Andrei Kostitsyn is a professional hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 10th overall in the 2003 entry draft. He debuted with the Canadiens during the 2006-07 season. His brother Sergei is also a teammate with the team. Andrei wears #46.
Kostitsyn is the 2nd highest scoring Belarusian of all time behind defenceman Ruslan Salei of the Colorado Avalanche. At the end of the 2009-2010 season, Ruslan Salei has 43-151-194 while Andrei Kostitsyn has 67-74-141.
Late into the 2008-2009 season, Andrei and his brother Sergei, along with defenceman Roman Hamrlik, were linked with organized crime figure Pasquale Mangiola, who was known to be a big hockey fan. The three players were never charged with criminal offences.http://www.totalprosports.com/2009/02/20/the-montreal-canadiens-kostitsyn-brothers-involved-in-an-investigation-surrounding-organized-crime/
Andrei Kostitsyn 2009-2010 Season
On November 24 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Andrei suffered a lower body injury and missed three games. At the time, he was in the midst of a 4-game point streak. For most of the season he struggled with consistency, at times playing brilliantly and at other times non-existent. He ended up playing 59 games, with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points.http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8470603
Andrei and his brother Sergei were both selected for the Belarus team in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The first round of the playoffs saw the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens battle the top seed in the East, the Washington Capitals. In Game 2, Andrei scored a hat trick and added one assist, but the Montreal Canadiens lost 6-5 in overtime to the Washington Capitals. After three games, he leads the team with 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points.
