Artem Anisimov #15 played with Patrick Kane (#88) and Artemi Panarin (#72) in one line for the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
After 771 NHL games, veteran Artem Anisimov recently announced his retirement from hockey. He took some time to talk with RG about his retirement, dynamic line with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane, Sergei Bobrovsky and Henrik Lundqvist, career memories, living in Chicago and more.
Life After Retirement
- How are your days going now?
- My days are going well. I take my kids to school and different activities. I have a lot of free time now.
- On October 4, you announced your retirement. Has this decision been brewing for a long time?
- Yes, it has. I knew for a while that I would have to retire soon. I would say that I had been preparing myself for this for about five years, so the transition from a playing career to retirement would be painless.
- Were you looking for options in the AHL this season, or were you pursuing NHL tryout contracts?
- I was ready to play and trained in the summer, but I didn’t receive any offers. I decided to announce my retirement and not wait for anything. It’s hard to move to another city with my family. The kids will have to change schools, and they are already at that age where they have friends and their whole life is set up. I don’t want to tear everyone away from their usual life. I also don’t want to live without my family. It’s hard for me.
- Did you consider returning to the KHL?
- No, I didn’t.
Living in Chicago
- You scheduled the interview at Chicago time. Does that mean you live in Chicago?
- Yes. In 2015, I was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Chicago Blackhawks. We moved here and bought a house. I spent four years with the Blackhawks, and we liked it here.
- What did you like about Chicago?
- It's a big city that has everything. There are a lot of concerts and all kinds of sports: two baseball teams, one football team, a basketball team, a soccer team, and two hockey teams. We live in Lincoln Park. It's a family-friendly area, with the school within walking distance and the lake, the zoo, the park, and restaurants all nearby. It's a very comfortable place. Also, Chicago is a very international, multicultural city. It is very cool. Our kids’ school holds an international festival every other year, where each room represents one of the countries one of the students is from. Last time, 30+ countries were represented, including countries from Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia.
- Do you visit the Blackhawks’ home games?
- Yes. The kids love hockey, they like to visit. We go when someone we know comes to play.
Connor Bedard is playing for Chicago now, it’s always interesting to watch him, a new young star.
- Will Bedard be able to outshine Kane and Toews?
- Everything is possible. Why not? A very talented and hard-working guy who plays hockey very well. He has a bright future.
- Who do you keep in touch with from the hockey world?
- A lot of people. When some players come to Chicago on a road trip, I can text them, we can meet and have dinner together. I also try to keep in touch with the young guys. Now Ilya Mikheyev has moved to Chicago; we played with him on the Russian national team. Plus, this year, the young Belarusian defenseman Artem Levshunov was chosen in the draft, I met him. There is also Philipp Kurashev, I have known him since my days with the Hawks.
Family Life and Parenting
- Do you feel that now is the time to make up for lost time with the kids?
- I have always tried to devote all my free time to the children. I can’t say that I am making up for it. I am just enjoying time with my family now. The kids are at the best age now: the oldest daughter is 10, the middle son is 9, and the youngest will be 6 in November.
- Have your sons followed in their father’s footsteps and are playing hockey?
- The oldest plays on a team, and the youngest is starting to practice too.
- Do you expect them to play hockey seriously?
- The most important thing for me is that they play sports, and which one is not important. They need to develop physically. I won’t be upset if they don’t play hockey.
- How is children’s hockey organized in the USA?
- I can’t compare it with Russia because when I was growing up, there was one system, and I don’t know how it is there now in kids’ hockey. My son’s team here in Chicago has three practices a week and one or two games on the weekends. Training takes place in the evening after school.
- You’ve been into drawing for a long time. Do you have time for that hobby now?
- Whenever there’s a desire to do it, we can draw with the kids.
- Do you have an easel and oil?
- No, it’s not that professional. Just paint and canvas. I find a picture I like and try to recreate it. It’s like a hobby, our family activity – an opportunity to spend time with the family.
Career Memories And Reflection
- You spent the last two seasons in the AHL. Did you expect to make it to the NHL, or did you understand there was almost no chance of it?
- Two years ago, I came to the Flyers camp and was unlucky - in the first exhibition game, a puck hit me in the leg, and it was broken. Recovery took seven weeks. The Flyers offered me to go to their AHL affiliate team [Lehigh Valley Phantoms], and I agreed. Yegor Zamula played there, we became friends and spent almost every day together. Some guys now play for the Flyers: Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, and goalie Samuel Ersson. We had a good team. I helped the young guys and talked to them about what awaits them in the NHL. We made the playoffs, although we lost in the first round. But overall, it was great and fun, and I got to play a lot of hockey. The next season, I went to Hartford in the middle of the season, was without game practice, arrived there, and something didn’t work out. This was the last sign that it was time to end my career.
- Did you have a conversation with Lokomotiv management after your season at Yaroslavl?
- In 2021, I went to Colorado for a tryout contract and didn’t get a full one. After that, I went to Lokomotiv. I want to thank the club for allowing me to play in my hometown, but I expected to return to the NHL after one season. Thanks to head coach Igor Nikitin, who gave me my confidence back.
I had a good season but wanted to return to the NHL. I had to try. I tried but got injured. Tough luck.
- Didn’t money matter to you? Salaries in the KHL are incomparable with an AHL contract.
- No, money didn't matter at all.
- You went to the Olympics in Beijing in 2022, but you weren't on the roster, and as a result, you spent a month locked up without training. Did that trip knock you down?
- No, that trip made me stronger. We had a good team, and we and the other reserve players didn't live in the Olympic village, but in a hotel. There were about seven of us. We trained separately: we had ice and a gym. We spent a lot of time with each other. There was COVID, we lived in a "bubble", we couldn't go anywhere except the hotel and hockey stadiums. I spent a lot of time watching hockey and looking at other teams. It was hard mentally, but I tried to find the positive in everything. But then the KHL playoffs started immediately, and it was hard to go out and play without game practice. We got hit by CSKA; they had 8-10 people with game practice since they played at the Olympics.
- You played 771 games in the NHL. Did you aim to reach 800?
- It would have been nice to play 1,000 games, but it didn’t work out. There were a lot of injuries. In Ottawa, two seasons didn’t quite work out due to COVID.
- Do you remember your NHL debut?
- Yes, against the Atlanta Thrashers on February 3, 2009. They even hung Adam Graves' jersey under the arena's rafters, there was a special ceremony. Such an atmosphere excites you; you want it to be like this at every game. This is what you strive to play hockey for. And it motivated me to work even harder.
Dynamic Line with Panarin And Kane
- Fans still remember your seasons in the line with Panarin and Kane. Do you feel like you put a hand that such a big star as Panarin appeared in the NHL?
- No. When he first arrived, he was already charged with success. He didn’t even have to do anything. He came to become the best and immediately got down to business. It was a great pleasure for me to play in this line for two seasons. I learned a lot from them. I constantly watched Panarin and Kane at practices, what and how they do. Artemi and I constantly communicated off the ice, I asked him a lot of questions. They play hockey at a different level.
- What sets Kane and Panarin apart from other hockey players?
- They are always hungry for victories. They always want to be the best. They played a great game today, and the next day they want to play even better. This desire to be the best every day sets them apart. It was visible not only in games but also in every practice. No one wanted to give in to each other. And this healthy competition helped all three of us grow.
- Was Panarin's trade to Columbus a shock in the summer of 2017?
- Yes. On the one hand, I was upset, but on the other, I was happy for him, because he quickly became a natural leader in the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played two great seasons there and then signed a great contract with the Rangers.
I think this trade helped Panarin a lot in terms of becoming a leader.
- Do you keep in touch with Panarin?
- Yes, we call each other every few months. When he comes to Chicago on a trip, we meet. Everyone has their own life - family, kids, a lot going on, and Artemi has a push-button phone, you can’t just send him a message.
A Future in Coaching?
- Would you be interested in coaching in the future?
- Yes, it would be interesting. But for now, I want to take a break. I want to stay in hockey. In what role – it depends.
- Do you see yourself as a kids coach?
- Let's see where life takes us. Now I'm helping to coach my son's team. I go out on the ice and give guys some advice.
- Is it difficult to work with children?
- It's fun. It's great when you see the children's progress, their joy from their first goal in life. Great emotions.
- Do you associate your entire future career with North America? Or do you plan to return to the KHL someday?
- As of now I'm not considering the KHL.
Unforgettable Experiences and Friendships in The NHL
- You were young, New York was huge, a big team. Was it hard not to get dizzy?
- I didn't even understand what kind of city and team it was. When I was drafted, I thought, "Well, let it be the Rangers." Now we have access to social networks, and information, but back then I had no idea where I was coming to. I just wanted to make it to the NHL, that's all I cared about. I thought every team would be like the Rangers. But when they traded me to Columbus, it was different. The Rangers are an Original Six team, they have a long history and a huge fan base. There are fans of the team in every city you play at, even on the road. The history of Columbus dates back almost 25 years. Not that many fans and victories, so it is just different.
I was lucky to play for two Original Six teams [the Rangers and Chicago]. That was great.
- You spent 13 seasons in the NHL, but you never made it to the Cup. The closest you came was with the Rangers when you reached the conference finals in 2011-12.
- Yes, I was closest then. We had a cool team. I still remember it. We started the season in Europe, then we had the Winter Classic. We bonded together really well and had a good year. We lost to New Jersey in the Eastern Conference final.
- Henrik Lundqvist had a great season then, and you actually saw his best years with the Rangers.
- Yes, another hockey player from whom you can learn an infinite amount. That is why he is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Was he the most stylish back then?
- Yes. In the three seasons I spent with the Rangers, I never saw him in sweatpants. He was always stylish and elegant. I learned from him that you should have a hobby in addition to hockey. He played the guitar somewhere in a bar and played tennis. And when he came to practice, he fought for every puck and gave himself completely to hockey.
- When you were traded to Columbus, Sergei Bobrovsky's career was just beginning. Was he already incredibly hard-working back then?
- First, I want to congratulate Sergei on winning the Stanley Cup. He worked hard for this. He is another legend, another person from whom I learned a lot. Even then, he was the first to come to the locker room. When I went to the locker room, he was already doing something in the gym according to his special program. During training, he gave it his all. I constantly asked him what to do to score a goal. Sergei explained how he plays, how other goalies can act differently.
- Have you been friends with another Russian goalie, Semyon Varlamov, for a long time?
- We grew up together and played for Lokomotiv as children. We have been friends for more than half of our lives. I don’t remember at what age he came from Samara to Yaroslavl. We call each other and try to stay in touch.
- You had a photo from a summer training camp with him in Colorado two years ago.
- Yes, he invited me to Colorado for a week. We had a great time: we trained and went to the mountains.
- Will Ovechkin break Gretzky's record?
- Of course! I'm rooting for him. I really want him to break this record and be the first in goals. Alexander is a natural scorer and a prominent leader.
Daria went to St. Petersburg State University and earned a bachelor of international journalism. Working as a sports journalist from 2014, from 2016 as a hockey journalist. Covered 5 World Championships, 2022 Winter Olympics, 2020 World Juniors, 6 Gagarin Cup Finals.
Owner of a telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth.
Integrative nutritionist specializing on sports nutritionology.
