Nikolai Zherdev was born in 1984 in Kiev. The first coach who taught him the basics of hockey was Yuri Krylov. When the guy turned 15 years old, Nikolai went to develop his talent at HC Elemash from Elektrostal. This club was the first in professional hockey. For 3 seasons, Nikolai was involved in the team.
The beginning of a successful career
In 2002, the hockey player was called up to the junior team, and at the World Championships, which took place in Slovakia, the team won silver. And Nikolai Zherdev himself became the top scorer of the tournament, earning 11 points in 8 fights. The successful performance of the young striker was noticed by the Moscow HC CSKA, with which a contract was signed. Throughout the 2002-2003 season, Zherdev played in the form of the capital's club, earning 28 points in 64 fights.
Overseas career at Columbus
In the summer off-season of 2003, when a draft started in the prestigious NHL, Nikolai Zherdev signed a contract with Columbus for 3 years. In November, a talented hockey player went to the United States without informing CSKA management about this, as a result of which there was a conflict between the clubs. CSKA representatives said that Zherdev is doing military service and cannot leave his unit. The army coach threatened the hockey player with criminal proceedings, and the club itself submitted the case to the international sports court. In the spring of 2014, a verdict in favor of Zherdev was issued.
During the 2003-2004 season, Nikolai Zherdev in the form of "Columbus" earned 34 points. The next season 2004-2005 in the NHL was a lockout, and the hockey player returned to the Russian championship. It is surprising that the club that hosted it was CSKA, despite the past conflict between the parties. Having played 51 games in a season, Zherdev earned 40 points. The following season, the hockey player returned to Columbus, earning 54 points in 73 games.
At the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, there was a conflict between the hockey player and the team leaders regarding the revision of working conditions in the direction of increasing salaries. After that, Nikolai Zherdev signed a safety contract with Khimik from the Moscow Region. He played 8 games for him, in which he earned 6 points. And in October, the parties to the conflict agreed, and the hockey player signed a new contract with Columbus for a period of 3 years. During the 2006-2007 season, Zherdev earned 32 points in 71 games. The next 2 seasons were the most successful in the NHL for the hockey player. In the 2007-2008 championship, which would later be his last in the form of “Columbus”, Zherdev earned 61 points in 82 matches.
Going to the Rangers
At the start of the next championship, the hockey player as a result of the exchange moves to the New York Rangers. The club management for several years wanted to get a talented striker. In the regular season 2008-2009. Zherdev earned 58 points in 82 matches, thus becoming the team's top scorer. However, the hockey player did not play the series of playoffs in the best way, without scoring points in 7 matches. At the end of the season in the summer, Nikolai Zherdev becomes a free agent. The club management offered him a new contract, on the basis of which, he was supposed to receive 3.25 million dollars. However, the hockey player did not like this, and he filed a complaint with the sports court. During the trial, a decision was made according to which the Russian should receive $ 3.9 million. However, the club’s bosses refused to enter into a contract on such terms, believing that the results of Zherdev are rated lower. Agreeing to the previously proposed amount, the Russian hockey player was ready to sign the contract, but the Rangers backed off, thereby leaving him out of work.
Return to Russia
After an unsuccessful attempt to pursue a career in the Rangers, Nikolai Zherdev returns to Russia, where he plans to play in the KHL championship. In September 2009, a contract was officially signed between the hockey player and Atlant. In the 2009-2010 championship, Zherdev earned 40 points in 56 matches. After graduating, he wanted to return to the NHL.
In the strongest league in the world, Nikolai Zherdev (hockey player) signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia. Over the course of 56 games, he earned 22 points, which, compared to previous seasons, did not impress anyone. In the spring of 2011, the hockey player spent 8 games in the playoff games, earning 3 points. After Philadelphia, he returned to Atlant. In the 2011-2012 season, he played 53 games, earning 40 points. In the 2012-2013 season, he spent 39 games, earning 37 points. In the winter of 2013, Nikolai Zherdev moved to Ak Bars, but the hockey player could not prove himself properly and was lost in the team. Therefore, at the end of the season, the club management decided not to continue working with him. In the summer of 2013, Nikolai Zherdev signed a contract for 3 years with HC Leo from Prague.
Conflict with wife
After a stormy celebration of the new contract, the Russian hockey player crashed his car. Wife Eugene scribbled a Bentley player with a nail in
obscene words. Zherdev had to spend about a million rubles on car repairs.
According to the hotel worker, Zherdev invited the girls and had fun with them all night, after which the maintenance staff had to tidy up the room for a long time, and unsightly photos appeared in the media. Nikolai Zherdev after all this found out that his wife promised to file for divorce.
Three clubs in one season
The hockey player was never destined to play a single game for the Prague club, the reason for this was his desire to return to his family. In Russia, he signed a contract with Spartak Moscow. After spending 16 games in the KHL championship, Zherdev did not show a good game, earning only 7 points. The leadership of the Moscow team decided to terminate the contract with the hockey player.
The next club, with which Nikolai Zherdev signed a contract in November 2013, is Severstal. However, due to his character, he did not stay there for long. Nikolai’s acquaintances reported that on the day of the match between Spartak and Severstal in Moscow, the hockey player met his wife. Zherdev Nikolai, whose wife was not going to reconcile with the hockey player, arranged a major quarrel with him. The athlete raced slammed his doors and, instead of going to the ice palace, went to pour alcohol into the local tavern. At the end of the binge, he got behind the wheel of his Bentley and drove in the direction of the hotel, but he got into a traffic accident, the fault of which was Nikolai Zherdev himself. The latest news has filled the patience of the club management. It was decided to terminate the contract with an expensive hockey player. Due to the fact that the transfer window in the hockey league closed, he remained a free agent. Due to the scandalous reputation, the hockey player lost his fans, therefore, where Nikolai Zherdev plays, many fans are no longer interested.
Team appearances
The hockey player, starting at age 17, was regularly called up to the Russian national team. As noted above, in his assets silver championship of junior teams. In 2003, hockey player Nikolai Zherdev was admitted to the youth team, with whom he won the gold of the World Cup. For the main team of Russia, the successful seasons were 2009 and 2012, when the hockey player with the national team took gold medals.