Aleksandr Smirnov (ice hockey)
Alexander Jewgenjewitsch Smirnov (Russian: Александр Евгеньевич Смирнов; born August 17, 1964 in Woskressensk, Russian SFSR ) is a former Russian ice hockey player and current coach.
- 2.1 International
Career
Alexander Smirnov began his career as a hockey player in his hometown at Chimik Woskressensk, for he held until 1992, was active from 1982 in Wysschaja League, the highest Soviet league. Then the defender ran for three years for TPS Turku in the Finnish SM- liiga. With the team he won the Finnish championship in seasons 1992/93 and 1994/95. With TPS, he won the 1993 Hockey also the European Cup. The 1995/96 season he spent at Kapfenberg SV in the Austrian Hockey League. From 1996 to 2001 he was in the squad of Storhamar Dragons in the highest Norwegian league. With the team he won the national championship in seasons 1996/97 and 1999/ 2000. From 2000 to 2004 he ran again for his hometown club Chimik Woskressensk in Wysschaja League, the second Russian league, on, before he returned to the Storhamar Dragons. With the Dragons, he won in the 2003/04 season once again the Norwegian title. Two years later, he ended his active career at the age of 42 years with the Norwegians.
For the 2007/08 season Smirnov took over the position as head coach at the Storhamar Dragons, with whom he immediately became Norwegian champion. After another year at the Dragons, he returned to the 2009/10 season back in his native Russia, where he was awarded a contract as an assistant coach at Severstal Cherepovets of the Kontinental Hockey League. In the following season, he served as head coach for Severstal. The 2011/12 season began, the former national team as head coach in the KHL participants Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, went there but back in November 2011. A month later he became an assistant coach at Severstal Cherepovets. In the 2012/13 season Smirnov worked as an assistant to the Sweden Janne Karlsson at Atlant Mytischtschi, whom he replaced after his release on 20 October 2012 as the head coach. After the signing of Sergei Svetlov in November of the same year, Smirnov moved back into second place.
Internationally
For Russia, Smirnov took part in the World Championships in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. In addition, he was in the squad of his country at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. At the 1993 World Championships he won the gold medal with his team.