23 | January | 2010 | Russkiy Hockey

Full name: Vyacheslav Anatolievich Kozlov
Team: Spartak Moscow (KHL)
Number: 45
Position: Left Wing
Height: 5’10″/178 cm
Weight: 190 lbs/86 kg
Shoots: Left
Born: May 2, 1972 in Voskresensk, RUS
Drafted: Selected by Detroit Red Wings in 3rd round (45th overall) of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft

Strengths: Slava Kozlov is a gifted forward with a deceiving shot and excellent playmaking abilities. He brings leadership to his team and is effective in both offensive and defensive situations.

Weaknesses: He is prone to cold streaks when he goes stretches of games without a point. With age, Kozlov’s physical play and production are declining.

Biography: Slava Kozlov was born in Voskresensk, an industrial town outside of Moscow, also where Igor Larionov hails from. Kozlov was taught hockey by his dad from the age of five. Ten years later, Kozlov already played for the local team Khimik. He was a star player and behaved like one, winning the Soviet Rookie of the Year award in 1990. After joining the Central Red Army team in 1991, Kozlov got into a car accident that changed his life forever. Teammate Kirill Tarasov was left dead, while Kozlov suffered a fractured skull and a broken cheekbone and ribs. He spent three months in hospital, but was then courted by the Detroit Red Wings. CSKA was not willing to let go of Kozlov, so the matter was taken to court. Eventually, Slava joined the Red Wings at the end of the 1991-92 season. Playing in the NHL was considerably more challenging, as Kozlov was frequently victimized by hard hits. However, he managed to become a very effective playmaker. In 1995, he scored the goal that put his Red Wings into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 29 years. Kozlov won the Cup with Detroit in 1997 and 1998. With Igor Larionov, he brought it to their hometown of Voskresensk. In 2001, Kozlov was traded in exchange for Dominic Hasek. He left Detroit as their all-time playoff game-winning goal leader. In the middle of a hot streak with the Buffalo Sabres, Kozlov severely injured his Achilles tendon, requiring sixty stitches. The next season he played in Atlanta, setting a career record for assists and mentoring rising star Ilya Kovalchuk. In 2004-05, Kozlov first played for his hometown Khimik in Russia before joining the star-studded Ak Bars Kazan. After the NHL lockout, he continued to a leader on the Thrashers and in 2006-07 had his best season, helping Atlanta clinch their first ever playoff berth. Kozlov continued to play at a high level in the NHL until 2009-10, when he missed a third of the season to injury. In 2010, Kozlov returned to Russia for his third stint with CSKA Moscow and was transferred to Salavat Yulaev mid-season. In 2011, he signed with Dynamo Moscow. Kozlov had a limited presence in the 2012 playoffs, but Dynamo did win the Gagarin Cup as the KHL champions. In 2013, Kozlov joined Spartak Moscow.

Club Stats:

Season	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
1987-88	Khimik Voskresensk	2	0	0	0		0
1988-89	Khimik Voskresensk	14	0	1	1		2
1989-90	Khimik Voskresensk	45	14	12	26		38
1990-91	Khimik Voskresensk	45	11	13	24		46
1991-92	CSKA Moscow	11	6	5	11		12
1991-92	Detroit	7	0	2	2	-2	2
1992-93	Adirondack (AHL)	45	23	36	59		54
1992-93	Detroit	17	4	1	5	-1	14
1993-94	Adirondack (AHL)	3	0	1	1		15
1993-94	Detroit	77	34	39	73	+27	50
1994-95	CSKA Moscow	10	3	4	7		14
1994-95	Detroit	46	13	20	33	+12	45
1995-96	Detroit	82	36	37	73	+33	70
1996-97	Detroit	75	23	22	45	+21	46
1997-98	Detroit	80	25	27	52	+14	46
1998-99	Detroit	79	29	29	58	+10	45
1999-00	Detroit	72	18	18	36	+11	28
2000-01	Detroit	72	20	18	38	+9	30
2001-02	Buffalo	38	9	13	22	0	16
2002-03	Atlanta	79	21	49	70	-10	66
2003-04	Atlanta	76	20	32	52	-12	74
2004-05	Khimik Voskr./Ak Bars Kazan	46	14	22	36		69
2005-06	Atlanta	82	25	46	71	+14	33
2006-07	Atlanta	81	28	52	80	+9	36
2007-08	Atlanta	82	17	24	41	-10	26
2008-09	Atlanta	82	26	50	76	-14	44
2009-10	Atlanta	55	8	18	26	-15	33
2010-11	CSKA Mos./Salavat Yulaev Ufa	44	12	15	27	-13	20
2011-12	Dynamo Moscow	44	8	15	23	-3	22
2012-13	Spartak Moscow	13	4	4	8	-3	10

Totals	USSR/RHL/KHL Reg. Season	275	72	91	163		233
Totals	RHL/KHL Playoffs	31	3	7	10		24
Totals	NHL Reg. Season	1182	356	497	853	+96	704
Totals	NHL Playoffs	118	42	37	79	+12	82

National Team Stats:

Year	Tournament	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1988	European U18	5	2	1	3	4
1989	European U18	6	5	7	12	8
1990	European U18	6	9	10	19	11
1990	World U20	7	4	7	11	0
1991	Canada Cup	5	1	2	3	6
1994	World Championship	1	0	0	0	4
1996	World Cup	5	1	2	3	8

Totals	U18 Level	17	16	18	34	23
Totals	U20 Level	7	4	7	11	0
Totals	Senior Level	11	2	4	6	18