Boris Aleksandrov

Boris Viktorovich Alexandrov (; November 13, 1955 - July 31, 2002) was a Soviet and Kazakh professional ice hockey player. Alexandrov competed for Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk and CSKA Moscow and also Spartak Moscow. He was Soviet league champion in 1975, 1977 and 1978, additionally he won a gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. He was posthumously inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

Career Boris Alexandrov represented the Soviet Union successfully at the IIHF World Junior Championship winning a gold medal in 1974 and 1975. He played only one full season in 1976 with the Soviet Union national ice hockey team, playing in 19 games, scoring four goals and winning an Olympic gold medal and playing in the 1976 Canada Cup. On New Year's Eve 1975 he played in the classic 3 to 3 tie game with CSKA Moscow versus the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens during the Super Series '76. His third period goal, "the youngest Soviet at age 20, converted a 2-on-1 setup from Viktor Zhluktov to tie the score," helped make this game one of the greatest ever played. (The game was ranked as the 23rd greatest hockey story by the IIHF.)

Even though a talented and successful hockey player at both the national and international level, Alexandrov was dropped from the USSR national team "because the coaches thought he was too individualistic in his approach, thus hurting the team" (though disagreements with coach Viktor Tikhonov about discipline were also an important reason.) His reputation was not helped when he viciously cross checked Spartak player Valentin Gureev from behind in February 1977, giving him a severe concussion.

But he had a very long career at the club level, which lasted well into the 1990s. Alexandrov began to play hockey with Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk in 1972, but in 1973 joined powerhouse CSKA Moscow and played there until 1978. With CSKA Moscow Alexandrov won three Soviet Championship titles (1975, 1977 and 1978) and three IIHF European Cup titles (1974, 1976, 1978). After leaving CSKA Moskva Alexandrov played one season with SKA MVO Moscow, before joining Spartak Moscow from 1980 to 1982. In 1980 while playing with Spartak Moscow Alexandrov was selected as part of the best line at the Soviet Championships. From 1982 to 1989 Alexandrov again played with Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, before spending two seasons playing with HC Milano Saima, and Alisa Moscow.

Alexandrov ended his playing career with Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk from 1994 to 1996. In 1995 at the age of 40, he also played four games for the Kazakhstan national team and scored two goals.

By the end of his 22-season career he had scored an amazing 602 goals.

From 1996 until his untimely death in 2002, Alexandrov worked as a head coach of both Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Kazakhstan men's national ice hockey team. His success with the Kazakhstan team was meteoric, winning Pool C in 1996, finishing second in Pool B in 1997, winning the Qualification Round in 1998, from which the team went on to play in the 1998 IIHF World Championship and the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2019 Alexandrov was elected into the IIHF Hall of Fame as a builder for his years as a coach for Kazakhstan.

On 31 July 2002 Alexandrov died in an accident with another car near the town of Ust-Katav on the highway between Ufa and Chelyabinsk. He tried to overtake a bus, but had a head-on collision with a car in the opposite lane. At the scene of the accident there is a monument in form of a puck and a picture of Aleksandrov. He is buried in Moscow Mitinskoe Cemetery.

Career statistics

Regular season Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 3 2 1 3 4 1972–73 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 28 12 4 16 8 1973-74 CSKA Moscow USSR 14 8 3 11 10 1974-75 CSKA Moscow USSR 33 20 8 28 25 1975-76 CSKA Moscow USSR 35 22 16 38 27 1976-77 CSKA Moscow USSR 31 24 17 41 35 1977-78 CSKA Moscow USSR 20 12 5 17 20 1978-79 CSKA Moscow USSR 6 3 7 10 9 1978-79 SKA MVO Moskva USSR-2 49 57 30 87 97 1979-80 Spartak Moscow USSR 43 22 23 45 52 1980-81 Spartak Moscow USSR 28 15 7 22 32 1981-82 Spartak Moscow USSR 14 1 0 1 10 1982–83 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 67 66 - - - 1983–84 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 56 50 - - - 1984–85 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 34 37 19 56 50 1985–86 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 54 52 30 82 97 1986–87 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 64 62 50 112 128 1987-88 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR 26 21 12 33 56 1988–89 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk USSR-2 57 56 32 88 68 1989-90 HC Milano Saima Serie A 29 31 27 58 37 1991–92 Alisa Moskva USSR-4 - 9 10 19 - 1994-95 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk IHL 30 14 19 33 18 1995-96 Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk IHL 13 6 3 9 18 22 seasons - totals 734 602 323 925 806

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1974 Soviet Union EJC 5871512 1974 Soviet Union WJC 561722 1975 Soviet Union WJC 523516 1976 CSKA Moscow SS76 43368 1976 Soviet Union OG 62350 1976 Soviet Union CC 52462 1995 Kazakhstan WC C 42354 1996 Kazakhstan AWG 30000

Honors Won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 with Soviet Union national ice hockey team. Scored 148 goals in 250 games in the Soviet Championship League. Scored 394 goals in 412 games in the USSR-2 league. He competed at the Super Series '76 with the team CSKA Moscow and scored against New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. All Star Team in 1975 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Won Soviet championships in 1975, 1977 and 1978. Posthumously inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

Personal life His son Viktor Alexandrov was a professional ice hockey player. He was drafted 83rd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2004 NHL entry draft, but he never signed a contract.