Alexei Kasatonov

Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov (Алексей Викторович Касатонов; born 14 October 1959) is a Russian former ice hockey defenceman, who was a long-time member of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2009.

Career
On the international stage, Kasatonov won two Olympic gold medals, in 1984 and 1988, and silver in 1980. He won an additional five gold medals at the World Championships in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986 and 1989.

On the club level, Kasatonov played for SKA Leningrad, CSKA Moscow, New Jersey Devils, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, St. Louis Blues, and Boston Bruins. He was Anaheim's lone representative in the 1994 National Hockey League All-Star Game. Following a shoulder injury in an American Hockey League (AHL) game for the Providence Bruins in 1996, Kasatonov retired from the NHL and returned to play one last season for his former club CSKA Moscow. The severity of the injury led Kasatonov to end his playing career, and he returned to New Jersey to settle down with his wife and son.

In 1998, Kasatonov was the general manager of the Russian Olympic Team that captured the silver medal in Nagano. After the Olympics he began training his son, and soon began coaching youth hockey in the Tri-State area, running his own weekly clinics in Staten Island for seven years. In 2003, Kasatonov founded the Admirals Hockey Club, which at its peak had five teams ranging from Squirts to Juniors. In 2004, Kasatonov accepted the head coaching position at Columbia University.

In 2008, Kasatonov returned to Russia for a head coaching position at PHC Krylya Sovetov. In 2010, Kasatonov was the vice president of CSKA Moscow. In 2011–12, Kasatonov became the vice president and general manager of SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, the first club that he played for in the Soviet Union.

Honours and awards

 * IIHF Hall of Fame (inducted 2009)
 * Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
 * Order of Honour
 * Order of the Red Banner of Labour
 * Order of the Badge of Honour
 * Medal "For Distinguished Labour"
 * NHL All-Star game (1994)