Yuri Kuznetsov (ice hockey, born 1965)

For the other ice hockey player named Yuri Kuznetsov, see Yuri Kuznetsov (ice hockey, 1971). For other people with this name, see Yuri Kuznetsov.

Yuri Kuznetsov (Russian Юрий Кузнецов, born 31 January 1965) is a Russian former ice hockey player.

Yuri Kuznetsov
Born	(1965-01-31) January 31, 1965 Moscow, USSR
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	RSL Krylia Sovetov Lokomotiv Yaroslavl SM-liiga SaiPa HIFK Elitserien IF Björklöven
Playing career	1985–2003

Career

Early career in Russia

Kuznetsov started his professional career in 1985, playing in Russia for Krylya Sovetov Moscow of the Soviet Hockey League and Voronezh Buran of the Vysshaya Liga until 1993.

Finland

After one year in Swedish Elitserien, he joined HIFK in the SM-liiga, where he played for 3 seasons. At the beginning of the 1997–1998 season he moved to SaiPa where Kuznetsov stayed for nearly five seasons. During the middle of the 2001–02 season, Kuznetsov left SaiPa and returned to his homeland and the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl after nine years spent abroad.

Overall, Kuznetsov played in 388 matches in SM-liiga and scored 53 goals, 119 assists and 172 points. He collected 305 penalty minutes. Kuznetsov belonged to the best defenders of the league, scoring 36 points in each of the seasons 1999–2000 and 2000–2001.

Retirement

After half of a season in Russia, Kuznetsov returned to Finland to play the 2002–2003 season for Hokki in Mestis, which was the final year of his career.

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
85/86	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		40	0	2	2	20
86/87	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		12	0	0	0	6
86/87	Voronezh Buran	Vys.		20	5	3	8	6
87/88	Voronezh Buran	Vys.		65	13	11	24	62
89/90	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		52	0	2	2	26
90/91	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		23	1	2	3	12
91/92	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		30	4	1	5	14
92/93	Krylia Sovetov	RSL		42	8	2	10	14		7	0	1	1	0
93/94	IF Björklöven	Elitserien		22	4	5	9	10
93/94	IF Björklöven	Allsvenskan		17	3	1	4	30		2	0	0	0	2
94/95	HIFK	SM-liiga		49	9	18	27	56		3	0	1	1	0
95/96	HIFK	SM-liiga		50	6	11	17	75		3	0	0	0	0
96/97	HIFK	SM-liiga		48	6	14	20	32
97/98	SaiPa	SM-liiga		48	6	5	11	44		3	0	0	0	2
98/99	SaiPa	SM-liiga		54	3	15	18	34		7	2	2	4	2
99/00	SaiPa	SM-liiga		54	12	24	36	18
00/01	SaiPa	SM-liiga		55	9	27	36	34
01/02	SaiPa	SM-liiga		30	2	5	7	12
01/02	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	RSL		20	2	2	4	8		9	0	0	0	14
02/03	Hokki	Mestis		8	0	2	2	6
Totals				739	93	152	245	519		34	2	4	6	20
SM-liiga				388	53	119	172	305		16	2	3	5	4
Russian Superleague				219	15	11	26	100		16	0	1	1	14
Elitserien				22	4	5	9	10

See also

• Kuznetsov should not be confused with Yuri Kuznetsov (b. Novosibirsk 1971), Russian ice hockey left wing who played for Russia in the 2001 IIHF World Championship.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database