Meet the Characters: Vladimir Kostainov

Vladimir Kostainov played one year with Riverside High School River Raptors as an exchange student before returning to his birthplace of Moscow, Russia. He attended Moscow State University with a degree in Mathematics before playing for two seasons with the HC Moscow. He later signed with the Minnesota Moose as a defenseman (#27). Under team captain, Luc Buchard, Vladimir was part of a Stanley Cup winning season prior to his retirement.

Since retiring, Vladimir became a U.S. Citizen. He continues to write for Hockey Quarterly and the Blue Line Blog. He shares several charity endeavors with his long-time friend, Kyle Kane, and yearly coaches the Icebreakers Summer Hockey Camp in Riverside, Minnesota. Vladimir has one son, Dimitri.

[Image is AI generated.]