Artemi Sergeyevich Panarin (russian: Арте́мий Серге́евич Пана́рин; born 30 October 1991), nicknamed the "Breadman", or simply "Bread", is a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
winger and
alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He has previously played for
Vityaz Chekov,
Ak Bars Kazan
Hockey Club Ak Bars (russian: Ак Барс, tt-Cyrl, Ак Барс, en, Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey ...
,
SKA Saint Petersburg, the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
and the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
.
Originally an undrafted player, Panarin began his professional career playing in the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
in his native
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. He made his
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
debut in 2015 after signing an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. Panarin won the
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
in the
2015–16 season as the league's top rookie.
Early life
Panarin was born and raised in
Korkino. He developed an early interest in ice skating. His maternal grandfather, a former amateur hockey player, encouraged Panarin to play hockey when he was five years old.
He helped train Panarin and would often drive him to hockey tournaments in
Tyumen
Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura River. Fueled by the Russian oil and gas indu ...
.
Panarin attended the
Traktor Ice Hockey school in
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk ( rus, Челя́бинск, p=tɕɪˈlʲæbʲɪnsk, a=Ru-Chelyabinsk.ogg; ba, Силәбе, ''Siläbe'') is the administrative center and largest city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the seventh-largest city in Russia, with a ...
, where he trained six days a week for six months a year.
Playing career
KHL
Panarin was not selected in the
2010 NHL Entry Draft and began his professional hockey career in the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
(KHL) with
HC Vityaz
Hockey Club Vityaz (, en, HC Knight) is a professional ice hockey team based in Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. In the first few seasons of the KHL, the team was widely k ...
. On 31 January 2013, having produced 18 points in 40 games, Panarin was traded to
SKA Saint Petersburg in exchange for a draft pick. In the
2014–15 season, Panarin recorded 26 goals and 62 points in 54 appearances for SKA. He played a significant role in the
team's championship run, scoring 20 points in 20 playoff games. He was named to the KHL first all-star team for the 2014–15 season.
NHL
Chicago Blackhawks
On 29 April 2015, Panarin signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the NHL's
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
. He scored his first career NHL goal on 7 October 2015 against
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist (; born 2 March 1982) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his entire 15-season career with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before winning the Vezina Trophy in 2012, he ...
of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, the first goal scored by the Blackhawks in their first game of the
2015–16 season. On 17 February 2016, in another game against the Rangers, Panarin scored his first career NHL
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
. He appeared in 80 games for the Blackhawks during the 2015–16 season and recorded 30 goals and 47 assists for 77 points, which led all NHL rookies and ranked within the top-ten amongst all NHL skaters. Panarin found instant chemistry with
Patrick Kane and fellow Russian
Artem Anisimov
Artem Alekseevich Anisimov (russian: Артём Алексеевич Анисимов; born 24 May 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). Anisim ...
on the Blackhawks' second line. Kane, who was the NHL's
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
and
leading scorer in 2015–16, cited Panarin as a major contributor to his successful season.
Panarin scored his first
Stanley Cup playoff goal on 15 April in Game 2 of the
2016 playoffs against the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
. During the playoffs, he registered seven points. Panarin was awarded the
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
, awarded to the NHL's top rookie, at the 2016 NHL Awards on 22 June. Panarin was also awarded the 2015–16
Kharlamov Trophy, given to the best professional Russian hockey player by the Russian Hall of Fame. He also earned a $2.55 million bonus pursuant to his contract for finishing the season in the top-ten among forwards in scoring. Panarin expressed his gratitude to Kane for helping him reach his contract incentives by gifting him a luxury watch.
In the
2016–17 season, Panarin built upon his rookie season, continuing his offensive role playing alongside Kane. On 9 November 2016 in a game against the St. Louis Blues, Panarin recorded his first career
Gordie Howe hat-trick. On 26 December, Panarin signed a new two-year, $12 million contract with Chicago effective for the
2017–18 and
2018–19 seasons. He completed his second North American season scoring a career-best 31 goals in collecting 74 points in 82 games and was named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.
Columbus Blue Jackets
On 23 June 2017, Panarin was traded to the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
(along with
Tyler Motte
Tyler Motte (born March 10, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Motte was drafted 121st overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and spent 33 g ...
and a sixth-round pick in the
2017 NHL Entry Draft) in exchange for
Brandon Saad,
Anton Forsberg
Anton Forsberg (born 27 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 2011 NHL ...
, and a fifth-round pick in the
2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the 56th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 22–23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the second of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dalla ...
.
Panarin had a record-tying achievement of picking up five primary assists in one game on 8 December 2017 to help Columbus defeat the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
5–3. On 20 March 2018, Panarin scored his second career hat-trick (and added an assist) to clinch a 5–3 Columbus win over the New York Rangers. On 3 April, Panarin surpassed the Blue Jackets' franchise points record after scoring 80 points in 80 games, finishing the season with 82. The following season, Panarin would break his own record, setting a new Blue Jackets-franchise point-scoring record with 87 points.
New York Rangers
On 1 July 2019, Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, worth an annual average of $11.642 million. Panarin scored his first goal as a Ranger on a power play during the
2019–20 season opener against the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
on 3 October, and also notched an assist on
Jacob Trouba
Jacob Ryan Trouba (born February 26, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and captain of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Trouba was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, ninth overall, of th ...
's first goal with the team.
As of 5 October 2019, Panarin had the third-most assists and was tied for second in the NHL in points on the road since starting the start of his NHL career. On 9 January 2020, Panarin became the first player in Rangers history to have 60 points in the first 43 career games as a Ranger, edging out
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
who had 59. Later, on 13 January, Panarin made Rangers history three times during the game. He became the first Ranger to record six three-point games in a nine-game span (six goals, 16 assists). He also became the second Ranger to record nine plus points in four consecutive games, and the second Ranger in last 40 seasons with 67 points through the team's first 45 games. Panarin concluded the shortened
2019–20 regular season by recording a career-high 95 points from 32 goals and 63 assists.
He finished tied with
David Pastrňák
David Pastrňák (; born 25 May 1996) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Nicknamed "Pasta", Pastrňák was selected by the Bruins in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2014 NHL ...
for third overall in scoring among all NHL skaters.
He was also a finalist for the
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was dona ...
, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player.
On 22 February 2021, Panarin announced he would take a personal leave of absence.
He returned to practice with the Rangers on 10 March 2021.
Panarin was ruled out for the final three games of the season with a lower-body injury following an on-ice brawl with
Tom Wilson on 3 May.
He finished the
2020–21 NHL season with 17 goals and 41 assists in 42 games.
On December 7, during a game against the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...
, Panarin recorded his 600th career point. He became only the fifth fastest player to do so in 536 games, joining
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
(490),
Alex Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin ( rus, Александр Михайлович Овечкин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capital ...
(464),
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
(430), and
Connor McDavid
Connor Andrew McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers selected him first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
McDavid spen ...
(421).
International play
Junior
Panarin was part of the
Russian men's junior team that won a gold medal at the
2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Russia was trailing
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
3–0 in the third period of the championship game; Panarin made the score 3–1 with 17:27 remaining in the third period to prompt a Russia comeback. He would go on to score the game-winner with 4:38 left to play en route to a 5–3 Russia win.
Senior
Panarin made his
Russian senior team debut, when he was included on the roster, in one of the rounds of
EuroHockeyTour in the 2013–14 season.
Panarin was selected to the top senior squad for Russia's hockey team in the
2015 IIHF World Championship, earning a silver medal. He recorded ten points in ten games.
Panarin also played in the
2016 IIHF World Championship, where Russia earned a bronze medal. Early in the tournament, head coach
Oleg Znarok
Oleg Valerievich Znarok (russian: Олег Валерьевич Знарок, lv, Oļegs Znaroks; born 2 January 1963) is a Soviet-Latvian professional ice hockey player. In 2022, he was the head coach of Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey L ...
formed a highly-productive line of Panarin (six goals and nine assists) and his former SKA Saint Petersburg teammates
Vadim Shipachyov (6 goals and 12 assists) and
Evgenii Dadonov
Yevgeny Anatolyevich Dadonov (russian: Евгений Анатольевич Дадонов; born 12 March 1989) is a Russian professional ice hockey player for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in two s ...
(six goals and seven assists). Panarin, Shipachyov and Dadonov finished as the top three scorers of the tournament.
Panarin represented Russia at the
2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Personal life
Panarin moved to the United States in August 2015 after joining the Chicago Blackhawks. He did not speak English at the time and moved in with a Russian-born family who were Chicago residents. The family helped Panarin transition to his new surroundings and culture. Panarin also has a personal translator who helps him conduct interviews before and after games. His fellow Russian teammates,
Viktor Tikhonov, who briefly played with the Blackhawks in 2015, and
Artem Anisimov
Artem Alekseevich Anisimov (russian: Артём Алексеевич Анисимов; born 24 May 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). Anisim ...
, also helped Panarin understand English while playing in North America. Panarin was affectionately nicknamed the "Breadman", a reference to the
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is an American chain store of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri.
The company operates as Saint Loui ...
restaurant chain, by his teammates and coaches on the Blackhawks.
In a July 2019 interview with Vsemu Golovin, Panarin strongly criticized
president of Russia
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, saying, "The mistake in our society is treating him like a superhuman. He is a regular person, like us, and he is serving us... Yes, to be a president you have to be smart and enlightened, but our biggest mistake, among many, is thinking that we have nobody better than Vladimir Vladimirovich. This is nonsense. How many million people live here? No question there is someone better."
Sportsnet
Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...
claimed that Panarin is by far the biggest Russian athlete to speak out against Putin, and Russian-American ice hockey reporter Slava Malamud, who translated the interview, claimed that it was unprecedented in Russian sports for someone of Panarin's caliber to be so critical of Putin.
On 22 February 2021, Panarin announced he would take a personal leave of absence after the Russian tabloid newspaper ''
Komsomolskaya Pravda
''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (russian: link=no, Комсомольская правда; lit. "Komsomol Truth") is a daily Russian tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper, founded on 13 March 1925.
History and profile
During the Soviet era, ...
'' published allegations that he physically assaulted an 18-year-old woman in 2011, and bribed law enforcement to drop the charges.
Panarin and the Rangers denied the story's veracity, stating: "This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against
anarinfor being outspoken on recent political events." The allegations were made by his former KHL coach
Andrei Nazarov
Andrei Viktorovich Nazarov (russian: Андрей Викторович Назаров; born May 22, 1974) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and head coach of HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly manag ...
, who coached him during his time with
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz (, en, HC Knight) is a professional ice hockey team based in Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. In the first few seasons of the KHL, the team was widely k ...
. The story was released after Panarin voiced his support for Russian opposition leader
Alexei Navalny
Alexei Anatolievich Navalny ( rus, links=no, Алексей Анатольевич Навальный, , ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ nɐˈvalʲnɨj; born 4 June 1976) is a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption act ...
, openly criticizing Putin.
Nazarov said that he was motivated to make the allegations after Panarin voiced his support for
anti-government protests in Russia. Nazarov claimed that Panarin's then teammate,
Mikhail Anisin, was there at the incident. While Anisin confirmed there was an encounter with young women, he denied that there was any violence, and called the allegations "disgusting".
Panarin returned to practice on 10 March.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panarin, Artemi
1991 births
Ak Bars Kazan players
Calder Trophy winners
Chicago Blackhawks players
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Living people
New York Rangers players
People from Korkino
Russian expatriate ice hockey people
Russian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Russian ice hockey left wingers
SKA Saint Petersburg players
Undrafted National Hockey League players
HC Vityaz players
Sportspeople from Chelyabinsk Oblast