Sergejs Žoltoks

Sergei Zholtok
Born (1972-12-02)December 2, 1972
Riga, Soviet Union
Died November 3, 2004(2004-11-03) (aged 31)
Minsk, Belarus
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
National team  Latvia 
 CIS &
 Soviet Union
NHL Draft 55th overall, 1992
Boston Bruins
Playing career 19922004
Sergejs Žoltoks
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Soviet Union
World Junior Championships
1991 Canada
Representing  CIS
World Junior Championships
1992 Germany

Sergei Zholtok (December 2, 1972 – November 3, 2004) was a Latvian professional ice hockey center who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.

Playing career

Žoltoks was drafted by the Boston Bruins 55th overall in 1992 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to being drafted, he won a gold medal with USSR national team in IIHF Junior World Championships in 1992. After playing 25 games with the Boston Bruins in the 1992–93 NHL season and the 1993–94 NHL season, Žoltoks spent the next years playing in minor leagues.

Žoltoks returned to the NHL in the 1996–97 NHL season with the Ottawa Senators. In the following years, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Žoltoks returned to Latvia and played for the Riga 2000 team in the Latvian national hockey championship and the Open Belarus hockey championship. On November 3, 2004, his cardiac arrhythmia resurfaced during the game between HK Riga 2000 (Latvia) and HC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus). Žoltoks left the game with 5 minutes remaining, collapsing and dying after returning to the dressing room in the arms of teammate Darby Hendrickson. An autopsy determined heart failure as the cause of death. He was survived by his wife, Anna, and two sons. This was not the first occurrence; in January 2003 he had to leave a game due to this arrhythmia, and had been observed in a hospital overnight. He was allowed to return to play after missing seven games.

During his 10 years in the NHL, he played in 588 regular-season games, scored 111 goals and had 147 assists.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1990–91 Dinamo Riga USSR 39 4 0 4 16
1991–92 Pardaugava Riga CIS 27 6 3 9 6
1992–93 Providence Bruins AHL 64 31 35 66 57 6 3 5 8 4
1992–93 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 1 1 0
1993–94 Providence Bruins AHL 54 29 33 62 16
1993–94 Boston Bruins NHL 24 2 1 3 2
1994–95 Providence Bruins AHL 78 23 35 58 42 13 8 5 13 6
1995–96 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 82 51 50 101 30 15 7 13 20 6
1996–97 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 19 13 14 27 20
1996–97 Ottawa Senators NHL 57 12 16 28 19 7 1 1 2 0
1997–98 Ottawa Senators NHL 78 10 13 23 16 11 0 2 2 0
1998–99 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 7 15 22 6
1998–99 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 7 3 4 7 0
1999–00 Quebec Citadelles AHL 1 0 1 1 2
1999–00 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 26 12 38 28
2000–01 Montreal Canadiens NHL 32 1 10 11 8
2000–01 Edmonton Oilers NHL 37 4 16 20 22 3 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Minnesota Wild NHL 73 19 20 39 28
2002–03 Minnesota Wild NHL 78 16 26 42 18 18 2 11 13 0
2003–04 Minnesota Wild NHL 59 13 16 29 19
2003–04 Nashville Predators NHL 11 1 1 2 0 6 1 0 1 0
2004–05 HK Riga 2000 BHL 6 4 3 7 12
NHL totals 588 111 147 258 166 45 4 14 18 0

International

Year Team Comp GP G A Pts PIM
1990 Soviet EJC 6 6 4 10 6
1991 Soviet WJC 7 2 2 4 2
1992 CIS WJC 7 3 2 5 10
1994 Latvia WC-B 4 6 1 7 4
1997 Latvia WC 5 3 3 6 2
1999 Latvia WC 6 4 0 4 4
2001 Latvia WC 6 5 1 6 4
2002 Latvia WC 6 0 4 4 2
2004 Latvia WC 7 3 2 5 10
Junior int'l totals 20 10 10 20 14
Senior int'l totals 34 21 11 32 26

See also

Preceded by
Matt Johnson
Minnesota Wild captain
January 2003
Succeeded by
Brad Bombardir
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