Stanislav Petukhov

Stanislav Petukhov first debuted with Dynamo Moscow in the mid 1950s. He was an elegant player, tall and well builty, but a beautiful skater at the same time. He was an exceptionally strong chap, noted for having one of the most powerful shots in all of Russia.

Based on descriptions of his play, he seemed to take a similar approach to hockey as Phil Esposito. He would go to the front of the net and score in the slot. He did not necessarily dominate the slot physically, as that was a pretty foreign concept in Russian hockey in the 1950s, but he was exceptional at rebounds and deflections. He also, much like the latter day Sedin twins, liked to make beautiful plays from the crease area.

In fact, the more you learn about Petukhov, the more you think he'd be a perfect fit with the Sedins. He distinguished himself in early Russian hockey by playing in the corners and along the boards. Again, he did not crash and bang on the wall like a John Tonelli, but rather used the boards as "a conscious strategy aimed at further developing plays." As they say nowadays, cycling the puck.

It worked well for Petukhov, who played 13 years for Dynamo Moscow. He scored 170 goals in 368 career games in the Soviet top league. He added 19 goals in 46 games with the national team. He was part of the Soviet's gold medal in the 1964 Olympics and a silver medal in the 1960 Games. He also won a gold with the national team at the 1963 World Championships.

Late in his career the right winger actually switched to the blue line to play defense, at the coach's discretion. Petukhov is said have selflessly accept the new position and quickly mastered the new position.

Stanislav Petukhov is an honoured member of the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame.