Mikhail Tatarinov

Mikhail Vladimirovich Tatarinov (Михаил Владимирович Татаринов; born July 16, 1966, in Angarsk, Soviet Union) is a retired Russian ice hockey defenceman.

A top offensive-minded defenceman for many years in the Soviet Union, Tatarinov was selected in the 1984 NHL entry draft by the Washington Capitals, however, it was another six years before he finally had a chance to play in the National Hockey League. He won the gold medal in the World Junior Championships in 1984 and 1986, and he played for many years with Moscow Dynamo. He was also part of the Soviet team that took on the NHL All-Stars in Rendez-vous '87. In 1990 he was voted on to the all-star team and was also named best defenceman of the tournament after helping the USSR win the gold medal at the World Championships.

In 1990, Tatarinov finally was able to come over to North America to play for the Capitals, and became the first young Soviet player to play in the NHL without defecting. He played one season with the Capitals before he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques, and had a very good season on a very bad Nordiques team in the 91–92. His second season with Quebec was limited by injuries. Tatarinov signed with the Boston Bruins prior to the 1993–94 NHL season, and played in just two games for the Bruins before injuries forced him to retire. He later struggled with alcoholism and spent time in jail for murder after his career ended.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1983–84 Sokil Kiev USSR 38 7 3 10 48 — — — — — 1984–85 Sokil Kiev USSR 34 3 6 9 54 — — — — — 1985–86 Sokil Kiev USSR 37 7 5 12 41 — — — — — 1986–87 Dynamo Moscow USSR 40 10 8 18 43 — — — — — 1987–88 Dynamo Moscow USSR 30 2 2 4 8 — — — — — 1988–89 Dynamo Moscow USSR 4 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 1989–90 Dynamo Moscow USSR 44 11 10 21 34 — — — — — 1990–91 Dynamo Moscow USSR 11 5 4 9 6 — — — — — 1990–91 Washington Capitals NHL 65 8 15 23 82 — — — — — 1991–92 Quebec Nordiques NHL 66 11 27 38 72 — — — — — 1992–93 Quebec Nordiques NHL 28 2 6 8 28 — — — — — 1993–94 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1993–94 Providence Bruins AHL 3 0 3 3 0 — — — — — USSR totals 238 46 38 84 236 — — — — — NHL totals 161 21 48 69 184 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1984 Soviet Union EJC 5 3 1 4 18 1984 Soviet Union WJC 7 0 2 2 0 1985 Soviet Union WJC 5 1 2 3 6 1986 Soviet Union WJC 7 2 5 7 16 1990 Soviet Union WC 10 3 8 11 20 1991 Soviet Union CC 5 0 1 1 17 Junior totals 24 6 10 16 40 Senior totals 15 3 9 12 37