Andrei Markov

Russian-born professional ice hockey player Andrei Markov is one of the top defensemen for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Markov was drafted by the Canadiens during the sixth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He competed for Russia in the 1997 and 1998 World Junior Championships and the 1999 and 2000 World Championships. After completing another two years with the Moscow Dynamo in the Russian Super League, which found him chosen Russian defenseman of the year in 1998 and best defenseman and League MVP in 1999, Markov moved to North America to join the Canadiens for the 2000-2001 season.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent at the close of the 2006-2007 season, the Canadiens signed Markov on for another four years. He would go on to record a then-career high of 62 points in 94 games during the 2007-2008 season. His current contract expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season.

Markov played twice for Russia in the World Junior Championships, in 1997 and 1998. In 13 games, he scored 3 goals and 3 assists. He played for Dynamo Moscow in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons before coming to North America for the 2000-2001, where he played 14 games for the Quebec Citadelles of the American Hockey League before being called up by the Habs.http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467496 He ended up playing 63 games that year, scoring 6 goals and 17 assists and establishing himself as a fixture on the blueline corps. Markov has played for Russia in the World Championships in 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2008. He was also a member of the Russian team in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

Markov played 78 games for the Habs in 2008-2009, and ended up with career highs in both assists (52) and points (64). He also had 7 power play goals and a shooting percentage of 7.3.

Markov's season got off to an auspicious start when he was injured even before the season began. On October 1 he collided with Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price and suffered a lacerated ankle injury, and was originally thought to be sidelined until February, putting the Montreal Canadiens regular season in jeopardy. However, his rehabilitation went well and he returned to the lineup two months ahead of schedule on December 19. He reignited the team with a two-goal performance that night against the New York Islanders.http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467496&view=notes This return marked the beginning of a 7-game point streak in which he scored 3 goals and 8 assists. He had another 7-game point streak from March 4 to March 16.http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8467496&view=notes

On April 30 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Markov suffered an upper-body injury.