Ilya Nikulin - hockey player of the Russian team with a worldwide reputation

Fans of hockey are always interested in the life of their idols, those players who bring the team victory and make each match vivid and exciting. In this article we will talk about one of the most successful Russian hockey players, we will find out what team the hockey player Ilya Nikulin plays, how and what he lives outside the ice rink.

Biography of the athlete

Ilya Nikulin - a world-famous athlete was born in Moscow in 1982 and grew up in the family of a hockey arbiter. It was the father who brought the young Ilya to the Moscow hockey club "Spartak", which determined the fate of the boy. Ilya became a pretty successful striker. Already in 2000, at the age of 18, received "silver" at the junior world championships. And this is a worthy start to a career!

Further, Ilya Nikulin becomes the defender of the Moscow "Dynamo". His sporting successes could not go unnoticed, and very soon there was an offer from one of the NHL clubs. Ilya did not want to leave his native country and refused.

Since 2005, Ilya Nikulin - hockey player of the Kazan "Ak Bars". Begins a period of career success and brilliant victories of world level.

Achievements of the Russian hockey player

So, Ilya Nikulin - hockey player (where he plays since 2005, we already found out), who did not want to change the game in the Kazan ice hockey club for tempting offers of the NHL, implying moving abroad. However, this did not affect his outstanding sporting achievements.

From 2007 to 2010, the team of the Russian team, in which Ilya Nikulin acted as a defender, participated in 27 games, never having suffered defeat!

In 2009 and 2010 - the victory in the Gagarin Cup, in which one of the main roles played just the defender.

From 2007 to 2012, Ilya Nikulin - hockey player, who became a four-time champion of Russia, was awarded the European Cup and Continental Cup. He is also a lucky winner of two Gagarin Cups, in his piggy bank in different years there were silver and bronze medals of the World Championships, three times - a gold medal. All these years Ilya played both in the club "Ak Bars", and in the Russian national team.

In 2009, Ilya Nikulin was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the second degree.

You are wondering how Ilya Nikulin (a hockey player) is building his career, where he is currently playing? Now let's talk about everything!

Ilya Nikulin today

Today, and more precisely, since May 2015, Ilya Nikulin again plays in the "Dynamo". According to the hockey player himself, he is very glad that he has returned to his native team, here he feels warm and supportive. It's especially nice for him to go out on the ice again with the athletes he played with 10 years ago, notes Ilya Nikulin. The hockey player still rejects the proposals of the National Hockey League, choosing for himself the game on his native Moscow ice.

Talking about the years of play in the Kazan "Ak Bars", the hockey player does not hide a certain insult, admits that he felt himself a man whose dignity was not fully appreciated. In his native Moscow hockey club, Ilya feels a completely different atmosphere, feels as if he has finally returned home.

Family hockey player

Ilya Nikulin is a hockey player whose family is no less important than a sports career. His family is his wife, Catherine, son and daughter.

The love story of Ilya and his wife Catherine is very romantic. She herself came from Latvia, and their meeting was completely random: in one of the resorts in Turkey, where both rested at the same time. Their holiday romance was very beautiful, contrary to all stereotypes, ended with a wedding. Ilya made a proposal to his chosen one on a luxurious white yacht, which he rented especially for this occasion. In one of the interviews Catherine told that one of the gifts from Ilya during the novel was a double star in the constellation of Taurus. Well, how can I resist?

After the wedding, Catherine lived for some time in Latvia, where their firstborn was born (by the way, Ilya's best friend, the ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, became the godfather), then the young family moved to Kazan while Ilya played at Ak Bars, Then to Moscow. Catherine remained a citizen of Latvia, Ilya - a citizen of Russia.

In 2009, a girl appeared in the family. Children with great pleasure are rooting for the dad during matches that are watched most often on TV. Ilya notes that he will be happy if his son also wants to practice hockey, but he does not intend to force a child to this.

Every free moment Ilya tries to spend at home with his family. Do not even scare him for hours on end just for the sake of seeing his own people.

New sports wins

Very important for Ilya Nikulin was the first goal he scored in the form of a hockey club "Dynamo", returning here after 10 years of playing in the Kazan "Ak Bars". Ilya Nikulin - a hockey player, in whose piggy bank a lot of medals and awards of various levels: from junior competitions to the World Championships. But he is not going to stop there and he sees a lot of victories ahead.

Spectators and fans have to wait for new interesting matches, where you can look at the brilliant game of the Russian national team and cheer on their success!