Sergei Gonchar

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Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Silver	1998 Nagano	Ice hockey
Bronze	2002 Salt Lake City	Ice hockey

For the Ukrainian cyclist, see Serhiy Honchar

Sergei Gonchar (Сергей Гончар, Sergej Gončar; born 13 April 1974 in Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union now Russia) is a Russian hockey player who currently plays in the NHL. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 1st round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft as the 14th overall selection. On 3 March 2004 Gonchar was traded to the Boston Bruins for Shaone Morrisonn and two draft picks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Gonchar signed a 5-year $25 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins on 4 August 2005.

Before the 2004-05 league lockout, Gonchar was considered one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL, making the All-Star team twice (2001 and 2002) with the Capitals and scoring more points than any other NHL defensemen from 2000 through 2004, with 74 goals and 241 points for Washington and Boston. He began the post-lockout era as the top defenseman on the Pittsburgh roster, with most fans expecting him to duplicate his stellar offensive production immediately. However, notorious for his slow starts, Gonchar's offensive numbers were disappointing in the first half of the 2005-06 season, earning him many boos from his new team's fans. Nevertheless, his play improved considerably in the latter half, allowing him to end the 2005-06 season as the 8th highest scoring defenseman.

[edit] NHL Stats

			Regular Season
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994-1995	Washington Capitals	NHL	31	2	5	7	22
1995-1996	Washington Capitals	NHL	78	15	26	41	60
1996-1997	Washington Capitals	NHL	57	13	17	30	36
1997-1998	Washington Capitals	NHL	72	5	16	21	66
1998-1999	Washington Capitals	NHL	53	21	10	31	57
1999-2000	Washington Capitals	NHL	73	18	36	54	52
2000-2001	Washington Capitals	NHL	76	19	38	57	70
2001-2002	Washington Capitals	NHL	76	26	33	59	58
2002-2003	Washington Capitals	NHL	82	18	49	67	52
2003-2004	Boston Bruins	NHL	15	4	5	9	12
2005-2006	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	75	12	46	58	100
2006-2007	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	21	3	13	16	24
12th Season	Career	NHL	765	163	336	499	653