Slava Fetisov and the Soviet Hockey Legacy

Slava Fetisov served as one of the cornerstones of the USSR's powerhouse hockey teams of the 1980's. In this VICE Sports exclusive he shares his experiences, from coming of age as a phenom in The Soviet Union to breaking down the barrier for Russians in the NHL. Slava is prominently featured in the new documentary Red Army.

Archival footage courtesy of the film "Red Army" and Sony Pictures Classics.

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[ianb]

This guy is a model of what good sportsmanship is all about. Respect!

[bradleyupdyke]

So glad that he gave credit to his original coach Anatoly Tarasov who basically trained all the elite Russian hockey players back then... one of my favorite players from Russia never got to play in the NHL but was a goalie coach Vladislav Tretiak probably one of the best goalies EVER... still honored by some of the NHL'ers today by wearing his number 20

[alexgowan]

The Russian five, Slava fetisov Sergei federov Vladimir konstantinov igor larionov vyacheslav kozlov, were the most amazing unit to watch they were so smooth.

[mofisbroth]

Wish there were more hockey features on the Channel! Great video!

[shafeeqrumi]

He's now a Minister of Sports in Russia !!!! Hard Respect to him after watching the movie :) Slava you are the Best of the best <3

[luckyea]

From 1975 to 1991, the clubs of the USSR played 108 matches with the teams of the National Hockey League. During this time, the Clubs of the USSR won 58 victories, 10 matches ended in a draw and lost 40 times to the representatives of the NHL.


The most successful team in NHL history is the Montreal Canadiens, with 24 Stanley Cups and 35 Finals appearances. The greatest number of times the winner of the USSR championship was CSKA Moscow - 32. Their meetings with each other:

12/31/1976 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 3: 3
12/31/1979 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 4: 2
12/31/1985 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 1:6
09/18/1990 CSKA - Montreal Canadiens - 3: 2

CSKA won here!

Also, CSKA is the record holder of the European Ice Hockey Cup, which won 20 titles, and from 1978 to 1990 did it 13 times in a row. Champions of European countries participated in the draws of this tournament.

Therefore, CSKA can be called the strongest team of all time!


Meetings of the owner of the Stanley Cup with the champion of the USSR, who became in the season in which the match took place:

12/29/1979 New York Islanders - CSKA - 2: 3
12/31/1985 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 1:6
01/12/1991 Pittsburgh Penguins - Dynamo (Moscow) - 3: 4


Meetings of the owner or finalist of the Stanley Cup with the champion or silver medalist of the USSR Championship, who became in the season in which the matches between them took place:

12/31/1976 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 3: 3
01/11/1976 Philadelphia Flyers - CSKA - 4: 1
12/29/1979 New York Islanders - CSKA - 2: 3
12/29/1985 Calgary Flames - Dynamo (Moscow) - 4: 3
12/31/1985 Montreal Canadiens - CSKA - 1:6
01/09/1990 Boston Bruins - Dynamo (Moscow) - 1: 3
09/13/1990 Spartak (Moscow) - Minnesota North Stars - 8: 3
01/12/1991 Pittsburgh Penguins - Dynamo (Moscow) - 3: 4

As can be seen from the results, the USSR clubs on the field turned out to be stronger than the NHL clubs.


Also, the symbolic team of the century included 4 players who played in the USSR championships and 2 players who played in the NHL. The six members of the symbolic team were chosen by voting organized by the IIHF. The selection committee included 56 hockey experts from 16 countries in Europe and North America.

Symbolic team of the century:

Goalkeeper: Vladislav Tretiak (USSR) - 30 votes.
Defender: Vyacheslav Fetisov (USSR) - 54 votes.
Defender: Börje Salming (Sweden) - 17 votes.
Wing: Valery Kharlamov (USSR) - 21 votes.
Wing: Sergei Makarov (USSR) - 18 votes.
Center forward: Wayne Gretzky (Canada) - 38 votes

In connection with the above, the USSR championship can be considered the strongest league in the world!

[etherdetroit]

Slava Fetisov, Vladmir Konstantinov, Sergei Federov, Igor Larianov and Slava Kozlov are adored here in Michigan and by all Detroit Red Wing fans. It was beautiful. We loved them and never thought of them as Russians. We thought of them as our Red Wings and Americans who just happened to come from Russia.

[leohornsfan]

The miracle on ice doesn’t even bother him one bit because he saw it as a life changing experience for him and didn’t see it at the time. He went from being force to play hockey for nothing but a Russian officer salary year round to playing for a lot of money and for the love of the game while being free waking up later during the day for a two hour practice or a morning skate eating at his favorite restaurants afterwards and traveling in style on the road. He loved every moment in the NHL and it changed his life forever along with some of the others. Even guys like Igor Larionov are now US citizens and stayed here in the US.

[theknowitall]

One hell of a hockey player right there.

[billyrock]

Probably the best defenceman to ever play the game. Pure power, grace, determination and class.

[Millipede]

Somethings tells me this interview would have been a lot more interesting to hear unedited.

[Haq]

What a documentary... very inspirational

[luisdejesus]

I still wish that either Larionov or Fetisov would become NHL coaches.

[oOTyLeROo]

Don’t forget!... It was the Winnipeg Jets, that first starting bringing in foreign players to play in the NHL. Then Scottie Bowman saw the success they had and decided to do the same.

[morethanme]

My favourite when being a kid. Spasibo!

[TheCrazyInsomniac]

Larionov, Fedorov, Kozlov, Fetisov Konstantinov. Arguably the most prolific group of hockey players in NHL history. The"Russian 5"

[markbrandis]

great personality! I have alwys as aplayer been very impressed by him! A real leader in its best meaning!

[NYCmadeME]

MY father was friends with Slava when he played for the Diablos of NJ. He was always a nice guy and classy. His wife was a dime piece as well.

[brostoevsky]

I really like the Soviet national team, they were really good and had a cool history and it's awesome that the 1980 US Olympic hockey won gold too. These rivalries are what makes hockey so cool. What would we do without the hated Boston Bruins or the Toronto Maple Leafs? I personally think that the NHL and other hockey leagues could take some lessons from the Soviet school of hockey. The Russians are fast skaters and good shooters. The Canadians and Americans are good body checkers. The combination is beautiful.That's why nearly NHL team has a couple of Russians.

[alexanderhubner]

This video teaches us one thing. For the love of the game.