Once Prized Prospect, Grigorenko, Wins KHL Championship
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When Igor Grigorenko was laying in a Russian hospital in 2003 after a horrific car accident, many didn’t think he would survive let alone play hockey again. The 5-foot-10, 203 pound forward had suffered multiple fractures in his left leg as well as a nearly fatal fat embolism which broke off and entered his lungs while he was recuperating. The injuries would be too severe and he would never be the same player again.The Red Wings, who had drafted the Russian forward 62nd overall in 2001, had been thrilled with his development leading up to the accident and believed they had a sure fire NHL player. After years of recovery, the Detroit brass brought the then 24 year-old over to North America in 2007 hoping that he could make the Red Wings roster. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep up with the quicker NHL forwards and was demoted to Grand Rapids. After just five games in the AHL, he was on a plane back to Russia.
Three years later, Grigorenko has had his best season to date netting 24 goals and 40 points while playing on the top line for Ufa Salavat of the KHL. On Saturday, he along with former Wing Slava Kozlov and former prospect Miroslav Blatak, helped Ufa capture the Gargarin Cup which is awarded to the KHL champion. Grigorenko had a strong post season netting 9 goals and 15 assists in 21 games. While he will likely never play North American hockey, his survival is the real measure of his success.