Igor Korolev

Igor Korolev
Born	(1970-09-06)September 6, 1970 Zelenograd, Soviet Union
Died	Yaroslavl, Russia
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	HC Dynamo Moscow St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Metallurg Magnitogorsk Atlant Moscow Oblast Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
National team	Soviet Union
NHL Draft	38th overall, 1992 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	1988–2010

Igor Borisovich Korolyov (Russian: Игорь Борисович Королёв; September 6, 1970 – September 7, 2011) was a professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League (RSL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) before retiring from active play in 2010. In 2011, Korolev accepted an assistant coach position with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Korolev was killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster along with nearly the entire roster of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League for whom he was coaching. A native of the Russian Republic of the Soviet Union, Korolev became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 2000.

Playing career

Korolev began his professional playing career with HC Dynamo Moscow in the 1988–89 season appearing once. The following season, Korolev became a full member of the team, playing 17 games. He played two further full seasons with Dynamo. In all three seasons, Dynamo won the league championship. Korolev was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round, 38th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. After five games with Dynamo in the 1992–93 season, Korolev left to join the Blues. Korolev played for the Blues for two seasons. Korolev was unsigned in the 1994–95 season and he returned to Dynamo. He was picked up by the Winnipeg Jets on waivers in 1995 and stayed with the team as it moved to Phoenix. He signed as a free agent with Toronto in 1997. He was traded to Chicago in 2001 where he played until 2004. He then returned to Russia and signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. After one season, he transferred to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he played three seasons. He played one season with Atlant Moscow Oblast and one final season with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl where he retired after the 2009–10 season. He became an assistant coach with the team and was still an assistant at the time of his death.

Death

Main article: 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster

Korolev died on September 7, 2011, the day after he turned 41, when a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger aircraft crashed just outside Yaroslavl, Russia while transporting Lokomotiv to Minsk to play their opening game of the season. Lokomotiv officials said "everyone from the main roster was on the plane plus four players from the youth team." All aboard were killed, aside from one crew member.

Personal

Igor and Vera Korolev married in June 1990. Igor and Vera have two daughters, Kristina and Anastasia. Korolev's family has a permanent home in the North York district of Toronto, Canada. The Korolevs obtained Canadian citizenship in 2000. Korolev was buried in Toronto at Mount Pleasant Cemetery after a funeral on September 18, 2011. Korolev was the godfather of fellow NHL player Nik Antropov's son. Korolev and Antropov both played the 2000–01 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Honors

• Soviet championship: 1990 (with Dynamo)
• Soviet championship: 1991 (with Dynamo)
• Championship of SNG: 1992 (with Dynamo)
• International Hockey League: 1993 (with Dynamo)
• International Hockey League: 1995 (with Dynamo)
• Russian Super League: 2007 (with Metallurg Magnitogorsk)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1988–89	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		17	3	2	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		38	12	4	16	12		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		33	12	8	20	10		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		5	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	St. Louis Blues	NHL		74	4	23	27	20		3	0	0	0	0
1993–94	St. Louis Blues	NHL		73	6	10	16	40		2	0	0	0	0
1994–95	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		45	8	22	30	10		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	HC Dynamo Moscow	RSL		13	4	6	10	18		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		73	22	29	51	42		6	0	3	3	0
1996–97	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		41	3	7	10	28		1	0	0	0	0
1996–97	Michigan K-Wings	IHL		4	2	2	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Phoenix Roadrunners	IHL		4	2	6	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		78	17	22	39	22		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		66	13	34	47	46		1	0	0	0	0
1999–00	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		80	20	26	46	22		12	0	4	4	6
2000–01	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		73	10	19	29	28		11	0	0	0	0
2001–02	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		82	9	20	29	20		5	0	1	1	0
2002–03	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		48	4	5	9	30		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		14	4	3	7	0		9	2	4	6	4
2003–04	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		10	1	4	5	4		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		62	3	10	13	22		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	RSL		60	8	20	28	26		9	1	6	7	2
2005–06	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	RSL		51	7	17	24	26		11	0	2	2	4
2006–07	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	RSL		54	2	14	16	28		13	4	3	7	8
2007–08	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	RSL		57	6	20	26	58		13	5	5	10	10
2008–09	Atlant Mytishchi	KHL		56	7	15	22	46		7	0	1	1	10
2009–10	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	KHL		48	5	15	20	28		15	0	3	3	4
NHL totals				795	119	227	346	330		41	0	8	8	6

International statistics

Year	Team	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991	Soviet Union	CC	5th		5	0	0	0	0
1992	CIS	WC	5th		6	2	1	3	2

External links

• Igor Korolev's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Igor Korolev profile at Eurohockey.com
• Igor Korolev's player profile at NHL.com