Novokuznetsk “Metallurg” the next season has problems during the regular championship. In 2016, several experienced players joined the Siberian club: they hoped that they would be able to rectify the situation. Among them was striker Andrei Taratukhin, who, after a fairly successful career, could not demonstrate his former level in the team from Novokuznetsk.
The path to the Russian elite
Andrey Taratukhin was born on February 22, 1983 in Omsk. As a child, his parents took him to the sports section, where the boy quickly fell in love with hockey, soon moving to school with the local team - “Vanguard”. At the age of 16, Andrei made a big debut as part of the youth composition of the Omsk club, for which he spent three years.
In the next three seasons, the talented striker was involved in the games of the Major League, playing for “Bridge” and “Mechel”, and also went on the ice as part of the core of “Vanguard”, opening the score for his performances in the Super League. However, both seasons in Omsk did not work out for the hockey player in terms of performance, and in 2004 he left his home club.
Two successful years with shipping overseas
Ufa “Salavat Yulaev” agreed to accept the three-time world champion in the Russian national team of youthful and youthful levels. As part of the “white-green” Andrei Taratukhin spent only a year, but it was he who became the beginning of a serious formation of the player. During the season, he played in 54 matches, gaining 12 points, and a year later he again changed his team, moving to Yaroslavl “Locomotive”.
And during his career in Yaroslavl Andrey Taratukhin blossomed. The hockey player spent a great season, including in terms of performance, gaining 24 points, due to which he was called up to the matches of the Olympic Games as part of the Russian team. But having played in 5 meetings, the striker failed to distinguish himself in its composition. Nevertheless, the success of Andrei was appreciated by many, including overseas - in the summer of 2006, the Russian moved to the American AHL league.
In the USA, Andrei Taratukhin, whose family, consisting of his wife Daria and two children - the twins Sasha and Masha - moved after him to the States, performed as part of Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. And the season, which became the only one for the player in foreign hockey, turned out to be outstanding for him. Over 80 matches, he showed an incredible result, gaining 60 points of performance, but failing to break into the base of the main club that played in the NHL, “Calgary” decided to return to their homeland.
Return to Salavat Yulaev
“Salavat Yulaev” again agreed to accept such a successful hockey player. As a member of the Ufa team, Andrei Taratukhin did not lose his former condition and was able to score 63 points in two years, thanks to which he brought his club to the championship title in 2008. The next two seasons were also successful for the hockey player and his club. In 2010, “Salavat” was able to get to the bronze championship, losing in the final of the draw in the Conference to the future owner of the Gagarin Cup - Kazan “Ak Bars”.
And a year later, the team also obeyed the highest stage of the championship - the Ufa team, who managed to easily overcome all the stages of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, in the final of the Gagarin Cup did not leave any chances for Atlanta. In the final match, Andrei Taratukhin became the author of the first goal in the match, which ended in a labor victory for the “green” - 3: 2.
Club Wandering
At the end of the 2011/12 season, Andrei Taratukhin, whose statistics in recent years looked depressing, including due to injuries, left Salavat Yulaev due to the expiration of the contract. The next championship was held by the forward in the “Vanguard”, where he again could not prove himself and ended up in the “Petrochemist”. The Nizhnekamsk team became the second wind for the Russian - he spent a rather fruitful season, gaining a dozen points, but the club as a whole showed an unsatisfactory result, not getting into the playoffs.
The successful streak for Taratukhin continued in the next season, while playing for the Atlas Mytishchi. The player’s performance remained at the same level, and the club’s coaching staff liked the effort and focus on the team game, but the team was also out of the playoff round.
In 2015, Andrei began wandering in different leagues - after Ugra he played in the VHL for the Tyumen Rubin, after which he was viewed in Amur, and ended up in Novokuznetsk. In “Metallurg”, the forward can hardly boast of a successful performance - 2 points in 27 meetings for the recent American AHL star look very modest. However, despite this, the hockey player does not plan to end his career yet.