Alexis I
Tsar of All Russia
Reign	12 July 1645 – 29 January 1676
Coronation	28 September 1645
Predecessor	Mikhail
Successor	Feodor III
Consort	Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya Nataliya Kyrillovna Naryshkina
among others... Issue
Tsarevna Sofia Alexeevna Fyodor III Ivan V Peter I Tsarevna Natalya Alexeevna
Full name
Alexei Mikhailovich
House	House of Romanov
Father	Mikhail
Mother	Eudoxia Streshneva
Born	(1629-05-09)9 May 1629 Moscow
Died	29 January 1676(1676-01-29) (aged 46) Moscow
Burial	Archangel Cathedral
Religion	Eastern Orthodox

Aleksey Mikhailovich (Russian: Алексей Михайлович) (9 March 1629 (O.S.) – 29 January 1676 (O.S.)) was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century. On the eve of his death in 1676, the Tsardom of Russia spanned almost 2,000,000,000 acres (8,100,000 km²).

Early life and reign[link]

Born in Moscow on 8 March 1629, the son of Tsar Michael and Eudoxia Streshneva, Alexei acceded to the throne at the age of sixteen after his father's death on 12 July 1645. He was committed to the care of the boyar Boris Morozov, a shrewd and sensible guardian sufficiently enlightened to recognize the needs of his country, and by no means inaccessible to Western ideas.

Morozov's foreign policy was pacificatory. He secured a truce with Poland and carefully avoided complications with the Ottoman Empire. His domestic policy was scrupulously fair and aimed at relieving the public burdens by limiting the privileges of foreign traders and abolishing a great many useless and expensive court offices. On 17 January 1648 Morozov procured the marriage of the tsar with Maria Miloslavskaya, himself marrying her sister, Anna, ten days later, both daughters of Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky (1594–1668).

Morozov was very unpopular however, regarded as a typical self-seeking 17th-century boyar, and was generally detested and accused of sorcery and witchcraft. In May 1648 the people of Moscow rose against them in the so-called Salt Riot, and the young Tsar was compelled to dismiss them and exile Boris to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Suffering from the forced separation, Alexei sent many tender letters to his mentor, and urged the guards to treat him as civilly as possible.

The popular discontent demonstrated by the riot was partially responsible for Alexis' 1649 issuance of a new legal code, the Sobornoye Ulozhenie.

His associates and policies[link]

The successful issue of the Moscow riots was the occasion of disquieting disturbances all over the tsardom culminating in dangerous rebellions at Pskov and Great Novgorod, with which the government was so unable to cope that they surrendered, practically granting the malcontents their own terms. One man only had displayed equal tact and courage at Great Novgorod, the metropolitan Nikon, who in consequence became in 1651 the Tsar's chief minister.

In 1653 the weakness and disorder of Poland, which had just emerged from the Khmelnytsky Uprising, encouraged Alexei to attempt to annex from her rival the old Rus’ lands. On 1 October 1653 a national assembly met at Moscow to sanction the war and find the means of carrying it out, and in April 1654 the army was blessed by Nikon (now patriarch). The campaign of 1654 was an uninterrupted triumph, and scores of towns, including the important fortress of Smolensk, fell into the hands of the Russians. It was also during this war that Ukrainian Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky appealed to Tsar Alexei for protection from the Poles, and got it in the form of the Treaty of Pereyaslav which brought about Russian dominance of the Cossack Hetmanate in Left-Bank Ukraine.

Tsar Alexis Mikhalovich

In January 1655 the rout of Akhmatov arrested their progress; but in the summer of the same year, the sudden invasion by Charles X of Sweden for the moment swept the Polish state out of existence; the Russians, unopposed, quickly appropriated nearly everything which was not already occupied by the Swedes, and when at last the Poles offered to negotiate, the whole grand-duchy of Lithuania was the least of the demands of Alexei. Fortunately for Poland, the Tsar and the king of Sweden now quarrelled over the apportionment of the spoils, and at the end of May 1656 Alexei, encouraged by the Habsburg emperor and the other enemies of Sweden, declared war.

Great things were expected of the Swedish war, but nothing came of it. Dorpat was taken, but countless multitudes were lost in vain before Riga. In the meantime Poland had so far recovered herself as to become a much more dangerous foe than Sweden, and, as it was impossible to wage war with both simultaneously, the Tsar resolved to rid himself of the Swedes first. This he did by the Peace of Kardis ( 2 July 1661), whereby Russia retroceded all her conquests. The Polish war dragged on for six years longer and was then concluded by a truce, nominally for thirteen years, which proved the most durable of treaties.

By the Treaty of Andrusovo ( 11 February 1667) Vitebsk, Polotsk and Polish Livonia were restored to Poland, but the infinitely more important Smolensk and Kiev remained in the hands of Russia together with the whole eastern bank of the Dnieper River. This truce was the achievement of Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin, the first Russian chancellor and diplomat in the modern sense, who after the disgrace of Nikon became the Tsar's first minister until 1670, when he was superseded by the equally able Artamon Matveyev, whose beneficent influence prevailed to the end of Alexei's reign.

The image of Tsar Alexis turning his back to Peter the Great on the Millennium Monument in Novgorod

When Charles I of England was beheaded by the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell in 1649, an outraged Alexei broke off diplomatic relations with England and accepted Royalist refugees in Moscow. He also banned all English merchants from his country and provided financial assistance to "the disconsolate widow of that glorious martyr, King Charles I." ^[1]

Assessment[link]

It is the crowning merit of the Tsar Alexei that he discovered so many great men (like Fyodor Rtishchev, Ordin, Matveyev, the best of Peter's precursors) and suitably employed them. He was not a man of superior strength of character, or he would never have submitted to the dictation of Nikon. But, on the other hand, he was naturally, if timorously, progressive, or he would never have encouraged the great reforming boyar Matveyev. His last years, notwithstanding the terrible rebellion of Stenka Razin, were deservedly tranquil.

Alexei's letters have earned him a place in the history of Russian literature, as assessed by D.S. Mirsky:

A few private letters and an instruction to his falconers is all we have of him. But it is sufficient for Sergey Platonov to proclaim him the most attractive of Russian monarchs. He acquired the moniker Tishayshy, which means "most quiet" or "most peaceful". Certain aspects of Russian Orthodoxy, not its most purely spiritual, but its aesthetic and worldly aspects, found in him their most complete expression. The essence of Alexei's personality is a certain spiritual Epicureanism, manifested in an optimistic Christian faith, in a profound, but unfanatical, attachment to the traditions and ritual of the Church, in a desire to see everyone round him happy and at peace, and in a highly developed capacity to extract a quiet and mellow enjoyment from all things.^[2]

Family and children[link]

Alexei's first marriage to Miloslavskaya was a success, and she bore him thirteen children in twenty-one years of marriage: five sons and eight daughters, and died weeks after her thirteenth childbirth. Four sons survived her, (Alexei, Fyodor, Semyon, and Ivan) but within six months two of these had died, including Alexei, the sixteen-year-old heir to the throne.

Tsar Alexei chooses his bride by Grigory Sedov (the result of the Tsardom-wide contest organized by Boris Morozov was his relative Maria Miloslavskaya)

Their children were:

• Tsarevich Dmitri Alexeevich (1648–1649)
• Tsarevna Yevdokia Alexeevna (1650–1712)
• Tsarevna Marfa Alexeevna (1652–1707)
• Tsarevich Alexei Alexeevich (1654–1670)
• Tsarevna Anna Alexeevna (1655–1659)
• Tsarevna Sofia Alexeevna (1657–1704)
• Tsarevna Ekaterina Alexeevna (1658–1718)
• Tsarevna Maria Alexeevna (1660–1723)
• Fyodor III (1661–1682)
• Tsarevna Feodosia Alexeevna (1662–1713)
• Tsarevich Simeon (1665–1669)
• Ivan V (1666–1696)
• Tsarevna Yevdokia Alexeevna (1669–1669)

Alexei remarried on 1 February 1671, Nataliya Kyrillovna Naryshkina ( 1 September 1651 – 4 February 1694). She was brought up in the house of Artamon Matveyev and was a ward of his wife, the Scottish-descended Mary Hamilton.

Their children were:

• Peter I (1672–1725)
• Tsarevna Natalya Alexeevna (1673–1716)
• Tsarevna Fyodora Alexeevna (1674–1677)

Ancestry[link]

See also[link]

• Tsars of Russia family tree

Notes[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alexis I of Russia

1. ^ Massie, Robert K. Peter the Great: His Life and World. Knopf: 1980. ISBN 0-394-50032-6. Page 12.
2. ^ D.S.Mirsky, A History of Russian Literature. Northwestern University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8101-1679-0. Page 27.

References[link]

• Grigory Kotoshikhin's On Russia during the reign of Alexey Mikhailovich (1665) is a key source on domestic life of the tsar and his court.
• Yury Krizhanich's treatises from 1660s are also very informative.

v t e Sovereigns of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, Grand Principality of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire Grand Princes Yuri Dolgorukiy Andrei I Bogolyubsky Mikhail of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest Yuri II of Vladimir Konstantin of Rostov Yuri II of Vladimir Yaroslav II of Vladimir Sviatoslav III of Vladimir Andrey II of Vladimir Alexander Nevsky Yaroslav of Tver Vasily of Kostroma Dmitry of Pereslavl Andrey of Gorodets Mikhail of Tver Yuri of Moscow Dmitry the Terrible Eyes Alexander of Tver Ivan I Simeon the Proud Ivan II Dmitry Donskoy Vasily I Vasily II Ivan III the Great Vasily III Tsars Ivan IV the Terrible Simeon Bekbulatovich Ivan IV the Terrible Feodor I Boris Godunov Feodor II Dmitry II (False Dmitry I) Vasili IV Vladislaus (formally) Michael I Alexis Feodor III Ivan V and Peter I the Great (co-rulers) Peter I the Great Emperors and Empresses Peter I the Great Catherine I Peter II Anna Ivan VI Elizabeth Peter III Catherine II the Great Paul Alexander I Nicholas I Alexander II Alexander III Nicholas II Michael II

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Aleksey Morozov
Born	(1977-02-16) February 16, 1977 (age 35) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Left
KHL team Former teams	Ak Bars Kazan Krylya Sovetov Moscow Pittsburgh Penguins
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	24th overall, 1995 Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career	1993–present

Medal record
Competitor for Russia
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Silver	1998 Nagano	Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold	2009 Switzerland	Ice hockey
Gold	2008 Canada	Ice hockey
Bronze	2007 Russia	Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze	1997 Switzerland	Ice hockey
Bronze	1996 United States	Ice hockey

Aleksey Alekseyevich Morozov (Russian: Алексей Алексе́евич Морозов; born February 16, 1977) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Morozov is the current captain of the Ak Bars Kazan.

He is the former captain of the Russian national ice hockey team, holding the post from 2007-2011, with the team winning 2 gold, 1 silver (missed tournament due to injury, Kovalchuk captained) and 1 bronze medal at the World Championships during this time. He was succeeded, as national team captain, by his Ak Bars team mate Ilya Nikulin, in 2012.

Playing career[link]

Pittsburgh Penguins[link]

Morozov was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.^[1] After being drafted, he remained in Russia and did not join the Penguins until the 1997–98 NHL season. Morozov began his career much like Pittsburgh legend Mario Lemieux, scoring on his first shot on his first shift of his first game as a Penguin. He played seven seasons for the Penguins, totaling 451 games, 84 goals, and 219 points.

In his seven year NHL career, Morozov earned the nickname The Devil Killer for his notorious success against the New Jersey Devils.^[2] In fact, New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur in an interview before a Penguins/Devils game on Fox Sports Net jokingly stated that he had nightmares of Morozov each night before his club would play the Penguins. Brodeur also stated in an interview with ESPN's Dan Patrick that Morozov is the player that he would not like to see coming in on him on a breakaway adding " The kid's got probably over 25 percent of his career goals on me. It's unbelievable." when asked to explain Morozov's success against him Brodeur added " I don't know. If you figure it out, please tell me. When he shoots the puck, I never catch it really clean. When he's going to make a pass, I think he's shooting. When he's shooting, I think he's making a pass. The guy's in my kitchen. He's in my head. I can't get rid of him."^[3] He also won an Olympic Silver Medal on the 1998 Russian Olympic Team during his rookie year with the Penguins. Despite these successes, Morozov never fully developed into the player he had the potential to be as he played a majority of his first few seasons in the NHL on the third and fourth lines due to the tremendous depth of a talent laden Penguins team that included stars such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromír Jágr, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka and Robert Lang among others.^[2]

He finally got his chance on the starting line during the 2002–03 season and the KLM line of Kovalev, Lemieux and Morozov led the Penguins to a top three record in the conference the first third of the season before being dismantled by injuries and trades. After bursting onto the scene with 25 points in 27 games, Morozov suffered a fractured wrist by a crushing hit that ended his season^[2] and Lemieux became bogged down by back problems which forced him to call it a year. Kovalev was later traded at the NHL Trade Deadline to the New York Rangers.

The next season saw Morozov off to a slow start, mainly due to injury and the lack of talent on a young Penguins team. However, down the stretch of the 2003–04 season, Morozov was instrumental to the Penguins late season success, leading the team with five game-winning goals, including two in the final three games of the season as well as netting 30 points in the final 15 games. He would also finish the season leading all Penguins forwards in points.

Ak Bars Kazan[link]

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Morozov went back to Russia to hone his skills and play for the Ak Bars Kazan^[2] of the Russian Superleague (RSL), for whom he has played since. He would see significant ice-time on a talent laden Ak-Bars team that included NHL stars such as Vincent Lecavalier, Dany Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk, Brad Richards and Nikolai Antropov. Despite these marquee NHL names, it would be Morozov that would go on to lead the club in scoring with 46 points.

2005–06 season[link]

With the NHL's future still up in the air, Morozov signed a one-year contract with Kazan in hopes to build upon his previous season's success. The 2005–06 season proved a great one for Morozov, where he finished the regular season leading the league in goals (23) and being second in points (49) after Sergei Mozyakin (52) while leading Ak Bars to its first championship win in nearly ten years.^[2] He was instrumental in his teams long playoff run, amassing an unbelievable 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in just 13 games en route to Playoff MVP.^[2] He was also qualified for six other RSL league awards, two of which he won.

As they built on their chemistry from the 04-05 season that eventually led to dominance during the 05-06 season, the Kazan line of Sergei Zinovjev, Danis Zaripov, and Morozov himself came to be known throughout the world as the ZZM Line. During the 2006 RSL playoff run, the ZZM Line amassed 51 points in just 13 games. Although they would only see one more full season together after 05-06 due to injuries, the ZZM Line has been widely regarded as the best European line produced since the Cold War Era for their championship style of play leading Ak-Bars to one RSL championship, one KHL championship, one European Cup Championship, and Team Russia to two Gold Medal World Championships.

The off-season choice of whether to remain in the RSL or return to the NHL was a very difficult one for Morozov, as he wanted to join his compatriots Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin in the NHL but he also had a great relationship and close ties with Ak Bars. However, in the end, Morozov chose to sign an undisclosed contract to stay with his Russian club in hopes of winning back-to-back championships.^[2]

2006–07[link]

When the regular season ended, Morozov led the league and established new Super League record in points (83)^[2] as Ak Bars Kazan had a league leading 119 points and well on the way to an unprecedented second straight championship. He became the first and only player in the history of the RSL to top the eighty points in a season and his 83 points broke the old record of 79 held by Sergei Makarov. This is a record that will stand the test of time as in just two more years the RSL would be replaced by a greater league spanning four countries. After quickly dispatching of Metallurg Novokuznetsk in the opening round in three games, Ak Bars then defeated Khimik Moscow Oblast and CSKA Moscow in four games each to advance to the finals to face Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In a final decisive game five, Ak Bars would come up short losing the final game by the score of 2–1. Despite not matching his stellar numbers of the 2005–06 season, Morozov finished the playoffs with a league leading 15 assists in 14 games.

During the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) European Championship Cup (ECC) in January 2007, Morozov earned the titles of best forward and MVP as he led Ak Bars to the championship^[2] by defeating the SM-liiga club HPK 6-0, reaffirming Russian dominance at the tournament.

Shortly after the 2006–07 RSL season ended, Morozov was chosen to represent Russia as an Alternate Captain at the International Hockey World Championship (IHWC). Despite missing two games to a minor knee injury, in just seven games he finished first in goals with eight while finishing second in points as well as capturing the title of best forward at the tournament.

2007–08[link]

The following and final RSL season proved another successful one for Morozov as he continued his dominance of the league by finishing in the tops in scoring and leading Ak Bars to the playoffs once again but would come up one game and one goal short of the finals in another heartbreaking 4–3 loss to Salavat Yulaev Ufa. The 2007–08 RSL season would be the last in the league's history, as it would be replaced by the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) at the start of the 2008–09 season. The KHL comprised the 20 current teams from the RSL, as well as Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg of the Vysshaya Liga, Barys Astana from Kazakhstan, Dynamo Minsk from Belarus, as well as a team from Latvia based in Riga known as Dinamo Riga.

Due to his previous year's success with the Russian national team at the 2007 World Championship, Morozov was chosen as Captain of the 2008 squad. With Morozov in the lineup the previous year, Russia went undefeated until he suffered a knee injury and the 2007 squad without their alternate captain would finish 1–1 and fall short of the Gold once again. However, with Morozov as their captain and in the lineup, Russia would go undefeated once again and capture the Gold by defeating Canada in a thrilling overtime contest 5–4. The gold medal score was Russia's first in 15 years and would be Russia's 24th overall, tying Canada for the most gold medals by any county. The 2008 IIHF World Championship also marked 100 years of World Championship hockey.

2008–09[link]

In 2008, his Russian club Ak Bars Kazan joined the Kontinetal Hockey League. Although Morozov was limited to only 49 games due to a freak head on collision with Atlant Moscow goaltender Ray Emery, he finished second in scoring with 70 points (32 goals and 38 assists). Following the season's end, Ak Bars swept Barys Astana in the Round of 16 and defeat them in season series 3–0. In the quarterfinals they would face the talent-laden Avangard Omsk and dispatch them in a final decisive game five 3–2 in OT.

For the semi-finals and finals matches, the playoff series length was increased to seven games for the final four teams in it and in their semi-final match-up, Kazan defeated Dynamo Moscow 4–2 and would go on to face Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the finals, making it the third time in five years that Ak Bars has made it to the finals. Although Ak Bars would get off to a slow start, getting outscored in their first three games by a combined score of 9–4 including two shutout losses, they and captain Aleksey Morozov would turn it on when it mattered. Finding themselves down 3–2 in the series, Ak Bars would snatch game six away from Lokomotiv in overtime and in the final decisive game seven their captain provided all the offense the team needed as Morozov scored the lone goal in a 1–0 victory making Kazan the first team to ever capture the Gagarin Cup and first ever KHL champions.

Due to his incredible success in the KHL as well as his previous success in captaining Russia to a World Championship, Morozov was once again chosen as Captain for the 2009 IHWC squad. He would not disappoint as Russia would go on to steamroll their opponents in the opening rounds of play and would soon find themselves in a rematch of the previous years championship game against Canada. In yet another exciting contest, Russia would once again capture the Gold by defeating Canada 2-1 giving them the most Gold Medals by any country with 25. From 2006-2009, Team Russia was a perfect 21-0 with Morozov in their lineup in World Championship hockey.

2009–10[link]

Morozov was chosen as Captain for Team Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the flagbearer for the Russian Olympic Team.^[4] Despite a talented roster, Team Russia would fall to eventual Olympic Gold champion Canada in the opening elimination round. As of 2010, Canada and Russia stand tied with the most gold medals of any ice hockey national team with 25 between Olympic and World Championship tournaments.

Despite the devastating Olympic loss, Morozov did not let it bother him on the ice as he led Ak-Bars to their second straight Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. The 2009-2010 season was an up and down one for Morozov as he battle injuries down the stretch in the second half of the KHL season where he missed several key playoff games and even had to miss the 2010 World Championships, where Team Russia would lose for the first time in over 3 years without their Captain and have to settle for Silver.

The injury bug would plague Morozov down the stretch of Ak-Bars KHL playoff run as well, however, due in large part to his leadership on and off the ice Ak-Bars would capture their second consecutive Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. This victory made Ak-Bars the first club in the KHL to not only win the Gagarin Cup but to win the trophy twice and back-to-back.

Honours[link]

• CIS - Rookie of the Year: 1994–95 ^[5]
• World Junior Championship All-Star 1996^[5]
• Best Best Forward at WJC 1997^[5]
• Olympic Silver Medal (Russia): 1998
• Russian Super League Championship: 2006
• Ceska Pojistovna: 2006
• Kubok Pervogo Kanala: 2006
• RSL Goal Scoring Champion: 2006
• RSL Playoff MVP: 2006
• European Champions: 2007
• Best Forward (ECC): 2007
• Most Valuable Player (ECC): 2007
• RSL Goal Scoring Champion: 2007
• RSL MVP: 2007
• Best Forward (IHWC): 2007
• World Championship (Russia) : 2008
• Gagarin Cup : 2009
• KHL Playoff MVP: 2009
• World Championship (Russia) : 2009
• Gagarin Cup : 2010

Career statistics[link]

International statistics[link]

Year	Team	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996	Russia	WJC	3 !		7	5	3	8	2
1997	Russia	WJC	3 !		6	5	3	8	6
Junior int'l totals					13	10	6	16	8
1997	Russia	WC	4th		9	3	3	6	2
1998	Russia	Oly	2 !		6	2	2	4	0
1998	Russia	WC	5th		4	0	3	3	2
2004	Russia	WC	10th		6	1	1	2	4
2007	Russia	WC	3 !		7	8	5	13	6
2008	Russia	WC	1 !		8	5	2	7	4
2009	Russia	WC	1 !		9	1	4	5	0
2010	Russia	Oly	6th		4	2	0	2	0
2011	Russia	WC	4th		9	1	3	4	8
Senior int'l totals					62	23	23	46	26

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aleksey Morozov's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Aleksey Morozov – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Aleksey Morozov's NHL player profile

Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov (Russian: Алексей Андреевич Черепанов; January 15, 1989 – October 13, 2008) was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Cherepanov represented Russia in three international tournaments, winning a gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championships and a silver medal; and scored the bronze medal game winning goal at the IIHF World U20 Championship. He died at the age of nineteen after collapsing on the bench during a regular season game in the KHL.

Playing career[link]

Nicknamed the Siberian Express, Cherepanov was in his third season with Avangard, a team in southwestern Siberia. In his rookie season in the Russian Superleague, Cherepanov had more points than now-National Hockey League (NHL) stars Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk did respectively, at the age of 17.^[1] In March 2007, Cherepanov surpassed the Russian league rookie goal scoring record previously held by Pavel Bure (17 goals).^[2]

On June 22, 2007, Cherepanov was drafted in the 1st round, 17th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, despite being considered by many rankings to be a top five prospect, and the top European available. Among the reasons offered by analysts for his lingering in the draft was the lack of a new transfer agreement between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) concerning players in the Russian Hockey Federation.

On November 5, 2007, Cherepanov was named RSL Newcomer of the Year for the '06-'07 Season.^[3]

Going into the 2008–09 KHL season, Cherepanov had one year remaining on his contract with Omsk. The Rangers had been hoping to bring Cherepanov to New York for the club's prospect evaluation camp or training camp, but with the lack of a formal transfer agreement between the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation, Cherepanov remained in Russia, with the Rangers hoping to sign him in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

On October 3, 2008, Alexei tied the Avangard Omsk goal scoring streak record with goals in 6 consecutive games, and continued the streak, which ended at 9 games.^[4]

International play[link]

Medal record
Competitor for  Russia
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championship
Silver	2007 Leksand	Ice hockey
Bronze	2008 Pardubice	Ice hockey
World U18 Championships
Gold	2007 Tampere	Ice hockey

Cherepanov represented Russia at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Along with winning a silver medal, he was named to the tournament's all-star team, as well as earning the award for best forward.

During the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships Cherepanov lead Russia to a gold medal, in the final against USA he scored one goal to give Russia the lead early in the third period.^[5] Cherepanov was selected to the media all-star team,^[6] in total he scored five goals, tied for second in the tournament,^[7] and his eight point total was second to Nikita Filatov's nine points as scoring leader for team Russia.^[8]

During game two of the 2007 Super Series between Russia and Canada, Cherepanov was blindsided by Canadian forward Brandon Sutter and suffered a concussion. The next day it was reported that he would be out for the remainder of the eight-game series.^[9] Team Russia was winless for the remainder of the series.

Cherepanov led Russia to a bronze medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships, and had three points in the medal winning 4–2 victory over the United States.^[10]

Death[link]

Cherepanov died in Chekhov, Russia on October 13, 2008 after collapsing on the bench during a Kontinental Hockey League game with his club Avangard Omsk against Vityaz Chekhov. There were 2:55 minutes left in the game. He played a shift with teammate Jaromír Jágr, and the two were talking on the bench shortly after they left the ice, when he suddenly collapsed.^[11] After being attended to on the bench, he was carried to the dressing room where he was revived for several brief moments before finally being rushed to an intensive care unit,^[12] but it was too late. The ambulance that is normally at all games had already departed and had to be called back; doctors arrived on the scene a full 15 minutes after Cherepanov collapsed, and the battery on the defibrillator used to attempt to shock Cherepanov's heart back to life was drained.^[13] It took approximately 20 minutes to get him to a hospital.^[1][14] While in the care of Chekhov doctors, he was again resuscitated briefly on two occasions. He woke up for another 2 minutes, only to collapse again, before ultimately dying 2 hours later in the 2nd City Chekhov Hospital. Reports say that the ambulance didn't have a defibrillator and adrenalin shots with them and that heart massage didn't help. They still were able to start the heart 5 times and after one of them Cherepanov even regained consciousness and recognized his teammates, but then his heart stopped again.^[15]

The exact cause of his death was originally a cause of dispute, with a regional investigator citing he was diagnosed with chronic ischemia,^[16] but medical professionals and league sources stated it was caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).^[17][18] Russian lawmakers said the following day that there would be investigations of negligence on the part of the responding paramedics, with the possibility of a criminal investigation being opened as well.^[16]

On December 29, 2008, Russian investigators revealed that he suffered from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and that he should not have been playing professional hockey; however, this has been disputed by the NHL after Cherepanov's testing at the NHL Combine. The federal Investigative Committee also announced that a chemical analysis of Cherepanov's blood and urine samples allowed experts to conclude "that for several months Alexei Cherepanov engaged in doping".^[13] Official sources have stated the banned substance taken was nikethamide, a stimulant, and that it had been taken 3 hours prior to the game in which he died.^[19] A report by the Investigative Committee stated that "It is impossible to determine how and with what aim this medicine was administered." The same report also revealed that Cherepanov was not doping but was instead using cordiaminum probably used to treat his condition.^[20] As of 2009, nobody has been charged relating to the death of Cherepanov, however the President, General Manager, as well as a team doctor for Avangard Omsk have all been suspended from the KHL indefinitely. Another Avangard doctor was suspended for 2 years, and the president of the host team Vityaz was suspended from the league indefinitely over health related complaints.^[21]

Legacy[link]

His former team, Avangard, has built a memorial museum to honor his life.^[22] His number, 7, has also been retired by the club.

The National Hockey League awarded the New York Rangers a compensatory draft pick (the 17th pick of the second round, 47th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft as a result of his death.

Still holding the best rookie record of all time in Russia to date, The Kontinental Hockey League named the Rookie of the Year Award after him.

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]

International statistics[link]

Awards and honours[link]

See also[link]

• List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career

References[link]

External links[link]

• RussianProspects.com Alexei Cherepanov Profile
• Rangers profile
• Player page at Avangard Omsk site
• Alexei Cherepanov's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Alexei Cherepanov – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• HockeysFuture article

Alexey I. Goloborodko (Алексей Голобородько) pronounced:- Al-ix-EY Ga-la-ba-RROJ-ka is a contortionist,^[1] who has been described by many as the most flexible human on the planet. He was born in Tula, Russia, in December 1994. As well as contortion and flexibility, he has trained in classical and modern dance, and Chinese martial arts. This helps to add fluency, grace and elegance to his contortion performances. He has performed in a variety of arts festivals and competitions, television programs, circuses and shows.

Early life[link]

Alexey's mother relates stories about how his natural flexibility was such that he would startle strangers on buses, or shop assistants fitting him with shoes, even when he was a very young child.^[2] He was then spotted by his coach-to-be, Vladislav Afanasievich Rodin, in the Circus Circle in Tula.

Rodin had 30 years previously trained his son - also named Alexey - in what he calls a synthesis of classical dance, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, modern dance, martial arts and extreme flexibility of the body. Years later, after the son had moved abroad, he met a promising young boy in the Circus Circle. He offered to give free, intensive, one on one training to this boy - Vladimir Gagarin - who in his turn developed into an award-winning contortionist. However, for personal and family reasons, Gagarin left the scene in his teens. Rodin was saddened and disillusioned by this, and disinclined to take on additional boy trainees.

When he met Alexey, though, he was won over by the latter's enthusiasm and determination, and changed his mind. A close collaboration began, which continues to this day. A room in the Goloborodko family's flat was converted into a gymnasium for Alexey, and he trained for several hours each day, not only with Rodin, but also with specialist dance instructors. Natalia Perepelkina (leading teacher of the Tula branch of the Moscow Institute of Culture) - taught classical dance. The famous dancer Svetlana Shishkina taught modern dance, while Maria Nikolaeva taught "Jazz Style" dance. Wushu graduate Shaolin Igor Kovalenko instructed him in various Chinese martial arts, "wushu" being another term for referring to these arts. This team trained him in seven distinct performances, which have these names:- "The Swan", "Tango," "Petrushka", "Rock," "Mowgli", "God of the Sun" and "Obsession." ^[3][4] Alexey has recently stated that his repertoire now stands at ten different acts.^[5]

Career[link]

Festivals and awards[link]

He has participated in many circus and arts festivals and competitions. Details of some of them are available, and these are listed below. Rodin has stated that Alexey won medals at ten such competitions in the period 2004 - 2007.^[6]

• Winner of first prize for his contortion performance at a Circus Festival in Russia in 2003 ^[7][8]
• Bronze medalist at the international children's circus competition in Monte Carlo, Dec 2007 ^[9]
• Medal winner at the Moscow Youth Festival of Circus Arts^[10]
• Medal winner at the Circus Festival in the city of Ivanovo^[11]
• Winner at the Festival of arts and sports Golden Lily Kiev, 27 Oct 2007 ^[12]
• Special Jury Prize - "Dancing Rubber" Sixth Moscow International Youth Festival of Circus Arts 2007 ^[13]
• Winner of a gold medal at the VII Youth Delphic Games of Russia, Novosibirsk, May 2008. Absolute winner in the "Circus" category ^[14][15]
• Third place - Second World Delphic Games Saratov, Russia. Circus - Age group 10-30, 19–25 September 2008^[16]
• Silver Medal at 8th China Wuhan International Acrobatics Art Festival, Hubei Province, China, 26 Oct 2008^[17]
• Youngest participant in the III Festival of Circus and Arts, Ishevsk, Russia, March 2010 ^[18]

Television appearances[link]

A documentary program about him was made for a Russian television channel:- REN-TV, in 2003, when he was aged nine.^[19]

In late 2007 Alexey took part in the very popular and influential TV talent competition:- Минута Славы, or Minuta Slavy - "A Minute Of Fame". It's the Russian show from the "Got Talent" franchise. This was the event that made him a household name throughout his country, and brought him to the attention of many abroad as well.^[20]

In the first round he performed a ballet and contortion routine: The Swan. The musical accompaniment was Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, played on wine glasses, crystal xylophone and bass guitar by the St. Petersburg trio Crystal Harmony. There was a very enthusiastic response from the audience, and he won easily.

In the second round the act was: Sun God, based on a classical Indian dance. Alexey's elaborate costume was designed to look as though it was made from gold and jewels. The music was a recorded version of Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega. Again there was an ecstatic response from the audience, and again he won the round.

In the third round Alexey performed Obsession, his trademark contortion act using two folding chairs. The audience loved it, the judges apparently did not, and the eventual winner of the competition was Dmitry Bulkin, with his acrobatic performance on a vertical pole. There was a complaint by Rodin that Bulkin had misled the organizers of the competition, by claiming to be an amateur, and a car mechanic by trade, when he had actually performed in the Cirque du Soleil, and other prestigious circuses.^[21]

In February 2010 he took part in the Channel TF1 French TV Talent Show Qui Sera le Meilleur ce Soir?^[22] He won the first round, a one on one competition with twelve year old Swiss contortionist Zoé Pauli-Bruttin. In the final, however, the judges opined that he came across as a professional intruding into a contest for amateurs, and he lost to Loan and Emeryck, two much younger children with a dance act. Thus he was the accuser last time, the accused this time.

Live performances[link]

Alexey has become a regular performer at the circus, having worked at Circo Massimo, Rome, in July 2008, Circus Sarasota, Florida, in Feb/March 2009, and Circus Conelli, Zurich, in November 2009. He has also performed on board a cruise ship: SuperStar Virgo, operating in South-East Asia, in June–August 2009.

From June 2010 to June 2011 he appeared - as "The Game Master... a friendly and mischievous sprite"^[23] - in "Voyage de la Vie" at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. This production, billed as a "circus theatre spectacular", tells the story of a boy's coming of age, through song and dance and circus arts.^[24]

During November and December 2011 he appeared in a variety show at the GoEasy Charisma Cabaret Lounge in Würenlingen, Switzerland.^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Photos of Alexey
• Photos BY Alexey, who is an amateur photographer