Evgeni Nabokov

Evgeni Nabokov

Evgeni Viktorovich Nabokov (Russian: Евге́ний Ви́кторович Набо́ков; born July 25, 1975) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nabokov was selected by San Jose in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (9th round, 219th overall). When he started playing in North America, he went by John, rather than Evgeni, fearing that English speakers would have a hard time pronouncing his name. However, this change did not last.

In his first nine seasons in the NHL, all with San Jose, Nabokov became the Sharks leader in nearly every goaltending category, including games played, wins, and shutouts.