Stanislav Galiev recently revealed to Sport24 journalist, Dmitry Erykalov, that an unfortunate, unlucky injury took him out of contention for Russia’s 2012 World Juniors roster.
Previous reporting and quotes from Galiev indicated that a hit during Washington’s Training Camp in September before the tournament was the culprit.
“After I went into the boards, [my arm] started to hurt so bad,” Galiev told RMNB in November 2011. “It wasn’t even that bad of a hit.”
It turns out that the truth behind his broken arm had nothing to do with an on-ice incident. The Washington Capitals’ third-round pick from the 2010 NHL Draft relayed the actual story to Erykalov after being asked to provide a story of any “out of the blue” or “annoying” injuries during his career.
“I once broke my arm when I was playing [soccer] with Sasha Ovechkin and some mutual friends,” Galiev responded. “It turned out that I was out for five months and didn’t go to the World Junior Championship.
“I haven’t stood in goal since then. I’m not a professional goalkeeper, and the guys there shoot like God.”
Ovechkin’s summer soccer outings were popular among his Russian teammates as Galiev and Dmitry Orlov regularly participated in the normally shirtless training sessions.
Galiev suffered his injury at one of the friendly matches the summer after an important season of development in 2011 which saw him win the Memorial Cup and record 65 points (37g, 28a) in 64 games with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.
Galiev attended Training Camp with the Capitals before the true extent of his injury was revealed, notably impressing then-head coach Bruce Boudreau in a preseason game against the Nashville Predators at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena. He then played multiple games in the QMJHL with the Sea Dogs, tallying six points (3g, 3a) in five games before hitting the injury list.
The then 19-year-old forward didn’t make a return for the Sea Dogs until mid-February of 2012, well after that season’s World Juniors had been completed. Russia finished second to Sweden in the tournament on the back of an MVP, 13-point performance from fellow Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Galiev would end the 2011-12 season with 19 points (13g, 6a) in 20 games, winning the QMJHL with the Sea Dogs for the second consecutive year. He debuted in Washington’s organization the season after, playing 63 games combined for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and ECHL’s Reading Royals.
Washington gave him his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins on April 8, 2015. He played one more game that season, scoring his first NHL goal against the New York Rangers.
Galiev would play in 24 more NHL games the next season and finished his time in the Capitals’ organization after spending the 2016-17 campaign exclusively in Hershey with the Bears. He then returned to his native Russia, playing in the KHL for the last seven years.
He has since represented Russia at the senior international level, winning a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The now 32-year-old winger will play his first season for Avangard Omsk in 2024-25.
