2011

2011 (MMXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (dominical letter B) of the Gregorian calendar, the 2011th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 11th year of the 3rd millennium, the 11th year of the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2010s decade.

2011 was designated as:

It was marked by a wave of revolutions in the Arab World known as the Arab Spring, including the beginnings of several unresolved protest movements and armed conflicts.

Events

January

Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk (Russian: Па́вел Вале́рьевич Дацю́к, IPA: [ˈpavʲɪl dɐˈtsʊk]; born 20 July 1978) also known as "The Magic Man" is a Russian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Datsyuk won the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2008 with the Red Wings. He was part of the Russia men's national ice hockey team at the Olympic Games in 2002, 2006, 2010 and was team Captain in 2014.

Datsyuk won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in the 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009–10 NHL season. He has also won four consecutive Lady Byng Memorial Trophies, from 2006 to 2009, awarded for performance and sportsmanship. He was nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player following the 2008–09 season. Datsyuk is well known for his elite defensive play, silky smooth hands, and game changing offensive skills.

Early years

Datsyuk was born in Sverdlovsk (Cвердловск) (now Yekaterinburg), in the Urals region of Russia. His parents have called him by his short name "Pasha" from an early age. His childhood had more than its fair share of difficulties, especially at the age of 16, when his mother died. While Datsyuk displayed above-average hockey skills, he was often overlooked by scouts because of his smaller size. He began playing for the farm club of Dynamo Yekaterinburg in the mid-1990s, though he seemed headed for an undistinguished career until noted Olympic trainer Vladimir Krikunov began coaching the team.