I've heard many people say some terrible things about Slava: He's not tough, he doesn't check anybody, he's a slacker. It makes me so upset, because I know that those people have probably never heard what he has been through, before he came here to the Red Wings. I hope that this will earn Slava the respect he deserves.
Kozlov was born in Voskresensk, Russia in 1972, twelve years after Igor Larionov.
Kozlov began learning ice hockey when he was 5 years old from his father, Anatoly Kozlov,
a professional coach. His father taught him well, because by the time Slava was 15,
he was playing for Khimik Voskresensk, a team in the Soviet Elite League. At that time,
he was a very different person from the Kozlov that we know now. He was a cocky, hot-shot
star. "I was a big star in Russia," Kozlov said. "When I was a star, I did some
mistakes. I did some stupid mistakes. I was a little fancy, you know? I would walk
by someone and not say hello. Things like that." Kozlov was named the Soviet Elite
League Rookie of the Year in 1990. Slava went to play for the Red Army, or CSKA,
in 1991. "I didn't listen to the coach," Kozlov said. "For Khimik in my
hometown. That's why I went to CSKA. Because CSKA was a little bit discipline."
As a player in the famed Red Army Hockey School, Kozlov stopped being so fancy.
"Not anymore," he said, "because I did lots of mistakes. And I don't want to do
mistakes now."
Kozlov played only 11 games for CSKA that season. At age 19, Kozlov was in a terrible
car accident that would change his life forever.
Kozlov and his teammate, a promising defenseman named Kirile Tarasov, were hurrying
back to training camp from Kozlov's home in Voskresensk. This trip normally took two hours, because
of the heavy traffic in Moscow. Slava knew short cuts, and raced down a series of
backroads.
Kozlov turned down a road, and a big bus smashed head on into his white Lada, a Russian
car. Tarasov died on impact. Kozlov was thrown though the windshield. Tarasov was pronounced dead at the hospital, and Kozlov had suffered a fractured skull, a broken cheekbone, and busted ribs.
"I was in a coma four hours," Kozlov said. "Three months in hospital."
Kozlov had been drafted by the Red Wings in the third round in the 1990 enty draft.
While he was still in the hospital, the Red Wings sent Nick Polano to Moscow, who
was involved in convincing Russian players to come to America. "He came to Moscow
and invite me to United States to get ... treatment," Kozlov said."I said okay."
But before Kozlov could come to the U.S., there were some problems that stood in the
way. Slava was not totally willing to leave the Red Army because he thought they were
paying him well ($120,000 in U.S. dollars) and Kozlov's unfinished term of enlistment.
The first was removed when CSKA ran out of money and couldn't afford to pay Kozlov
anymore. And Kozlov was also diagnosed with brain damage, and the Red Army thought
that his career was over and didn't want to invest any money in his treatment.
With that out of the way, Detroit quickly signed him to a contract. Valeri Gushin,
the CSKA's general manager, accused the Red Wings of kidnapping Kozlov, and sued the team.
Slava spent three or four hours a day for months in a courtroom. "Before, when
Gushin came to Detroit, Detroit say, 'It's okay, we can pay money for Kozlov,'"
Kozlov said. "But Gushin said, 'No, no, no. We don't need money. We need Kozlov.
Send him back." In the end, the Russians ran out of money, and the Red Wings won
the case and kept Kozlov on their team.
Now, Kozlov is a humble, quiet player who plays his heart out, his life changed forever
since his heartbreaking car accident. "The car accident changed my life," Slava
said. "Now I don't care about being a star or scoring goals. I just want to play
hockey."
Unlike some players in the NHL, Kozlov is not a mean, hard hitting player. He is
more of a playmaker and most of all, a goal scorer. Kozzie sticks up for himself
when he is attacked by players, but he doesn't go around with a big chip on his
shoulder, either. Kozlov been on the recieving end of many cheap shots.
"He's disciplined not to retaliate," said Barry Smith, associate coach
for the Red Wings. "Any good player, especially a guy like him, he has a lot of
sticks up around his face, his elbows, and hands. He gets a lot and he takes a lot.
This kid is tough. You're not going to stop that kid."
But even so, some people
still question his toughness. I think Kozlov proved his toughness during the second
game of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals.
Scott Stevens, the New Jersey Devils' best defenseman, caught Slava with his head
down. Stevens knocked him senseless and Kozlov fell to the ice. "Whew," Kozlov said.
"He hit me very hard. When I fall down, I do not understand where I am... It was
like Roadrunner cartoons. I was going one way...and then splat! All I remember is
feeling like a lightning rod ... the electricity going through my whole body when
he hit me. Then, suddenly I was out cold." Kozlov was helped to the medical room.
"I was in the room laying on the table and Doc Finley was looking at me," Kozlov
recalled. "I remember Slava (Fetisov) came in and waved a bill and said, 'How much?'
I said, 'It's one dollar.' He said, 'You're fine. Get up and play.' So I did."
Kozlov is also an incredible goal scorer. He has a knack for scoring the big goal
in a game. Yet he remains one of the most underrated players on the team, or for that
matter, in the NHL. Kozlov has proved his scoring talent time and time again. In
the 1995 Western Conference Finals, Kozlov scored the game winner in double OT to
send the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 29 years. "I think
he's one of our most underrated players," said forward Darren McCarty. "He can
beat you with his speed and he can beat you with his shot. We know how important
he is to the team. He's a quiet guy. I wish I could speak Russian, because he's
a really funny guy." In the 1997 playoffs, Kozlov scored eight times, and was
second on the team in playoff goals. Kozlov scored goals in games 5 and 6 in the
first round against St. Louis. In the second round, Slava scored in the third overtime
to end a game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In the Conference Final, Kozlov
scored all the Wings' goals in a 2-1 win over the Avalanche. After Kozlov and his teammates
won the Stanley Cup that year, he and Russian teammates Igor Larionov and and Slava Fetisov
took the Cup to Russia. After touring Moscow, Kozlov and Larionov took the Stanley Cup
to their hometown, Voskresensk, Russia, a town of about 3,500. "These are all my
friends," Kozlov said. "I was born here. I played hockey here. I'm so happy to
bring the Cup to my hometown. It's a special feeling right now. Look at the
children. They're very happy. And I hope when they touch the Cup, they'll want
to win it someday, too."
Kozlov started the 1998 season as a contract holdout. As the Red Wings practiced for
the upcoming season, Kozlov had no one to skate against, no one to check, no one to
check him, no one to pass to. "It's not much fun," he said. "I just skate and
skate and skate." So Kozlov went to play with the Plymouth Whalers. Whalers coach
Pete DeBoer was impressed with Kozlov's talent. "We didn't have to explain any
coverages to him," DeBoer said. "And he's just an incredible player. He's so skilled."
Kozlov held out for most of the training camp, but eventually told his agent to get
whatever he could because Kozlov just wanted to play. The Red Wings got their money's
worth that season. Four of Kozlov's six playoff goals were game winners.
Kozlov's 1998-1999 season started out slowly, but he eventually got on one of his
hot streaks, scoring 21 of his 29 goals in the second half of the season. He was
at his best playing left wing on a line with Larionov at center and Martin
LaPointe at right wing.
This season was a contract year for Kozlov . He scored only 18 goals and 36 points,
making getting a raise in his salary difficult, if he will get one at all. He did
not sign the qualifying offer that equaled his salary last year. But before the regular
season started, Kozlov signed a two year deal with the Wings.
That was the last contract Kozlov would sign with Detroit. After two rather unsucessful years for a star sniper like himself, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 2001 along with a first round draft pick for goaltender Dominik Hasek. Kozlov had a rocky start in Buffalo, but got red hot on a goal streak. In the midst of this streak, Kozlov's season came to an awful end as his Achellis tendon was cut three quarters of the way through, leaving a trail of blood as he left the ice and required 60 stitches. The Sabres did not make the playoffs, leaving Kozlov out for the rest of the season.
On Draft Day 2002, Kozlov was traded from Buffalo to Atlanta for 2nd and 3rd round draft picks in the 2002 draft. He had a phenomenal season, setting a team record with 49 assists. He played on a line with 2002 Calder Trophy winner Dany Heatley and Marc Savard. He was also a mentor to the Thrashers' second year superstar from Russia, Ilya Kovalchuk.
Kozlov became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2003. On July 26, 2003, Kozlov signed the richest contract in Thrashers history: $10 million for three years, with an option for a fourth year.
Before the 2003-2004 season began, Thrashers foward Dan Snyder passed away due to mortal injuries in a car crash. Kozlov's friend and linemate Heatley was also severely injured and faces a long rehabilitation process. Kozlov has been able to help his teammates deal with the tragedy because of his history with car accidents and teammates.
Now Kozlov lives in the Buckhead area of Atlanta with his wife, Tanya, and their son, Nikita. He has helped his team get off to its best start in franchise history as the team enters its fifth year in the league.