Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov (/brɪsˈɡɑːlɒf/;[1] Russian: Илья Николаевич Брызгалов; born 22 June 1980) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild.

However, with Jean-Sébastien Giguère and Martin Gerber ahead of him in the club's depth chart, Bryzgalov spent the better part of his first four seasons in North America with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League (AHL).

However, injuries to the Ducks starter[2][3][4] allowed Bryzgalov to play more games than he otherwise would have and he responded to the challenge with a 13–12–1 record with a 2.51 goals against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage.

In the subsequent playoffs, Bryzgalov made three starts and one relief appearance for the Ducks in their first-round series against the Calgary Flames.

[6] Despite his success in the first two rounds, Bryzgalov struggled in the semifinals against the Edmonton Oilers and was eventually replaced by Giguère for the rest of the series as the Ducks were eliminated in five games.

With the re-signing of Giguère to a four-year contract in the off-season and the acquisition of Jonas Hiller from Switzerland,[7] the Ducks attempted to trade Bryzgalov, but were unable to do so.

[8] Anaheim general manager Brian Burke claimed he had a deal worked out at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, but could not finish it.

[9] In his first game with the team that same day, Bryzgalov made 27 saves for his third career shutout in a 1–0 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

[10] Phoenix promptly signed him to a three-year contract extension and he went on to record 26 wins in 55 games for the Coyotes as they battled for a playoff spot, establishing himself as the club's starting goaltender.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes during the 2010–11 season, Bryzgalov's 36 wins helped them to the sixth seed in the Western Conference and a return trip to the playoffs.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, the Coyotes did not meet Bryzgalov's asking price for a contract extension.

On 6 June 2011, Bryzgalov's negotiation rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, forward Matt Clackson and future considerations.

The duo of Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher were able to help the team to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals in place of the injured starter Ray Emery, but neither goaltender held onto the starting position for an extended period of time.

Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky was the Flyers' starter in the 2010–11 season, but he and Boucher formed another tandem with similar inconsistency,[12] including a dismal playoff for both.

In order to accommodate his contract under the team's salary cap, the Flyers made two high-profile trades an hour before the Bryzgalov signing was first reported, sending Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets (for Jakub Voráček, as well as first- and third-round picks in the 2011 Entry Draft) and captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings (for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick).

Bryzgalov would become well known for his comments regarding the universe during the filming of HBO's 24/7 series – "Solar system is so humongous big, right?

Bobrovsky then started the Winter Classic on 2 January 2012, a 3–2 Flyers loss to the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.

Two days later, on 15 March, Bryzgalov set the Flyers all-time record for longest shutout streak, in a game against the New York Islanders.

He began on a conditioning assignment with the Edmonton's AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, but was finally called up to the Oilers on 17 November.

Shortly after, the Ducks made a public statement saying Bryzgalov would be returning home to his family and not finish the 2014–15 season with them, ending his professional career.

He spent five summers attending college in Russia, where he earned his degree, allowing him to teach and coach in Russian schools.