Sergei Samsonov earned the fame of one of the most promising hockey players in Europe back in the mid-90s of the last century. He successfully played for the Russian national team, then moved to work in a foreign club. Now an experienced striker shares his knowledge and skills with novice players. And he still recalls with indignation the mysterious situation with his "phantom goal", which was not counted by the American referee at the 2002 Olympics.
From the biography of hockey player Sergei Samsonov
The future professional hockey player was born in the capital of the USSR on October 27, 1978. During his sports career, he earned the nickname Sammy. On the playing court, he most often acted as a winger.
Sports star Samsonov rose in 1996, when he became the European champion as part of his team. The championship was held in Ufa. After this tournament, Sergei was recognized as one of the continent's most promising hockey players. His game was noted by the Hockey magazine and the Red Ace agency.
Since 1997, Samsonov had a chance to play for the Boston Bruins. In the spring of 2006, the hockey player moved to the Edmonton Oilers, and subsequently signed a contract with the famous club Montreal Canadiens. In winter 2008, the athlete was invited to the Carolina Hurricanes club, from where he joined the Florida Panthers three years later.
In 2002 Samsonov became the Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation. In the same year, Sergei Viktorovich became the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games. He was the author of the acclaimed "phantom goal" in the semi-finals of the Olympics. In the match with the Americans, Samsonov finished off the puck on target, but hit the post. Where did the puck go after that - sports fans and professionals still argue about this. Not a single video replay gave an answer to this question.
World hockey star about himself
While working abroad, Sergey Samsonov, as a development coach, devoted a lot of time to supporting young hockey players playing for junior squads. As one of the best strikers in world hockey, Samsonov was responsible for preparing offensive players.
The Russian hockey player, in his words, has been receiving offers to work abroad since 1994. But Samsonov rejected them: he was comfortable playing in his country. He successfully played for the main team of the army team, was a member of the national team. However, the moment came when it was necessary to make a choice - and after much deliberation, Samsonov chose a job outside Russia, because he saw opportunities for professional growth.
At first, the player was hampered by the language barrier. But over time, this problem disappeared. Samsonov was lucky - he started playing with seasoned veterans, with experienced and established hockey players. Club partners helped him not only on the ice, but also in solving everyday issues.
While preparing young players, Samsonov seeks to convey to them an important idea: an attacker cannot think only about an attack on the opponent's goal. He must have an understanding of the defense and understand what his actions can violate the defense of his goal. Samsonov believes that those game combinations that are extremely simple and verified are good. It encourages intelligent creativity in play.
Looking back, Sergei recalls: he began to play with experienced "men" at the age of fifteen. At eighteen, he was solving problems on the ice that only professionals could do. Perhaps it was the ability to take a punch and set ambitious goals that helped Samsonov relatively quickly become one of the most promising hockey players in Europe.
