Andrei Nazarov is a former Russian hockey player. He spent most of his playing career with American teams. Currently works as a trainer.
Childhood and youth
Andrey was born in May 1974 in Chelyabinsk. He was a simple boy who, like millions of others, wanted to prove himself in some kind of sport. Already at an early age he got into the hockey section of the Chelyabinsk Tractor. At first, nothing stood out from the rest of the guys, but after a few years it became clear that he could really grow into a solid player. Coaches also noticed this, and therefore did everything so that the guy could realize his potential, and, as it turns out in the future, not in vain. Andrei Nazarov always played closer to the attack, and as a teenager it was clear that he would not become a defensive player. He predominantly appeared in the position of an extreme striker, where he continued to play in the future. When he was seventeen years old, the process of the collapse of the Soviet Union began. This meant that the only opportunity to professionally engage in sports was only if you left for Moscow. The young man understood this, and already in 1991 signed a contract with the capital Dynamo. He will play the first season in the union championship, but from next year he will play in the championship of Russia.
The main stage of a career
From 1992 to 1993 he played in the youth hockey league for Dynamo. A promising player paid attention overseas. In the course of the 1993-1994 season. Andrei Nazarov moves to the United States of America. The hockey player will begin to play for the Kansas City Blades and will prove himself to the best of his ability. As a result of a confident game, at the end of 1994 he switched to San Jose Sharks, where he managed to take part in only one match.
Season 1994-1995 spends in "Kansas City Blades", where forty-three times goes on the ice, scores fifteen goals, and gives ten assists.
Only from the 1996-1997 season. will become a full-fledged player in the strongest hockey league in the world. The best of his career will be 1999. He will play in seventy-six games, excel ten times at the opponents' goal and give twenty-two assists. Until the end of 2004, Andrei Nazarov will play in different clubs in America.
Season 2004-2005 begins as part of the Novokuznetsk Metallurg, but very soon it is necessary to leave for Vanguard. Unfortunately, at home he did not manage to perform normally due to his age, and in 2005 he went to the United States to end his career. He will play at two Minnesota Wild and Houston Airos clubs and complete his high-level performances.
Career Team
A very interesting person is Andrei Nazarov. His biography could have turned out differently if he had shown himself more successfully in the national team, but it happened as it happened.
Being very young, the hockey player was considered one of the most talented in Russia. The results of the debut seasons abroad only confirmed this fact. Despite this, he received an invitation to the Russian team only in 1998. Then he became a participant in the World Cup, but to win it did not work. The Russian team took only fifth place, but the extreme striker showed himself quite well. He took part in six fights, scored one goal, and once acted as an assistant.
Andrey Nazarov - coach
After the player’s career came to an end, the athlete returned to his native Chelyabinsk and began working as a manager in Tractor. At that time, the seat of the coach, Gennady Tsygurov, was vacated, and Andrei took him. A few years later he is included in the headquarters of the Russian national team as an expert in the National Hockey League.
In 2010, he left Tractor and signed a contract with Vityaz. Here he will spend two years, after which he will head Severstal. In the summer of 2013, head coach Andrei Nazarov receives HC Donbass, with whom he will be able to achieve a lot, and will make the Donetsk team one of the strongest in Ukraine. For some time he was the manager of the national team of Ukraine.
In 2014, he leads Barys and the national team of Kazakhstan. Here he did not stay long, and already in 2015 he became the head coach of SKA. Unfortunately, he was soon dismissed, after which he returned to Barys. Today he continues to work in the Kazakh team.
