IIHF
Hall of Fame
Exactly 89 years after the
foundation of the Federation, the IIHF Hall of Fame was
established to provide the opportunity to honour deserving former
officials, coaches and players. The first 30 personalities
selected for the Hall of Fame were inducted and honoured during
the 1997 World Championship in Helsinki. They were followed in
1998 by 31 other people who were chosen by the Selection Committee
chaired by Walter Bush Jr. For the permanent headquarters of the
IIHF Hall of Fame, a new area will be created within the Hockey
Hall of Fame in Toronto, where artifacts and memorabilia from
Europe will also be displayed. The IIHF Marketing Director Kimmo
Leinonen, who was put in charge of that task by the IIHF President
René Fasel, has been working on this project together with all the
national member associations.
Please select an IIHF Hall of
Fame member below for more information about him.
NHL Hall of
Fame
Vsevolod Bobrov, Russia
Born December 1, 1922 in Leningrad,
Soviet Union. Forward. Vsevolod Bobrov was the leading player for
the former Soviet Union national team when it came to the IIHF
World Championship for the first time in 1954 in Stockholm. He
guided his team to surprising gold medal at the very first time of
participation and won silver medal 1955 in Krefeld. In Cortina
1956 at the Olympic Winter Games Soviet Union took first ever
Olympic gold. He played 230 Soviet Union national league games
scoring 243 goal and won six national champion titles. He
represented Soviet Union in 59 games and scored 89 goals. His
career lasted 18 seasons and he was forced to retire due to
injuries before the IIHF World Championship 1957 in Moscow. He
then became coach with several club teams and lead the Soviet
Union to two IIHF World Champion titles in 1974 and 1975. To
honour his memory the national ice hockey federation has founded
the Bobrov Club for all time best goalscorers in the country.
Vsevolod Bobrov passed away July 11, 1979.
Inducted to players' category
in 1997.
Alexander Ragulin, Russia
Born May 5, 1941. Giant
sized defenseman Alexander Ragulin played for CSKA Moscow for his
entire career in the former Soviet Union national league. He came
to the national team for the 1961 IIHF World Championship and
remained until the end of the 1972 season. Alexander Ragulin was
crowned nine times the IIHF World Champion and three times Olympic
Champion. He played 230 times for Soviet Union national team
scoring 26 goals and participated also in the 1972 Summit Series
against Team Canada. Alexander Ragulin was a member of the IIHF
Oldtimers Committee from 1994 to 1998.
Inducted to players' category
in 1997.
Andrei
Starovoitov, Russia
Born December 6, 1915. Andrei Starovoitov began his active
player with bandy and ice hockey in the beginning of the 1930s in
Smolensk and continued with CSKA in Moscow winning one national
championship title. He became referee after his retirement as ice
hockey player and continued his new career till 1969. He
participated as referee to the IIHF World Championships in 1955,
1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966 and to the Olympic
Winter Games in 1956 in Cortina and 1964 in Innsbruck. Andrei
Starovoitov was General Secretary of the Soviet Ice Hockey
Federation from 1969 to 1986 and was the member of the IIHF
Council. He also was a member of the IIHF Referee Council for
numerous years and was elected to Honorary Member of the IIHF in
1986. Andrei Starovoitov passed away in March 22, 1997.
Inducted to builders' category
in 1997.
Anatoli
Tarasov, Russia
Born December 10, 1918. Anatoli Tarasov is often referred
as father of Russian ice hockey. He began his career as player in
Moscow at the end of the 1940s and became interested developing
ice hockey in the Soviet Union. Under his guidance the Soviet
Union won the IIHF World Championship titles in 1963, 1964, 1965,
1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971 and the Olympic Gold in 1964
in Innsbruck and in 1968 in Grenoble. With his club team CSKA he
won 17 national championships between 1950 and 1974, 8 national
cup championships and 6 IIHF European Cup championships. The great
coach was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1974.
Anatoli Tarasov passed away on June 23, 1995.
Induction to builders' category
in 1997
Vladislav Tretiak, Russia
Born April 25, 1952 in
Dmitrovo, Soviet Union. Goalkeeper. Vladislav Tretiak played in
CSKA Moscow between 1968 and 1984 winning the national
championship title 13 times. He also won the national cup
championship title four times and the European Cup championship 13
times. He represented the Soviet Union in 287 national team games
and participated in 13 IIHF World Championships, winning the gold
medal 10 times, one silver medal and two bronze medals. At the
Olympic Winter Games he was crowned as Olympic Champion in 1972,
1976 and 1984 winning silver in 1980, which makes him the most
accomplished hockey Olympian. Became world famous during the 1972
Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Team Canada. He won the
Canada Cup in 1981. He was elected as best goalkeeper at the IIHF
World Championships in 1974 and 1979 and was an All-Star in 1975,
1979 and 1983. Vladislav Tretiak was inducted to Hockey Hall of
Fame in Toronto in 1989.
Induction to players' category
in 1997.
Helmut
Balderis, Latvia
Born on July 31, 1952 in Riga, Latvia. Forward. Represented
the former Soviet Union at the IIHF World Championship in 1976,
1977, 1978, 1979 and 1983 winning three gold medals, one silver
and one bronze medal. He became a professional player in the
National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars and later
went on to coach in Japan. He coached the Latvian National Team in
1992.
Inducted to players' category in 1998.
Anatoli
Firsov, Russia
Born on February 1, 1941. Forward. Olympic Champion in
1964, 1968 and 1972, he was the leading scorer in Grenoble 1968
with 12 goals and four assists for a total of 16 points in seven
games. Eight time IIHF World Champion voted IIHF Directorate best
forward in 1967, 1968 and 1971 and IIHF World Championship
all-star from 1967 through 1971. He was the leading scorer at IIHF
World Championships in 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Anatoli
Firsov passed away on June 24, 2000 in Moscow, Russia.
Inducted to players' category
in 1998.
Valeri
Kharlamov, Russia
Born on January 14, 1948. Forward. Olympic Winter Games
gold medals in 1972 and 1976 and Olympic silver medal in 1980. He
won the scoring championship at the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in
Sapporo, Japan. Won eight IIHF World Championship gold medals, one
silver and one bronze, was the leading scorer in 1971, 1973 and
1977, voted IIHF Directorate best forward in 1976 and member of
IIHF World Championship all-star team in 1972, 1973, 1975 and
1976. Won the European Cup title 11 times with his CSKA Moscow.
Became a hero in Canada during the 1972 Summit Series between the
Soviet Union and Team Canada. Shocked Canada with two marvelous
goals in the inaugural Summit-game in Montreal on September 2,
1972 and led his team to a stunning 7-3 victory, one of the
biggest upsets in international hockey.
Died in a car accident
together with his wife on August 27, 1981.
Inducted to players'
category in 1998.
Viktor
Tikhonov, Russia
Born on June 4, 1930. Coach. Led the Soviet Union/Russia to
three Olympic Winter Games gold medals (1980, 1984 and 1992) and
one silver medal (1980), eight IIHF World Championship titles
(1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990) one silver and
two bronze medals and one Canada Cup title in 1981. He has also
coached CSKA Moscow to 14 European Cup titles and 13 national
championship titles. Probably the most successful international
coach of all times.
Inducted to builders' category in
1998.
Valeri Vasiliev, Russia
Born August 3, 1949 in
Moscow. Defenseman. Participated at the IIHF World Championship 12
times and won nine gold medals. Won gold medals at the Olympic
Winter Games in 1972 and 1976 and a silver medal in 1980. Received
IIHF Directorate best defenseman award in 1973, 1977 and 1979 and
was a member of the IIHF World Championship all-star team in 1974,
1975, 1977, 1979 and 1981. Participated in the 1972 Summit Series,
the 1976 Canada Cup and won the 1981 Canada Cup. Long time captain
of the Soviet Union national team. Considered as one of the best
defensemen to play the game.
Inducted to players' category in
1998.
Arkady
Chernyshev, Russia
Born March 16, 1914 in Moscow,
Russia. As an athlete, Arkady Chernyshev played ice hockey, bandy
and soccer for the Dynamo Moscow Sportsclub. After his playing
days, Chernyshev became one of the most successful ice hockey
coaches of all time. He was the head coach of Dynamo Moscow for 27
years and was also either head coach or assistant coach for the
Soviet Union national team for twelve seasons between 1954 and
1972. During that time, the team managed to capture four Olympic
titles in 1956, 1964, 1968 and 1972 and 11 IIHF World Championship
titles. Together with Anatoli Tarasov, Arkady Chernyshev is
considered the Father of Soviet Ice Hockey. He passed away in
February 1992 in Moscow.
Inducted to builders'
category in 1999.
Alexander Maltsev,
Russia
Born
on April 20, 1949 in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Soviet Union. Alexander
Maltsev was one of the best forwards of all times. From 1967 to
1983 he wore the Dynamo Moscow jersey scoring 329 goals in 529
games. With 319 international games, Maltsev holds the all-time
Soviet Union National Team record in that category. Between 1969
and 1983 he participated in 12 IIHF World Championships and he was
a nine time IIHF World and eight time IIHF European champion. He
captured Olympic gold in 1972 and in 1976 and took the silver in
1980. Maltsev was the prototype of the all-round forward and was
utilised in all positions. In 1970, 1972 and 1981 he received the
IIHF Directorate award as the best IIHF World Championship
forward. Five times he was selected to the IIHF World Championship
All Star team, in 1970, 1971 and 1978 at right wing, as well as in
1972 and 1981 at center.
Inducted to players' category in
1999.
Boris
Mayorov, Russia
Born on February 11, 1938 in Moscow,
Soviet Union. Forward. Mayorov played for Spartak Moscow from 1956
to 1969 and was national champion in 1962, 1967 and 1969. He
scored 62 goals in 118 international games for the Soviet Union.
During the seven IIHF World Senior Pool A Championship tournaments
he played in, Mayorov captained his team to the IIHF World
Championship title six times. After his playing days, Mayorov had
a long coaching career in Finland with Jokerit and Tappara, and
won one Finnish national championship title. Boris Mayorov was
Director of the Former Soviet Union Ice Hockey Federation and has
also served as National Team Manager for the Russian Ice Hockey
Federation in numerous tournaments. Boris Mayorov has followed in
the footsteps of his twin brother Evgeni, also a former IIHF World
Champion who passed away in 1998, to become a beloved television
commentator.
Inducted to players' category in 1999.
Boris
Mikhailov, Russia
Born on October 6, 1944 in Moscow,
Russia. Forward. As a right winger, Mikhailov played for Energy
Saratov from 1962-65 before lacing up with Locomotive Moscow club
for three seasons. But it was with the CSKA Moscow club that
Mikhailov found great success. He played a huge role in that
club's 11 national championships and 11 European Cup titles
between 1967 and 1981, in between winning the prestigious European
"Player of the Year" Award in 1979. On the international front,
Mikhailov, was a dominate player in the eleven IIHF World
Championship tournaments between 1969-79 and laid claim to a
remarkable eight World Champion titles to go along with seven
European titles. In the 1973 and 1979 tournaments, he received the
IIHF "Best Forward" Award as well as an All Star team selection.
In the Olympics, Mikhailov won gold in 1972 and 1976 and a silver
medal in 1980. His coaching career started with his former club,
CSKA Moscow where he was an assistant coach from 1983-91. The
following season Mikhailov honed his skills in Switzerland with
the Rapperswil club and since 1992 has been behind the bench of
the St. Petersburg club. Mikhailov also coached the national team
from 1993-96 and won yet another gold medal in the 1993
tournament.
Sergei
Makarov, Russia
Born on June 19, 1958 in Chelyabinsk,
Soviet Union. Forward. After a couple of years with Soviet club
Traktor Chelyabinsk, Sergei Makarov was elected as a Soviet
National League All-star during all 11 seasons he starred and won
national titles with powerhouse Central Red Army from 1978 to
1989. Amazingly, Makarov accumulated 710 career points, including
322 Goals in 519 league games, earning nine scoring titles, eight
Player of the Year awards and twice was named recipient of the
Golden Stick award as outstanding European player. Makarov began
his illustrious international career with back to back IIHF World
Junior Championship titles in 1977 and 1978. Then, he earned eight
All-Star team selections and two Directorate awards for Best
Forward at the IIHF 11 World and European Championships he played
in from 1978 to 1991, which resulted in eight gold, one silver and
two bronze. In between, Makarov claimed Olympic gold in both 1984
and 1988 and a silver medallist in 1980. His final tallies
included an incredible 190 goals in 315 national team games.
Makarov also led the Soviets to victory in the 1981 Canada Cup and
followed that up with an All-Star selection in the 1984
tournament. If there was any doubt, Makarov proved his world-class
status when he joined the Calgary Flames in the NHL and promptly
captured Rookie of the Year honours in 1989-90 in his first of six
solid NHL seasons. He returned to Europe where he played briefly
with Swiss club HC Fribourg-Gotteron before ending his fabulous
career back with Central Red Army in 1997-98. On account of these
magnificent achievements, Makarov was bestowed with the
prestigious Soviet Honoured Masters of Sport award.
Vladimir Yurzinov,
Russia
Born
February 20, 1940 in Moscow, Soviet Union. Vladimir Yurzinov
progressed through the legendary Dynamo Moscow hockey system
accumulating 238 goals in 489 games from 1957 to 1972 and later
retired his number 17 jersey. Internationally, Yurzinov played in
three IIHF World Championship tournaments, and skated away with
two gold medals, in 1963 and 1969 and one bronze back in 1961.
During the 1963 tournament in Stockholm, Yurzinov led his team in
scoring and tied for the overall tournament lead with 12 points.
Overall, in 53 national team games, he registered 25 goals. Before
retiring as a player, Yurzinov spent two seasons as a player-coach
for Finnish club KooVee, before returning to coach in the Soviet
National League for 18 seasons split with Dynamo Riga and his old
club Dynamo Moscow, of which the last three years, (1990-92) ended
with national titles. Yurzinov's next assignment was in Turku with
TPS, where from 1992-98 he guided the team to two gold and three
silver medals, the 1994 European Cup title and the 1997 EHL and
Super Cup championship. More recently, Yurzinov has coached in the
Swiss club EHC Kloten, as well as at the international level, with
the Russian Olympic team in 1998 and in 2002, where they earned a
silver and a bronze medal respectively.
Alexander Yakushev,
Russia
Born January 2, 1947. Forward.
Alexander Yakushev starred for Spartak Moscow from 1963 to 1980
during which time he scored 339 goals in 568 Soviet League games
and won the national title on three occasions, 1967, 1969 and 1976
to go along with a 1976 Soviet League All-Star Team selection. He
finished his impressive playing career after three seasons in
Kapfenberg, Austria in 1983. Internationally, Yakushev represented
the former Soviet Union in 218 national team games, including two
Olympic Winter Games, in 1972 in Sapporo and in 1976 in Innsbruck
winning the gold medal in both tournaments. His 10 IIHF World
Championship appearances produced seven gold medals, two silver
and one bronze. Named to the All-Star Team at the 1974 and 1975
IIHF World Championships, Yakushev also earned Best Forward
honours in the 1975 event held in Munich. His performance during
the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Team Canada
(where he led the Soviet team in scoring with seven goals and four
assists in eight games) led many to view Yakushev as the first
modern Soviet superstar. His coaching career includes duties in
Spartak Moscow and later at the helm of the Russian National Team,
where he retired after the 1999-2000 season. Alexander Yakushev is
currently employed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and is
in charge of coaching development programs.
NHL
Valeri Kharlamov
As
the political Cold War warmed enough to finally allow
fans to witness international competition between the
Soviet Union and North America, Valeri Kharlamov emerged
as the dominant Russian left winger through the seventies.
Born January 14, 1948 in Moscow, Kharlamov combined superior
hockey intelligence with outstanding natural talent and
established himself as one of the most formidable weapons
in the dominant Soviet arsenal during the decade.
"His talents were God-given and he could do practically
everything - a smart play, a tricky pass, a precise shot,"
said Hall of Fame goaltender, Vladislav Tretiak. "Everything
he did looked so easy, so elegant. His execution of hockey
was aesthetic and he amazed millions."
Through
fourteen seasons with the Soviet Red Army squad, Valeri
collected 293 goals and 214 assists for 507 points in
436 regular season games and was the integral component
on eleven league championships (1968, 1970, 1971, 1972,
1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981). In eleven
consecutive International Ice Hockey Federation and European
Championships, Kharlamov and the Soviets took eight gold
medals, two silver and a bronze, with Valeri named a tournament
All-Star in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976. He also participated
in three Olympic tournaments, leading his Soviet team
to gold medals in 1972 and 1976. Through much of his outstanding
career, Kharlamov was paired with Vladimir Petrov at centre
and Boris Mikhailov at right wing to form the Army Line,
one of the most dominating trios in hockey history.
In
1969, although just twenty-one at the time, Valeri Kharlamov
was recipient of the prestigious Russian sports title,
Merited Master of Sport. Kharlamov was posthumously added
to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Hall of Fame
Honour Roll in 1998.
Many
will best remember Valeri Kharlamov for his role in the
1972 Summit Series versus Team Canada. So effective was
the high-flying winger that in Game Six, Canada's Bobby
Clarke took an aggressive chop at his ankle. Although
he finished the game, Kharlamov's ankle was cracked. He
missed Game Seven and was clearly playing injured in the
pivotal final game. Still, Valeri scored three goals and
four assists in the seven games he played. Kharlamov also
played in the 1974 Pro Classic against the WHA stars,
scoring two goals and six assists in the eight-game tournament.
In 40 games played against North American professionals,
Kharlamov collected 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points.
While
still an active member of the Soviet team (his final game
was August 18, 1981 in Helsinki versus the Finnish National
Team), Valeri and his wife Irina died tragically in a
car accident on the busy highway between Moscow and St.
Petersburg on August 27, 1981. Ironically, a car accident
in 1976 prohibited Kharlamov from participating in the
1976 Canada Cup tournament.
Ilya
Kovalchuk, the first Russian ever selected first overall
when he was the initial pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft,
was not born until 1983, but offers his homage to Kharlamov's
legacy by wearing the number 17 for the Atlanta Thrashers,
and insisted on wearing Kharlamov's 17 in the 2002 Olympic
tournament as well.
Valeri
Kharlamov is just the second Soviet-trained player inducted
into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Goaltender Vladislav Tretiak,
Kharlamov's teammate for many years, was elected to the
Hall in 1989. Their coach, Anatoli Tarasov, was elected
to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974. Sweeney Schriner,
born in Russia but raised in Canada, became an Honoured
Member in 1962.
When
the Inductees were announced in June 2005 by the Selection
Committee, Kharlamov's son Alexander, himself a first
round draft pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, spoke on
behalf of his family. "I just want to say thank you
for everybody who selected my father in the Hockey Hall
of Fame. It's a big day for me today," said Alexander.
"I can't believe it! I want to say thank you for
remembering my father."
Vyacheslav Fetisov
Viacheslav Fetisov formed one of the
best defence pairings in hockey when he was teamed with Alexei
Kasatonov with the Soviet National Team in the 1980s. The duo was
part of the "Big Five" for the Soviets along with the KLM line of
Vladimir Krutov, Sergei Makarov, and Igor Larionov. Fetisov was
well respected by his teammates for his strength of character both
as a player and as a person, and he served as captain of both the
National Team and of the Central Army squad.
Fetisov possessed exceptional
mobility and instinctively knew when to pinch in from the blueline
to create a scoring chance in the offensive zone. As a defenceman
in the 1980s he had few rivals, not just at home but worldwide. He
was named as the top defenceman at the European Junior Hockey
Championships in 1976 and achieved the same honour at the 1978
World Junior Championships along with a berth on the tournament
All-Star team. He was a nine-time All-Star and five-time winner of
the best defenceman award at the senior World Championships and
played on a total of nine Olympic and World Championship teams
during his international hockey career.
Fetisov was originally drafted by the
Montreal Canadiens in 1978 but re-entered the draft and was
selected by the New Jersey Devils in 1983. The Soviet Union's
political climate was changing in the late 1980s and Fetisov made
a stand against the establishment by signing with the Devils in
the spring of 1988. He applied for his release from the army after
the conclusion of the 1988 Soviet hockey season, but his release
was rejected by authorities.
Soviet club teams toured North
America in 1989 for a series of exhibition games against NHL
opponents. One of the dates on the schedule was a game on January
2, 1989, in New Jersey between the Devils and Fetisov's Red Army
club. Fetisov scored a goal in the Red Army's 5-0 win that evening
and was cheered by the Devils fans throughout the game. He said
afterwards, "I'm ready now. I want to play in New Jersey."
Returning home from the tour, he announced that he was
quitting the Red Army team. However, as a member of the armed
forces he was required to report to army headquarters every day,
even though he wasn't playing hockey. However, he did little more
than move papers around at his desk. When it was announced that he
would not be allowed to play with the National Team during the
upcoming World Championships, his teammates rose in solidarity to
have him reinstated by stating that if Fetisov would not be
allowed to play then they would not play either. He was soon
reinstated and the players wasted no time in electing him as their
captain.
By this time it was more than obvious
that there would be no way to keep Fetisov from heading to the
NHL. After the 1989 Worlds the Soviet Union hockey powers
announced that they would be going into a rebuilding phase and
veteran players such as Fetisov were free to join the NHL.
In
1989, at age 31, Fetisov finally began his NHL career as a member
of the New Jersey Devils. He would go on to play for nine years in
the NHL, including his final three in Detroit. While with the Red
Wings, Fetisov participated in the 1997 and 1998 All-Star games,
and earned two Stanley Cup rings in 1997 and 1998. After that
first title, he organized the Cup's first visit to Russia.
He
retired to accept a position with the Devils as an assistant coach
and earned his third Cup ring following New Jersey's championship
in 2000.
Viacheslav Fetisov was inducted
into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
Vladislav Tretiak
In the minds of hockey fans
around the world, the name Vladislav Tretiak is so closely
linked with goaltending excellence that it's hard to imagine
that before 1972, the Soviet superstar was almost completely
unknown to the North American sporting public. But that's
pretty much the way it happened. Canadian hockey scouts
had dismissed him as a weak link in the Soviet defense
prior to the Canada-USSR series in 1972, calling him inconsistent,
with a weak glove hand that could be exploited almost
at will. And so coaches and fans hardly paid any attention
to him in the pre-series buildup. By the time the Summit
Series was over, though, Tretiak was no longer a mystery
to NHL fans, who saw him turn away Canada's top goal-scoring
stars time and again for eight frustrating, nail-biting
games. Tretiak's stellar performance in the 1972 showdown
- as a mere 20-year-old - was only the beginning of his
amazing international play. Behind his unprecedented 1.78
goals-against average in 98 international games, the Soviets
won Olympic gold medals in 1972, 1976 and 1984. They also
captured 10 World Championships and nine European titles
and remained virtually undefeated for the better part
of a decade in IIHF tournament play. In addition to shining
in international championship play, Tretiak also habitually
inspired himself to play his very best during exhibition
games against NHL teams. In a game against the Montreal
Canadiens on New Year's Eve, 1975 - one that many hockey
fans still consider the greatest goaltending performance
of all time - Tretiak held the Habs to a 3-3 tie despite
being widely outshot, 38-13. He was the MVP of the 1981
Canada Cup, leading the vaunted USSR to their first victory,
and the following year turned in another standout series
of games on the Soviet All-Stars tour of North America,
the highlight of which was his 5-0 shutout of those same
Canadiens in the Forum. From 1971 to 1984, he was the
Soviet league's First Team All-Star goalie, spending 14
consecutive seasons as the number one man in the Soviet
cage.
During this amazing string with the
Central Red Army squad, Tretiak won 13 league titles, captured the
MVP honors in the Soviet league five times, was awarded the Order
of Lenin for his service to the USSR in 1978 and won the coveted
Golden Hockey Stick as the outstanding player in all of Europe in
1981, 1982 and 1983. In the 1981 Canada Cup, he was the tournament
MVP and the First All-Star Team goalie, posting an amazing 1.33
goal-against average over six games against the world's best
teams. Other than the game eight disappointment in 1972, which can
hardly be called a disaster for Tretiak, coming as it did at the
tail end of the series that really launched him onto the world
hockey scene, there was only one dark spot on his entire stellar
career in the international arena. It appeared in the 1980
Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, a competition won by the squad
from the U.S. In the second to last game, Tretiak was the victim
of a fluke goal by Mark Johnson in the first period and was pulled
in favour of Vladimir Myshkin. Tretiak retired from active play on
a high note in 1984, after shutting out Czechoslovakia 2-0 to win
the Olympic gold in Sarajevo. The actual close of his career,
which saw him take part in 287 games overall with the national
squad, came at the end of the Izvestia tournament in December
1984. He and fellow Soviet standouts Valeri Vasiliev and Alexander
Maltsev took part in a special All-Star game between the USSR and
European players who had taken part in the Izvestia games. The
contest ended with a huge ovation for the tearful Tretiak as he
said his goodbyes, never to compete for his nation again at the
highest level.
Just before the start of the 1990-91
season, Chicago Blackhawks coach Mike Keenan announced that he
would be signing Tretiak as a member of his coaching staff, in
particular to work with the squad's young goaltending corps that
included Ed Belfour. His intellectual knowledge and understanding
of the position is equal perhaps only to Jacques Plante, who wrote
the first book on being a goalie and detailed everything from
strategy to conditioning. Coaching had always been part of
Tretiak's post-playing plans. He started a series of hockey
schools as part of a life-long love of teaching kids about the
sport. As a superb goalie, sports ambassador and teacher of both
pros and children, Vladislav Tretiak defined all three roles in
his long career in hockey. The Hockey Hall of Fame is richer for
his inclusion in its hallowed rooms.
Anatoly
Tarasov
In 1958, Tarasov took the reins
of the USSR nationals for the first time, and his team
gave up the gold at two World Championships and the 1960
Olympics. The veterans of the Central Red Army temporarily
ousted him and once again Arkady Chernyshev came to the
helm of the national squad. He didn't win either. But
before the 1963 World Championship, Chernyshev and Tarasov
appeared as a duo to lead the national squad. They went
on to sweep every championship for the next 10 years,
topping that winning streak off with the 1972 Olympic
title. Tarasov was very ambitious, perhaps even too ambitious
for a model Soviet citizen. Hockey, previously a curiosity
from overseas, offered him the chance to express himself
100%. With no precedent to follow for the development
of the game in the Soviet Union, hockey in Tarasov's hands
became the clay out of which he molded whatever came to
mind. He rigorously copied the methods of the best coaches
in soccer and other sports and, some would say, even drew
upon some of the lesser qualities of politicians. Tarasov
could act and he could charm people - whoever and whenever
necessary. He also knew how to leave a person speechless,
and how to compel a person to think profoundly. He squeezed
every ounce of energy and performance out of his players.
Even the slightest hint of self-importance was dealt with
immediately.
According to Tarasov, egoism on the
ice was the gravest of all sins. In the end, Tarasov must be given
credit for his work in creating a phenomenon in Soviet hockey
unparalleled elsewhere - superstar forward lines. The members of
those lines interacted with one another apparently without the
slightest effort, as if they had no need to see each other and
could function purely on instinct. By the end of the 1960s, many
of the Soviet leaders had had their fill of Tarasov, complaining
that he'd built a state within a state and crowned himself king in
an autocratic USSR. To make matters worse, he led his Central Red
Army team off the ice in 1969 during a decisive game against
Spartak - and in the presence of leading statesmen. For 40
minutes, they tried to talk Tarasov into sending his players back
out on the ice, but he objected to the referee's disallowing a
goal scored by his team. He did lead the team back onto the ice
but lost the game, and Tarasov was subsequently stripped of his
Merited Coach title. He handed the reins of the Central Red Army
over to second coach Boris Kulagin, who quickly established
himself as the main coach and began rejuvenating the lineup. In
subsequent games, however, Tarasov began sitting closer and closer
to the Army bench. And in the final match to determine the Soviet
entry at the European Championship, with the Central Army losing
5-3 to Spartak and the whole country watching at home, Tarasov
could no longer contain himself. He went over to the bench and in
a fit of temper began running the show.
The Central Red Army suddenly
came back to life and whipped Spartak 8-5. To add insult
to injury, Tarasov gave Kulagin a public tongue-lashing
for "bringing such a glorious team to ruin by senselessly
reshuffling the lineup." Tarasov and Chernyshev left the
national team in the winter of 1972, half a year before
the Summit Series. Tarasov worked with the Central Army
club for another two years, but after losing the championship
in 1974, he stepped aside to make way for Konstantin Loktev.
He ended his career behind the bench before exhausting
a coach's best years. After that, he conducted hockey
competitions for young amateurs throughout the country.
He did some teaching and became a hockey observer for
the leading newspapers.
