Andrei Nikolishin named interim Traktor head coach

Sergei Gomolyako, First Vice President of Traktor:
- We have thinking quite a while about replacing Karri Kivi. No doubt, he is a qualified and successful coach, but his methods did not suit Traktor, or so it would seem. Traktor is currently out of the playoffs and, might I remind you, one third of the regular season has already passed. Fans are unhappy with results as well as performance of the team, so we had to make some decisive steps towards improving the situation. Andrei Nikolishin is a well-known figure in Chelyabinsk and in Russia in general. Just a while back he was a fan favorite in Chelyabinsk, and when he was with Traktor, players like Dugin, Popov, Kuznetsov and Glinkin had a chance to learn from him and grow professionally. Nikolishin has tremendous experience both on and off the ice, and now he has got a chance to add coaching experience to his already impressive resume. Vitali Yachmenev, Anvar Gatiyatulin, Vladimir Tsyplakov and Fredrik Mikko will be his assistants.

Andrei Nikolishin, 41, was born March 25, 1973 in Vorkuta. In the tender age of 20 he was already Russian Superleague champion, world champion and Honored Master of Sports of Russia. After participating in 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer and receiving MVP of the season award in the Superleague, Andrei went across the pond. During his NHL career he played for teams like Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche. In a total of 671 NHL games he garnered 298 points (94 G, 204 A), having participated in 1998 Stanley Cup finals. Nikolishin is also a Salt Lake City bronze medalist. After that Nikolishin returned to Russia and changed teams like CSKA, Lada, Avangard and SKA, playing one season in each. And then,Nikolishin was traded to Traktor. Andrei played 164 games in black-and-white jersey, scored 34 goals and gave 72 assists. Nikolishin captained Traktor and participated in quite a few charity events. Andrei was adored by many and is still fondly remembered in the capital of the South Ural region.

Vladimir Tsyplakov is a true legend of Belorussian hockey. His trophies and achievements include 3-time Player of the Year award in Belarus (1992, 2000, 2002), U20 world champion (1989), bronze (2003) and silver medals (2002) of Russian Superleague as well as Belorussian Hockey League champion (2005). Tsyplakov began his career in Torpedo Yaroslavl. After several seasons he went over the pond where he played a total of 349 games, scoring 70 goals and assisting his partners 103 times. As far as his national team career goes, he participated in two Olympics and six IIHF world championships, albeit two of them in Division B. After hanging up the skates, Tsyplakov worked as assistant coach in team Belarus, Dynamo Moscow, Avangard and Severstal and also was head coach of junior team Belarus.