By: Steve McClure | Follow me on Twitter / X @stmcclure1993
Today is Sergei Samsonov’s 46th birthday. ‘Mighty Mouse’, as he would come to be known to fans and teammates, was the eighth overall pick of the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL draft—just seven picks after Boston had secured Joe Thornton as the number one overall pick.
Whereas Thornton took a period of time to develop, Samsonov made his presence known immediately. From the get-go, his speed and playmaking abilities electrified Bruins fans. He scored 22 goals and put up 47 total points in his first year in Boston. Playing mostly with top-line center Jason Allison and right-wing Dimitri Khristich and getting plenty of opportunities on the power play unit, the Russian-born left-winger opened eyes across the league with his stick handling prowess and shifty moves.
In light of a brilliant rookie campaign, Samsonov won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie—garnering 93% of the vote. In his first five years in Boston, he would tally 22 or more goals four times, twice tallying 29. He was named to the 2001 All-Star Game in a season which turned out to be his best in a Bruins’ sweater, producing a line of 29-46-75 by season’s end.
Samsonov got off to the best start of his career in 2002, posting 5-6-11 in the first eight games, but then was shut down for the remainder of the year due to wrist injury. When he returned from his injury, the wrist weakness seemed to dampen his offensive skills, and the 2004-05 NHL lockout likely did not help to cultivate his professional development. The Bruins, having only won one playoff series with Samsonov as a first-line fixture, traded the 27-year-old in March of 2006 to the Edmonton Oilers for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stasny, and their 2nd round draft pick in 2006—which turned out to be Milan Lucic.
In his eight seasons with the Bruins, Samsonov played 514 regular season games, producing at 184-233-417 clip. Few Bruins players, throughout their storied history, have generated such fan excitement as the 5’8” Samsonov when he controlled the puck and burst into the offensive zone. ‘Mighty Mouse’ would also spend time playing with Montreal, Chicago, Carolina, and Florida before retiring in 2013.
Samsonov was named to the Bruins’ ‘All-Centennial Team’ in 2023. Happy 46th birthday, Sergei!
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