Pavel Valeryevich Datsyuk (Russian: Па́вел Вале́рьевич Дацю́к, IPA: [ˈpavʲɪl dɐˈtsuk]; born 20 July 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player, who played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2001 to 2016. Nicknamed the "Magic Man", Datsyuk was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history, and was the only active player on the list outside the NHL at the time of announcement.
Datsyuk won the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2008 with the Red Wings, and the Gagarin Cup in 2017 with SKA Saint Petersburg. He was part of the Russia men's national ice hockey team at the Olympic Games in 2002, 2006, 2010 and was team captain in 2014 and 2018. With his gold medal win at the 2018 Olympics, Datsyuk joined the Triple Gold Club.
Datsyuk was well known for his elite defensive play and game-changing offensive skills. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in 2008, 2009 and 2010 while also being a finalist for the award in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also won four consecutive Lady Byng Memorial Trophies, from 2006 to 2009, awarded for performance and sportsmanship while also being a finalist for the award in 2015. He was nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 2009. He was also a leading player for the Russian hockey team at multiple Olympics and World Cups. Datsyuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
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Early years
Datsyuk was born in Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, in the Soviet Union. His parents have called him by his diminutive (nickname) "Pasha" from an early age. His childhood had more than its fair share of difficulties, especially at the age of 15, when his mother died.
While Datsyuk displayed above-average hockey skills, he was often overlooked by scouts because of his smaller size. He began playing for the farm club of Dynamo Yekaterinburg in the mid-1990s, though he seemed headed for an undistinguished career until noted Olympic trainer Vladimir Krikunov began coaching the team.
The boy "with the twitchy walk" caught the eye of Krikunov, but not on the ice. Instead, Datsyuk excelled on the soccer field, where his anticipation, vision, and intelligence were more apparent. Under Krikunov, Datsyuk evolved into a particularly efficient two-way player, and he began to draw wider attention among Russian hockey fans. Despite his early successes, however, he went undrafted in the 1996 and 1997 NHL drafts.
Playing career
Early play in Russia
Datsyuk was first noticed by Detroit Red Wings Director of European Scouting Håkan Andersson in the summer of 1997–98. Andersson was in Moscow to scout defenceman Dmitri Kalinin, but the one who caught his eye was Datsyuk, described as "this little guy on the other team." Andersson made another trip to see Datsyuk and would have gone a third time, though his flight was canceled due to a storm. A scout from the Calgary Flames was scheduled to fly on the plane as well, and as a result of the storm Andersson believes he was the only NHL scout to have seen Datsyuk play prior to the 1998 NHL entry draft, when the Red Wings drafted him 171st overall. Despite being selected in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Datsyuk continued to play for Dynamo Yekaterinburg through 2000, when he then played for Ak Bars Kazan during the 2000–01 season. During the 2000–01 season for AK Bars Kazan, he recorded 42 games played, nine goals, and 17 assists.
Detroit Red Wings (2001–2016)
When Datsyuk began his NHL career for the Red Wings, he was mentored by compatriot stars Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov, as well as Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. He was put on a line with Brett Hull and Boyd Devereaux and had a moderately productive first year. The length and difficulty of the NHL season forced him to sit out a number of games at the end of the year in preparation for the 2002 playoffs. After the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy as the regular season champions, Datsyuk contributed three goals and three assists to the Red Wings' 2002 Stanley Cup run.
Expectations were high for Datsyuk's second season, particularly with the addition of another highly touted prospect to the team, Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg replaced Boyd Devereaux on the Datsyuk–Hull line, and the famous version of the "Two Kids and an Old Goat Line" was born. He played only 64 games due to a knee injury but ended up with 51 points for the season. His playoff performance was disappointing, however, the same as the entire Red Wings team; Detroit was swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, and Datsyuk was held pointless within the four games played.
The departure of Sergei Fedorov in the 2003 off-season made room for Datsyuk to rise to prominence on the Red Wings. He took full advantage of his elevated ice time, where his playmaking skills earned him a spot in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game. Datsyuk finished the 2003–04 season with 30 goals and 38 assists for 68 points in 75 games as the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy. In the 2004 playoffs, he had no goals and six assists through 12 games before Detroit was eliminated in the second round by the Calgary Flames.
Datsyuk became a restricted free agent during the 2004–05 off-season but could not reach a deal with the Red Wings despite repeated statements by his agent, Gary Greenstin, indicating his desire to stay in Detroit. He chose not to take the salary dispute to arbitration, and instead played with Dynamo Moscow during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. On 4 September 2005, Datsyuk then signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Superleague (RSL), where Dynamo Moscow matched the offer two days later, retaining the player.
On 19 September 2005, the day the arbitration committee of the RSL was set to determine which club had Datsyuk's rights, Datsyuk agreed to a two-year deal with the Red Wings for a total of US$7.8 million. During the 2005–06 season, which saw the Red Wings win another presidents' Trophy, Datsyuk's high level of play, combined with his sportsmanship (just 22 penalty minutes for the entire season), won him the Lady Byng Trophy, the first of four consecutive awards. Datsyuk also earned a spot on the Russian national team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Return to Russia (2016–2021)
On 8 July 2016, Datsyuk signed a two-year contract with powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL. During the 2016–17 season, Datsyuk recorded 12 goals and 22 assists in 44 regular season games, and helped lead SKA Saint Petersburg to the Gagarin Cup in his first season back in the KHL. During the 2017–18 season, Datsyuk recorded eight goals and 27 assists in 37 regular season games. On 17 April 2018, Datsyuk signed a one-year contract extension with SKA Saint Petersburg.
He was named "Male Athlete of the Year" in the nomination "Pride of Russia" by the Ministry of Sport of Russia, leaving behind runner Sergey Shubenkov and cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov.
Following completion of the 2018–19 season, his third with SKA, Datsyuk left the club as a free agent following the conclusion of his contract. On 5 June 2019, despite light speculation of a possible reunion with the Red Wings, Datsyuk opted to continue in the KHL, returning to play in his hometown with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on a one-year contract. On 10 July 2020, Datsyuk extended with Avtomobilist for another one-year contract. He retired in 2021.
Playing style
Throughout his career in the NHL, Datsyuk was known as a top two-way forward with stellar play in both the offensive and defensive sides of the game. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward three straight times in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was also a finalist six straight times having also been named a finalist in 2011, 2012, 2013. In addition to his defensive style of play, Datsyuk was also well known for his backhand shot and ability to deke and maneuver around opposing players while stickhandling, a move that was eventually named "The Datsyukian" and Datsyuk himself being nicknamed "The Magic Man".
"I'd call Datsyuk a master chess player. As a goalie, your nightmare is when the puck carrier has multiple options. Datsyuk has a knack for seeing the entire ice and holding onto the puck until space opens up and he has a couple different plays he can make. He kind of stretches you and forces you to get caught in the middle of taking away the shot or taking away the pass. You have to commit to one or you're toast. It's a 50–50 gamble sometimes with him."
Personal life
At the age of 18, Datsyuk met his future wife Svetlana in Yekaterinburg. They married three years later, and had a daughter named Elizabeth in 2004. They divorced in 2010. Datsyuk got married for a second time in 2012; his new wife is named Maria. On 23 April 2014, she gave birth to his second child, a daughter named Vasilisa. His third child, a son named Pavel Jr., was born in February 2017.
He is a Russian Orthodox Christian.
Career achievements
International
World Championship best forward – 2010
World Championship All-Star team – 2010
Olympic All-Star team – 2018
NHL
2-time Stanley Cup champion – 2002, 2008
NHL Second All-Star team – 2009
Selected to the NHL All-Star Game – 2004, 2008, 2009*, 2012
Played in the NHL YoungStars Game – 2002
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Frank J. Selke Trophy – 2008, 2009, 2010
NHL Plus-Minus Award – 2008
NHL Offensive Player of the Month – December 2003
Carhartt "Hardest Working" Player of the Month – December 2007
2010–11 NHL Players Poll: Hardest to Take the Puck Off of; Cleanest Player.
2011–12 NHL Players Poll: Smartest Player; Most Difficult to Play Against; Hardest to Take the Puck From; Most Difficult to Stop; Cleanest Player; Toughest Forward to Play Against.
Selected as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players (2017)
Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame – 2024
KHL
Gagarin Cup champion – 2017
2-time KHL All-Star – 2013, 2017
Sergey Gimayev Prize (top veteran player) – 2021
Other
Kharlamov Trophy – 2011, 2013