Russian hockey player Mikhail Biryukov is the goalkeeper of the highest level. From a young age, the pupil of the Yaroslavl “Locomotive” showed a great game at the gate, which continues to confirm now, speaking for Nizhny Novgorod “Torpedo”.
The first steps to world fame
After completing the Lokomotiv hockey school in Yaroslavl, in 2004 Mikhail Biryukov went to the NMHL for a season and a half, where he defended the colors of Dmitrov HC, until in 2005 he received an offer from the Captain VHL team. The goalkeeper did not play for a long time in the composition of the Stepin club. Already after a season, a talented guy was attracted to himself by Hammer-Prikamye. At the heart of the Perm club, Mikhail immediately became the main guard of the gates and helped the team break into the playoffs, after which in early 2007 he became a player in the MVD club.
In his first club of the Russian Championship Elite Division, Mikhail Biryukov played in less than two seasons. The first year for the “Ministry of Internal Affairs” turned out to be fruitful for the goalkeeper: his game contributed to the playoffs, but due to financial difficulties of the club during the 2008/2009 season, Mikhail joined the Minsk “Dynamo”. It was not difficult for Biryukov to play in the Minsk team. A young but experienced goalkeeper quickly fit into the game, becoming the first goalkeeper of the club. At the same time, the Russian began to regularly be called up to the Russian national team, which only strengthened his unshakable position in the dispute over a place in the goal.
Parish in Ugra
A confident game in the goal range, both in the games of the national team and Dynamo Minsk, attracted Mikhail’s attention from the Khanty-Mansiysk Ugra, with whom he signed a contract in the summer of 2010. For the next 4 seasons Biryukov became the main star of the team, sometimes demonstrating an incredible level of play. However, the efforts of the goalkeeper were not enough for the success of “Ugra”. The team has never been able to take a place above the tenth in the national championship, and also lost in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, at the end of the 2013/2014 season, Mikhail moved to the capital CSKA, where he could not gain a foothold in the base, having played only 3 times, and returned to Khanty-Mansiysk.
Career at Torpedo
After playing another six months for “Ugra” in the winter of 2015, Mikhail Biryukov was able to find a new club “Torpedo”. As part of Nizhny Novgorod, the goalkeeper became one of the main gatekeepers, playing in about half of the championship matches. At the beginning of the 2016/2017 season, the Russians were offered a contract by Metallurg-Novokuznetsk HC, where Mikhail went for six months, after which he returned to Nizhny Novgorod in December 2016. After returning to the “Torpedo” goalkeeper began to go on the field more often and is currently the first number at the gate of his team.
National success
Mikhail Biryukov gained world fame by speaking for the Russian team. The goalkeeper made his debut in the national team in 2008, appearing in one match in the Eurotour hockey. Proving himself, the national team’s coaching staff invited the goalkeeper to the upcoming World Cup, where three times Mikhail went to the ice. The debut at the world championship was in the preliminary stage match against the Czech Republic, where Biryukov’s game helped the Russians snatch victory in overtime, after which he also took part in the victory over Denmark. Then the hockey player appeared again at the gate in the game against Belarus, having stood in a series of shootouts. Mikhail was not involved in the playoff games, but all this time he was on the bench, ready to help the team. As a result, having won the final over Canada, Biryukov as a member of the Russian national team became the world champion.
In 2010-2011, the Russians were regularly invited to the Eurotour matches, and in 2014, not getting into the Olympic team, Mikhail took part in the World Cup, where he again played the role of the team’s second goalkeeper. Having played in only one meeting, the goalkeeper became the two-time winner of the world championship, after which he was no longer called to the team.