Vladislav Tretiak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vladislav Tretiak MSM
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1989
Tretiak in 2008
Born	(1952-04-25) 25 April 1952 (age 73) Orudyevo, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	CSKA Moscow
National team	Soviet Union
NHL Draft	138th overall, 1983 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1968–1984
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1972 Sapporo Gold 1976 Innsbruck Silver 1980 Lake Placid Gold 1984 Sarajevo World Championships Gold 1970 Sweden Gold 1971 Switzerland Silver 1972 Czechoslovakia Gold 1973 Soviet Union Gold 1974 Finland Gold 1975 West Germany Silver 1976 Poland Bronze 1977 Austria Gold 1978 Czechoslovakia Gold 1979 Soviet Union Gold 1981 Sweden Gold 1982 Finland Gold 1983 West Germany Canada Cup Gold 1981 Canada NHL Challenge Cup Gold 1979 New York City European Junior Championships Silver 1968 Finland Gold 1969 West Germany Gold 1970 Switzerland Gold 1971 Czechoslovakia

Vladislav Tretiak (born 25 April 1952) is a famous Russian former goaltender in ice hockey. He played for the Soviet Union national ice hockey team. Many people think he is one of the best goalies ever.

In 1997, he was one of the first players to join the IIHF Hall of Fame. Experts from 16 countries voted him one of the top six players of all time. Today, Tretiak is the president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. He was also the general manager for the Russian 2010 Winter Olympic team.

Early Life and Hockey Start

Vladislav Tretiak grew up in the Soviet Union. His parents were from the Dmitrovsky District. His father was a military pilot for 37 years. His mother was a physical education teacher.

As a child, Tretiak was good at many sports. He first tried swimming, like his brother. But he loved hockey the most. When he was 11, he joined a special sports school. It was for the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA).

His first coach was Mike Jaure. Tretiak decided to become a goalie because no one else wanted to play that position. He was brave enough to take on the challenge.

Amazing Hockey Career

Tretiak on a 1979 card

Tretiak started playing hockey at age 11 in 1963. By 1971, when he was only 19, he was already famous in the Soviet Union. He was named to the Soviet Ice Hockey League's First All-Star Team. He played for the strong Red Army team, CSKA Moscow.

He also played very well in the 1972 Winter Olympics. The Soviet team won the gold medal there.

The Famous Summit Series

Tretiak became known around the world in 1972. This was after his amazing performance in the Summit Series. In this series, the Soviet team played against the Canadian team. Many people were surprised by how well the Soviets played.

Canadian scouts had not expected Tretiak to be so good. A funny story is that they saw him let in eight goals one night. They did not know he had just gotten married the night before! Most of his team was at the wedding too.

Canadian players and fans respected Tretiak a lot. He was one of the most famous players in the series. Other famous players included Phil Esposito and Paul Henderson.

Many NHL teams wanted to draft him. The Montreal Canadiens even drafted him in 1983. Tretiak wanted to play in the NHL. However, the Soviet government did not allow him to leave the country.

More International Success

In 1976, Tretiak played great against the Montreal Canadiens. His team tied them 3–3, even though the Canadiens took many more shots.

Tretiak continued to be a star for the Soviet Union. He helped them win gold medals in the 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1984 Winter Olympics. He also won the 1981 Canada Cup.

Tretiak helped the Soviet team win ten IIHF World Championships. They also won nine IIHF European Championships.

The 1980 Olympics

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviet team lost to the USA team. This game is often called the "Miracle on Ice." This loss meant Tretiak did not get another gold medal. The Soviet team still won a silver medal in the tournament.

Retirement from Playing

Tretiak retired from playing hockey in 1984. He was only 32 years old. He was still a top player. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

He asked his coach, Viktor Tikhonov, for a different training plan. He wanted to live at home and come to training before games. But the coach refused. Most of the team lived away from home in training camp. This led to Tretiak's decision to retire.

Life After Hockey

After retiring, Tretiak remained involved in hockey. He also became a politician.

In 1987, Tretiak wrote a book about his life called Tretiak, The Legend. In 1989, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the first Soviet player to receive this honor.

Coaching and Mentoring

In 1990, Mike Keenan hired Tretiak to be a goalie coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. This allowed him to coach famous goalies like Ed Belfour and Dominik Hašek. Keenan was so impressed that he thought Tretiak, at 38, could still play in the NHL!

Tretiak said coaching was the next best thing to playing. After he left the Blackhawks, Ed Belfour wore jersey number 20 to honor Tretiak. Many other goalies, like Evgeni Nabokov, also wore number 20 as a tribute.

Tretiak also ran goalie schools in Toronto and Montreal. He trained many NHL goalies, including Jose Theodore and Martin Brodeur.

Awards and Recognition

In 2000, he was voted the 'Best Russian Hockey Player' of the 20th century. He is seen as one of hockey's greatest ambassadors.

On his 54th birthday in 2006, Tretiak was elected head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. He received almost all the votes. A few days later, Canada gave him the Meritorious Service Medal. He received it for helping build good relationships between Canada and Russia. He was the first Russian to get this award.

Political Career

In December 2003, Tretiak was elected to the State Duma. This is like being a member of parliament in Russia. He is part of the United Russia party. He leads the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sport, and Youth.

In 2014, Tretiak had a special honor. He was the final torchbearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He lit the Olympic Flame during the opening ceremony with Irina Rodnina.

Personal Life

Vladislav Tretiak married Tatiana on 23 August 1972. They had met just six weeks before. Their son, Dmitri, was born the next year. Their daughter, Irina, was born three years later. Tatiana used to be a Russian literature teacher. Tretiak is a devoted Russian Orthodox Christian.

Career Statistics

Soviet League

International Statistics

Olympic stats from Olympedia

Super Series Statistics

The Super Series were special exhibition games. They were played between an NHL team and Soviet teams. Tretiak played in three of these series.

Records and Awards

• He was named a First All-Star in the Soviet League every year from 1971 to 1984.
• During those 14 years, Tretiak won 13 league titles with CSKA Moscow.
• He was named the MVP of the league five times.
• In 1978, Tretiak received the Order of Lenin.
• He was the first player born and trained outside North America to join the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted into the first group of the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.
• He has received several honors from Russia and the Soviet Union:
  • Order For Merit to the Fatherland 3rd (2012) and 4th (2002) class
  • Order of Honour
  • Order of the Red Banner of Labour
  • Order of Friendship of Peoples
  • Order of the Badge of Honour
  • Medal "For Labour Valour"
  • Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, he had the honor of lighting the Olympic Flame. He did this with Irina Rodnina.
• He received the Meritorious Service Medal from Canada.

Supporting Other Sports

Tretiak has also supported bandy. This is a sport similar to ice hockey. He wants it to be recognized as an Olympic sport.

See Also

In Spanish: Vladislav Tretiak para niños