Ruslan Salei

One of the best players in the history of Belarusian hockey, captain of the national team. Ruslan Salei was the first domestic master of the stick to reach the final of the Stanley Cup.

Ruslan Albertovich Salei, Belarusian ice hockey player, defenseman, captain of the national team. Honored Master of Sports of Belarus (2002). Ruslan Salei was born in Minsk on November 2, 1974.

Ruslan Salei is one of the best players in the history of the Belarusian ice hockey. He participated in all three Olympics (1998, 2002, 2010), where the national team played. Champion of Belarus in 1993, 1994, 1995.

Salei played in the strongest league of the planet from 1996 to 2011, playing 917 games in the regular NHL championships for "Anaheim" (1996 - 2006), "Florida", "Colorado" and "Detroit" and getting 204 (45+159) effective points. Ruslan Salei was the first Russian player to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2003.

Ruslan Salei tragically died in a plane crash on September 7, 2011, when Yak-42 with Russian Lokomotiv on board crashed on takeoff near Yaroslavl.

The Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation withdrew from circulation in the national team number 24, under which Salei played in the national team. On the eve of the first anniversary of the plane crash near Yaroslavl, Minsk hosted the first Ruslan Salei Memorial Tournament, established as an annual hockey event.

"Simply the Best. Simply the Best" is the title of a book about Ruslan Salei, written by the hockey player's friend, sports journalist Sergei Olekhnovich.