraordinary action. Unlike most Russian hockey players, who by hook or by crook are trying to sign a contract with one of the NHL clubs and fly overseas, Nikulin did not go to the NHL. And after 2000, such offers were received by the player more than once.

Russian Atlanta player Ilya Kovalchuk believes that with his salary and status, it makes no sense for Nikulin to go overseas. Nikulin himself says that it is difficult to leave for the unknown, being one of the leaders of a successfully performing team. In principle, Nikulin does not exclude the possibility of his appearance in the world’s strongest hockey league; it was his boyhood dream. But so far he is happy with everything in his homeland.

Since 2005, on the advice of Bilyaletdidinov, Ilya begins to play for Ak Bars Kazan. Two years later, Nikulin was called up to join the national team. The period from 2007 to 2010 is the most successful period in the history of Russian hockey. During the World Championships, the Russian team had an unbeaten streak of 27 matches. This was the great merit of the leading defender of the national team, Ilya Nikulin. Ilya considers his first victory at the world championship to be the most memorable. After all, this happened in Quebec, when the Canadians were beaten on their own court, and even after the Russians lost during the match - 2:4!

Today, Ilya Nikulin is one of the most titled hockey players in Russia. He is a four-time champion of Russia, a five-time participant in KHL all-star matches, a winner of the European Champions Cup and the Continental Cup, twice held the Gagarin Cup as team captain, and once won a silver medal in the Russian championship.

As a member of the national team, Ilya Nikulin became the world champion three times and once a bronze medalist. In 2014, he dreams of adding “gold” to his collection of awards at the Sochi Olympics. And at the same time, take revenge from the Canadians for their defeat in the quarterfinals at the Vancouver Olympics. For his contribution to the development of hockey in 2009, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree.