Sergei Mikhailovich Makarov (
Russian:
Серге́й Михайлович Макаров; born June 19, 1958 in
Chelyabinsk,
Soviet Union) is a
Russian former
ice hockey right wing and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was voted one of six players to the
International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF)
Centennial All-Star Team in a poll conducted by a group of 56 experts from 16 countries.
[1]
Makarov was trained entirely in the Soviet Union. He won two World
Junior Championships, and was named the best player during his second
victory in 1978. Makarov was also on the gold-winning
Soviet national ice hockey team in the
World Championships in
1978,
1979,
1981,
1982,
1983,
1986,
1989 and
1990 and in the
Canada Cup in 1981. At the Winter Olympics, he won the gold medal in
1984 and
1988 and a silver in
1980 as a member of the
USSR team. In the Soviet Union, Makarov played 11 championship seasons with
CSKA Moscow
(Red Army), winning the Soviet player of the year award eight times,
MVP three times, and leading the league in points nine times and goals
three times. Together with
Igor Larionov and
Vladimir Krutov, they formed the
KLM line, one of the most talented and feared lines ever to play hockey. He was awarded
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1984).
[2]
In
1989, Makarov was allowed by the Soviet Union to join the
National Hockey League and the
Calgary Flames.
He won the
Calder Memorial Trophy
as rookie of the year at the age of 31 (as a result, the rules were
changed and now only players under 26 qualify for the award – the
Makarov Rule). At 25.9% his shooting percentage was the highest of all NHL players, including Gretzky.
Makarov also played for the
San Jose Sharks
from 1993 to 1995. For the 1995–96 season Makarov was dropped from the
Sharks’ roster and did not play and became an assistant coach for the
Russian national team during the World Cup. In the time Makarov was in
the NHL, nobody over the age of 31 scored more goals.
After separating from his first wife Vera in
Calgary, he met Mary, who had worked for the
San Jose Sharks in the ticket sales. They married and had two children, Nicky and Katya.
In the 1996–97 season, Sergei made two comeback attempts, first with the
Dallas Stars, for whom he played four games, followed by playing for
HC Fribourg-Gottéron in Switzerland's
Nationalliga A with former teammates
Viacheslav Bykov and
Andrei Khomutov.
Makarov is again divorced, and is living in Russia. His ex-wife and
children, son Nicky and daughter Katya, still live in California.
Makarov still works as a certified player agent who acts as a liaison
for young Russians wanting to play in North America.
In 2001 Sergei was inducted into the
IIHF Hall of Fame during the
Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany.
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