Roman Lyashenko

Roman Yurievich Lyashenko (; May 2, 1979 – July 5, 2003) was a Russian ice hockey player. He played professionally in North America for the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1999 to 2002, and also spent time with affiliate teams in the American Hockey League (Utah Grizzlies and Hartford Wolfpack) and the now-defunct International Hockey League (Michigan K-Wings). Lyashenko also played professionally in Russia for Torpedo Yaroslavl before joining the Stars. He was drafted by the Stars in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1997 NHL entry draft.

Lyashenko represented Russia internationally at both the junior and senior levels, capturing three medals (gold, silver and bronze) at the World Junior Championships and a silver medal at the World Championships. Lyashenko committed suicide while on vacation with his family on July 5, 2003.

Playing career Lyashenko spent three seasons playing with Torpedo Yaroslavl in his home country of Russia. In 130 games, he recorded 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points. While playing with Yaroslavl, he was selected in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1997 NHL entry draft by the Dallas Stars. Leading up to the draft, scouts described him as a defensive forward with good character and leadership skills. He was considered an atypical Russian prospect due to his attention to defensive play. One source had him ranked as a first round prospect. He signed with the Stars in July 1999.

Lyashenko made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars during the 1999–2000 season, seeing action in 58 games, while recording six goals and six assists. He also spent time with the Stars' International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate Michigan K-Wings, notching five points in nine games. The Stars went to the Stanley Cup Final that season, but lost to the New Jersey Devils. In the Stars' first round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers, Lyashenko scored the winning goal in the first game of the series. During the 2000 Western Conference final against the Colorado Avalanche, Lyashenko scored the series clinching goal in game seven. Lyashenko played in 16 playoff games for the Stars. During the 2001–2002 season, Lyashenko played for four different teams, the Stars and Rangers at the NHL level as well as the IHL's Grizzlies, and the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

International play

Lyashenko represented Russia internationally at both the junior and senior levels. His first experience with Russia's junior team was at the 1997 World Junior Championships, recording three points in six games as Russia defeated the Czech Republic for the bronze medal. At the 1998 World Junior championships, Lyashenko again represented Russia, as the team captured a silver medal. In seven games at the tournament, he recorded three assists.

Lyashenko played in a single tournament at the senior international level, representing Russia at the 2002 World Championships. He left his AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, during their playoff run to join Russia at the tournament. Wolf Pack general manager Al Coates was disappointed to lose Lyashenko from his club, but understood the decision: "Everyone wants to play for his country, and he shouldn't be portrayed as a bad guy. He's a good guy and a good player." In nine games, he recorded two assists and 14 penalty minutes. His death was initially reported to be a suicide. Reports by Turkish police confirmed this, stating that Lyashenko had left a suicide note and attempted to cut his arms and wrists before hanging himself. A Turkish police officer, speaking anonymously, said that Lyashenko apologized for killing himself in the note. New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather said of Lyashenko, "Roman was a quality individual who had a positive impact on everyone he touched, both on and off the ice."

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1995–96 Torpedo Yaroslavl-2 RUS-2 52 6 4 10 12 — — — — — 1996–97 Torpedo Yaroslavl RSL 42 5 7 12 16 9 3 0 3 6 1996–97 Torpedo Yaroslavl-2 RUS-3 2 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 1997–98 Torpedo Yaroslavl RSL 46 7 6 13 28 7 2 0 2 14 1998–99 Torpedo Yaroslavl RSL 42 10 9 19 51 9 0 4 4 8 1999–00 Dallas Stars NHL 58 6 6 12 10 16 2 1 3 0 1999–00 Michigan K-Wings IHL 9 3 2 5 8 — — — — — 2000–01 Dallas Stars NHL 60 6 3 9 45 1 0 0 0 0 2000–01 Utah Grizzlies IHL 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2001–02 Dallas Stars NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2001–02 New York Rangers NHL 15 2 0 2 0 — — — — — 2001–02 Utah Grizzlies AHL 58 11 25 36 37 — — — — — 2001–02 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL — — — — — 4 1 1 2 2 2002–03 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2002–03 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 71 23 35 58 44 2 1 1 2 0 RSL totals 130 22 22 44 95 25 5 4 9 28 NHL totals 139 14 9 23 55 17 2 1 3 0

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1997 Russia EJC 6 4 2 6 8 1997 Russia WJC 6 1 2 3 4 1998 Russia WJC 7 0 3 3 6 1999 Russia WJC 7 3 2 5 0 2002 Russia WC 9 0 2 2 14 Junior totals 20 4 7 11 10 Senior totals 9 0 2 2 14