Sergey Varlamov is a famous Ukrainian hockey player who played as a striker. He played 63 matches for the NHL, playing for the Canadian Calgary Flames and the American St. Louis Blues. After the completion of his playing career, he became a functionary of the Ukrainian Hockey League.
Biography: early years
Sergey Vladimirovich Varlamov was born on July 21, 1978 in Kiev. Hockey began to engage with six years. At that time in his group were about 80 children. The competition was tough, and Sergei already clearly understood that he needed to work on himself constantly. He tried to keep himself within strict limits and not to miss a single workout.
This mode quickly bore fruit. He became one of the prominent players in the famous Kiev club "Falcon". At the age of sixteen, Sergei went to Canada, where he began to play in the Major Junior Hockey League of Quebec (QMJHL). It is played by players aged 15 to 20 years. Sergey’s first overseas club was Nelson Maple Leafs, the second was Swift-Carrent Broncos, and the third was St. John Flames. All of these Canadian teams were considered junior.
In 1998, Varlamov played 84 matches and earned 134 points. He became CHL's best player of the year and WHL's top scorer. In the same year, Sergey received a prize as the best player of WHL. All these honors opened him a direct path to the NHL.
Career
The first "adult" club for Sergei was Calgary Flames. His debut was unsuccessful, and Varlamov returned to the St. John Flames, who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) - the second most important after the NHL. It was as part of this club that Sergey got the prestigious trophy - the Calder Cup. His contribution to the success of St. John Flames was indeed significant. He spent 74 matches and scored 36 goals.
The following season, Varlamov became a player in the St. Louis Blues. In the first year, he spent 53 matches and scored just 5 goals. The following season, his performance was even more modest. It is not surprising that after that Sergey was again in the AHL.
In 2004, Varlamov began to play in Russia. His first club was Ak Bars. However, as part of Kazan, he went on the ice in only two matches, and then began to play for Sibir. The most successful for him was the 2007/2008 season. Then he played 55 matches and scored 19 goals.
The following season, Varlamov defended the colors of Severstal. However, the game in the Cherepovets club did not work out: for 20 matches he was never able to score a single goal.
Sergey completed his sports career as part of the Donbass club. In parallel, he played for the Ukrainian national team. After leaving sports, Varlamov took one of the leading posts in the Ukrainian Hockey League.
