This is a series about a former Bruins player, inspired by Sean McIndoe's "Obscure Former Player of the Week" segment. I will probably add new entries to the series irregularly and post when I feel like it. It'll be fun!
And so, to begin the series, we have Dmitri Kvartalnov, a right wing who made his Bruins debut on October 8, 1992 and scored 91 points in 112 NHL games, all for the Bruins.
Kvartalnov was born on March 25, 1966 in the Soviet town of Voskresensk - a town of about 90,000 inhabitants and birthplace of Soviet greats such as Igor Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozlov. After several years of playing for his hometown team of Khimik Voskresensk, he decided to become part of a growing wave of Soviet players coming to North America during the crumbling of the "Iron Curtain". Playing for the San Diego Gulls in the IHL, Kvartalnov was selected 16th overall by the Bruins in the 1992 NHL Draft.
Which brings us to his debut. He scored a goal in his first game in a 3-2 Boston win against the Hartford Whalers. And then he scored another goal. Then another goal. Then two more goals. Kvartalnov scored six goals and three assists in his first five games and scored ten goals and seven assists in his first nine games. Though he slumped and was inconsistent after his hot start, he still had an impressive 30 goals and 72 points in 73 games at the end of the season, although he was overshadowed by the rookie seasons of Teemu Selanne, the long-awaited Eric Lindros, and to a lesser extent, fellow Bruins rookie Joe Juneau, who scored 102 points in 84 games (but made his debut the season before with 14 games). But Kvartalnov, along with Joe Juneau and the stellar play of two future Hall of Famers (Ray Bourque and Adam Oates), gave Bruins fans a lot to cheer about.
But the next season went less well for Kvartalnov. Though he made the opening-night roster again, he bounced around between Boston and Providence, scoring just twelve goals and 19 points in 36 games with a significantly diminished role. In Providence, he scored 26 points in 23 games but struggled at the major league level. In what would have been his third season in North America, Kvartalnov accepted an offer from the Swiss team HC Ambri-Piotta to play in the Swiss Division A. After his final North American season, Kvartalnov travelled the hockey globe, with stops in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, and finally, his hometown of Russia, where he ended his career with Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague.
In my opinion, Dmitri Kvartalnov is a classic example of the sophomore slump. He still had the potential to be a serviceable middle-six forward, but I understand him walking away from the NHL. Besides, it turned out well for him in the end - he's currently the head coach of CSKA Moscow, now a playoff team in the KHL
And so, to begin the series, we have Dmitri Kvartalnov, a right wing who made his Bruins debut on October 8, 1992 and scored 91 points in 112 NHL games, all for the Bruins.
Kvartalnov was born on March 25, 1966 in the Soviet town of Voskresensk - a town of about 90,000 inhabitants and birthplace of Soviet greats such as Igor Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozlov. After several years of playing for his hometown team of Khimik Voskresensk, he decided to become part of a growing wave of Soviet players coming to North America during the crumbling of the "Iron Curtain". Playing for the San Diego Gulls in the IHL, Kvartalnov was selected 16th overall by the Bruins in the 1992 NHL Draft.
Which brings us to his debut. He scored a goal in his first game in a 3-2 Boston win against the Hartford Whalers. And then he scored another goal. Then another goal. Then two more goals. Kvartalnov scored six goals and three assists in his first five games and scored ten goals and seven assists in his first nine games. Though he slumped and was inconsistent after his hot start, he still had an impressive 30 goals and 72 points in 73 games at the end of the season, although he was overshadowed by the rookie seasons of Teemu Selanne, the long-awaited Eric Lindros, and to a lesser extent, fellow Bruins rookie Joe Juneau, who scored 102 points in 84 games (but made his debut the season before with 14 games). But Kvartalnov, along with Joe Juneau and the stellar play of two future Hall of Famers (Ray Bourque and Adam Oates), gave Bruins fans a lot to cheer about.
But the next season went less well for Kvartalnov. Though he made the opening-night roster again, he bounced around between Boston and Providence, scoring just twelve goals and 19 points in 36 games with a significantly diminished role. In Providence, he scored 26 points in 23 games but struggled at the major league level. In what would have been his third season in North America, Kvartalnov accepted an offer from the Swiss team HC Ambri-Piotta to play in the Swiss Division A. After his final North American season, Kvartalnov travelled the hockey globe, with stops in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, and finally, his hometown of Russia, where he ended his career with Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague.
In my opinion, Dmitri Kvartalnov is a classic example of the sophomore slump. He still had the potential to be a serviceable middle-six forward, but I understand him walking away from the NHL. Besides, it turned out well for him in the end - he's currently the head coach of CSKA Moscow, now a playoff team in the KHL