Nikolai Khabibulin

Lore & Background

Khabibulin was selected in the ninth round of the 1992 NHL entry draft by the Winnipeg Jets. After playing with the touring Russian Penguins in 1993–94, he entered the NHL in January 1995. He moved with the franchise to Phoenix in 1996, becoming a Coyote. In five seasons with the Jets/Coyotes, he started at least 60 games three times, including two seasons of 70 games. A contract dispute after 1998–99 led him to hold out for an entire season, during which he played for the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL and earned the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy as league MVP.

Traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2001, Khabibulin helped lead the team to the playoffs in 2003 and to the Stanley Cup in 2004, recording five shutouts in 23 playoff games, including three in the first round (tied for an NHL record). During the 2004–05 lockout, he played for Ak Bars Kazan. He signed a four-year, $27 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005, making him the highest-paid goaltender in the league at the time. After the Blackhawks signed Cristobal Huet in 2008, Khabibulin was put on waivers but cleared, and he retrenched himself as starter for the 2009 playoffs, leading Chicago to the Western Conference Finals before a lower-body injury ended his postseason.

Khabibulin signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, but injuries limited his play; he underwent back surgery in 2010 and posted a 10–32–3 record in 2010–11. He returned to Chicago as a backup for the 2013–14 season, but a hip injury in November 2013 ended his NHL career. He announced his retirement in November 2015. In December 2023, at age 50, he un-retired and became a goaltender for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL, though he did not feature competitively.

Reader's Guide

Khabibulin's career is notable for several firsts and milestones. He was the first Russian goaltender to win the Stanley Cup, achieving this with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, and until 2020 he was the only Russian goaltender to start in the Finals. His performance in the 2002 NHL All-Star Game, where a flawless 20-save third period allowed the World All-Stars to rally for an 8–5 win, was widely regarded as deserving of the MVP award, though the honor went to Éric Dazé. At the international level, he won two Olympic medals: a gold with the CIS in 1992 (though initially denied a medal due to a dispute with coach Viktor Tikhonov, later resolved in 2002) and a bronze with Russia in 2002, where he was named Best Goaltender of the tournament. He remains the last active player from Russia to win the Olympic Games. His contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005 made him the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL at that time. Despite injuries and a late-career role as a backup, Khabibulin's legacy includes being a four-time NHL All-Star and a key figure in the Lightning's first Stanley Cup championship.

Did You Know?

• He was named Best Goaltender at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where he helped Russia win a bronze medal.
• In 2005, he signed a four-year, $27 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, making him the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL at the time.
• At age 50, he un-retired in December 2023 to become a goaltender for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL.