Viacheslav Fetisov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Viacheslav Fetisov
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2001
Fetisov in February 2015
Born	(1958-04-20) 20 April 1958 (age 67) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	CSKA Moscow New Jersey Devils Spartak Moscow Detroit Red Wings
National team	Soviet Union and  Russia
NHL Draft	201st overall, 1978 Montreal Canadiens 145th overall, 1983 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	1974–1998, 2009
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing Soviet Union Winter Olympics Gold 1984 Sarajevo Gold 1988 Calgary Silver 1980 Lake Placid World Championships Gold 1978 Czechoslovakia Gold 1981 Sweden Gold 1982 Finland Gold 1983 West Germany Gold 1986 Soviet Union Gold 1989 Sweden Gold 1990 Switzerland Silver 1987 Austria Bronze 1977 Austria Bronze 1985 Czechoslovakia Bronze 1991 Finland Canada Cup Gold 1981 Canada World Junior Championships Gold 1976 Finland Gold 1977 Czechoslovakia Gold 1978 Canada

Viacheslav Alexandrovich "Slava" Fetisov (born April 20, 1958) is a famous Russian ice hockey player. He was a great defenceman (a player who defends their team's goal). He also became a coach, a politician, and a sports official.

Fetisov played for HC CSKA Moscow for 13 seasons. Then he joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America. He played for the New Jersey Devils and the Detroit Red Wings. With the Red Wings, he won two Stanley Cups in a row. He was part of a special group called the "Russian Five". After playing, he became an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. He helped them reach two Stanley Cup finals and win one.

Fetisov also won two Olympic gold medals. He won seven World Championships. Because he won the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championships, he is a member of the special Triple Gold Club.

Fetisov helped Soviet players join the NHL. Before him, it was very hard for them to leave the Soviet Union. His actions opened the door for many top European players to play in North America. He was also a long-time captain for the Soviet national ice hockey team. In 2002, he led the Russian Olympic team as their manager and coach. They won a bronze medal. Many people think he is one of the best defencemen ever. He was chosen for the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) IIHF Centennial All-Star Team. He was added to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005.

After coaching, Fetisov started a career in politics and sports leadership. After the 2002 Winter Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked him to be the Minister of Sport. He held this job until 2008. He is a member of the upper house of the Russian parliament. He also helped the city of Sochi win its bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Playing Ice Hockey

Playing for CSKA Moscow (1976–1989)

Fetisov started playing for CSKA Moscow's junior team when he was 16. He joined the main team in the Soviet Championship League in 1978–79. In his first year, he scored 29 points in 29 games. In his fourth season, he scored 41 points in 46 games. He was named the 1982 USSR Player of the Year. He won this award again in 1985–86.

Playing in the NHL (1989–1998)

Fetisov wanted to play in the NHL in North America. But at that time, Soviet players were not allowed to leave. Fetisov faced a lot of challenges. He was 31 years old when he finally got permission. He led a group of eight Soviet players to the NHL. This was possible because of a new Soviet policy called glasnost. Soviet hockey officials agreed to let players go. But they had to keep playing for the Soviet Union in international games.

The Montreal Canadiens first picked Fetisov in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. But he couldn't play in North America then. So, he was picked again in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. Fetisov started with the Devils in the 1989–90 season. He scored 8 goals and 42 points, which were his best in the NHL.

He played for the New Jersey Devils until 1994–95. Then he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He quickly made an impact with the Red Wings. He scored 14 points in 14 games after the trade. He helped the Red Wings reach the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. But they lost to his old team, the Devils. The next season, he scored 42 points again. He was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game in 1997.

Fetisov then won two Stanley Cups with Detroit. They won in 1997 and 1998. After that, he decided to retire. He took the Stanley Cup to Moscow after the 1997 win. It was the first time the trophy had been in Russia.

One-Game Return (2009)

Almost 11 years after retiring, Fetisov played one more game. He was 51 years old. He played for CSKA Moscow on December 11, 2009. The team's coach needed a player because of an injury. So, he asked Fetisov, who was the club's president at the time. CSKA Moscow lost the game 3-2.

Playing for His Country

Fetisov on a 1979 card

Fetisov has won many awards playing for his country. As a young player, he played for the Soviet Union national under-18 ice hockey team. He won "Top Defenceman" at the European Junior Championships in 1975–76. He also won two gold medals there. Then he helped the Soviets win three gold medals in a row at the World Junior Championships. This was from 1976 to 1978. He was "Top Defenceman" again in 1977 and 1978.

With the Soviet national team, Fetisov won two gold medals at the Olympics. These were in 1984 and 1988. He also won a silver medal in 1980. At the World Championships, Fetisov won seven gold medals. He also won one silver and three bronze medals. Fetisov won the Canada Cup in 1981.

At the 2002 Olympics, he coached the Russian national team. They won the bronze medal. Fetisov is one of only a few players to win the "Grand Slam of Ice Hockey". This means winning the Stanley Cup, World Ice Hockey Championships, Olympic Gold, World Junior Championship, and Canada/World Cup Championship.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Fetisov became an assistant coach. He joined the New Jersey Devils. He won the Stanley Cup with them in 2000. He coached for three years, from 1998 to 2001.

Executive Career

After coaching, Fetisov became the general manager for the Russian national team. This was for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Russia won a bronze medal there.

In 2005, Fetisov became the first chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Athlete Committee. WADA works to keep sports fair by preventing athletes from using banned substances.

In 2009, he became president of HC CSKA Moscow. When some of CSKA's players were injured, Fetisov, at 51, played one game to help his team.

Awards and Honors

Fetisov's red uniform (#2) from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1999

Fetisov and John Kerry on 14 July 2021

In Russia, Fetisov has received many important awards. These include the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1984) and the Order of Lenin (1988). He also received the Order Of Service To The Fatherland (2000, 2005) and the Order Of Honour (1998). An asteroid was even named after him in 1981. It is called 8806 Fetisov.

In North America, Fetisov was chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He was honored along with other great players like Mike Gartner. The IIHF also recognized him as one of the best players ever. He was part of the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team. He received the most votes from experts around the world.

Personal Life

Fetisov has a daughter named Anastasia. She appeared with him in a movie called "Of Miracles and Men."

In 1985, Fetisov was in a car accident. His younger brother, Anatoly, who was 18, sadly passed away. Anatoly was also a promising hockey player.

In 1997, after winning the Stanley Cup, Fetisov and two teammates were in another car accident. Fetisov had minor injuries. His teammate, Vladimir Konstantinov, and the team masseur, Sergei Mnatsakanov, had serious injuries.

Political Career

Fetisov during the second stage of the congress of the United Russia party, 2021

From 2002 to 2004, Fetisov was the Chairman of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports in Russia.

In 2003, Fetisov joined the Supreme Council of the United Russia party. This is a major political party in Russia. He has been an active member since then.

From 2004 to 2008, he led the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. In 2008, he became a member of the Federation Council. This is part of the Russian parliament. He represented the Primorsky Krai region. He also chaired the Federation Council Commission on Physical Culture, Sports, and the Olympic Movement.

Since 2016, Fetisov has been a Deputy in the State Duma. This is another part of the Russian parliament. He is the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Affairs. In 2021, he was elected Chairman of the Central Council of the All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Movies

Fetisov was the main person in a 2014 documentary movie. It was called Red Army. The movie was about influential Soviet players.