Artem Chubarov

Playing career

Artyom Chubarov entered the NHL when the Vancouver Canucks picked him 31st overall in the 1998 draft, their second selection. Before that, he had played four seasons in Russia, suiting up for the Torpedo organization in Nizhny Novgorod and HC Dynamo Moscow. His final year with Dynamo included a standout moment at the 1999 World Junior Championships in Winnipeg, where he scored the overtime winner against Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo to secure a 3-2 gold medal for Russia.

He then joined the Canucks for most of the 1999-2000 campaign, with the rest of that season spent in the AHL with Syracuse. A shoulder injury while playing for Kansas City in the IHL limited him to just one game in 2000-01. Over the next few seasons, he bounced between Vancouver and its affiliates in Syracuse, Kansas City, and Manitoba. During this stretch, he made NHL history by becoming the first player to start his career with four straight game-winning goals.

By 2002-03, he had carved out a permanent role as a faceoff specialist and defensive centre, helping the Canucks reach the playoffs in both 2002-03 and 2003-04. When the 2004-05 lockout hit, he returned to Dynamo Moscow. After the lockout ended, reports said he declined to come back to the Canucks, opting to stay in Russia. On August 22, 2005, he signed with Avangard Omsk of the Super League, leaving Dynamo. He later joined Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the newly formed KHL for the start of the 2008-09 season.