Markov quietly has become a Montreal Canadiens icon.

Soft-spoken but highly effective, Markov is respected not only in his own dressing room but across the NHL, even if he is underappreciated by fans outside Montreal, where he has played his entire NHL career.

A sixth-round draft pick of the Canadiens (No. 162) in the 1998 NHL Draft, Markov played with Khimik Voskresensk and Dynamo Moscow in his native Russia before jumping to the League in 2000 at age 22.

Markov made his debut with the Canadiens Oct. 6, 2000, and had 23 points in 63 games that season. He has been a steadying presence on defense ever since.

Markov has overcome serious injury - he had a lacerated ankle in 2009 and knee problems a year later that required surgery and had many wondering if he'd come back at all - to steadily climb up the rankings in virtually all of the Canadiens' defensive categories.

In 2010, having spent a decade in Montreal, he became a Canadian citizen.