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 April 25, 1952) is a famous Russian former ice hockey goalie. He played for the Soviet Union's national team. He was one of the first players to join the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 1997. Many people think he is one of the best goalies ever. Experts from around the world even voted him onto the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team. Today, Tretiak is the president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. He also managed the Russian ice hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Early Life and Hockey Start

Vladislav Tretiak grew up in the Soviet Union. His father was a military pilot for 37 years. His mother was a physical education teacher. Vladislav was good at many sports as a child. He always wanted to be the best at everything he tried.

Like many kids, he loved hockey. At age 11, he joined the sports school of the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA). His first coach was Mike Jaure. He decided to become a goalie because no one else wanted to play that position.

Amazing International Career

Tretiak on a 1979 hockey card

Tretiak started playing hockey at age eleven in 1963. By 1971, when he was 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, where the Soviet team won the gold medal.

Tretiak became known worldwide after his great performance in the Summit Series in 1972. He helped surprise the world, including the Canadian team. The Soviet team narrowly lost to Canada in that series. A famous story says Canadian scouts didn't think he was a good goalie at first. They saw him let in eight goals one night. But they didn't know he had just gotten married the night before!

Canadian players and fans respected Tretiak a lot. He was one of the most famous players in the series. Because of his amazing play, many NHL teams wanted to draft him. The Montreal Canadiens drafted him in 1983. Tretiak wanted to play in the NHL, but the Soviet government did not let him leave.

During the 1976 Super Series, Tretiak played incredibly well 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 again in the 1984 Winter Olympics. He also led them to victory in the 1981 Canada Cup. Tretiak also helped the Soviets win ten IIHF World Championships. They also won nine IIHF European Championships.

In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviet team lost to the USA team. This meant Tretiak did not get another gold medal. The Soviet team won silver in that tournament.

Tretiak retired in 1984, even though he was only 32. He was still a top player. It is 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 only come to training camp before games. But the coach refused, as the rest of the team lived at the camp. This led to Tretiak's decision to retire.

Life After Playing Hockey

After retiring in 1984, Tretiak was given the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. In 1987, he wrote his life story called Tretiak, The Legend. He was the first Soviet player to be added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.

In 1990, Mike Keenan hired Tretiak to be a goalie coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. He coached 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 Tretiak left, Ed Belfour wore number 20 as a tribute to him. Many other goalies, like Evgeni Nabokov, also wore number 20 because of Tretiak.

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

Tretiak was elected to the State Duma (a part of the Russian government) in December 2003. He is a member of the United Russia party. He leads the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sport, and Youth.

He continued to work for the Chicago Blackhawks until 2006. On April 25, 2006, his 54th birthday, Tretiak was chosen to lead the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. He received almost all the votes. A few days later, Canada gave Tretiak the Meritorious Service Medal. He received this award for starting the "Friends of Canada" group. This group helps build good relationships between Canada and Russia. He was the first Russian to get this honor.

He also ran a goalie school in Toronto, Canada. It was known as the Vladislav Tretiak Elite School of Goaltending. It was a very tough school, and students had to be in top shape to join. He also ran a goalie school in Montreal in the 1990s. There, he trained NHL goalies like Jose Theodore and Martin Brodeur.

On March 28, 2007, Tretiak talked with Canadian officials about having another Summit Series. This would have been 35 years after the first one. In the end, a series was held in September 2007 between the junior teams of Canada and Russia.

In December 2012, he voted for a law that stopped U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children. This law was a response to other political actions.

Tretiak had the honor of being 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

Tretiak married Tatiana in 1972, just six weeks after they met. 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.

In 2022, the United Kingdom government placed financial restrictions on Tretiak. Canada also put similar restrictions on him in 2024.

Records and Awards

• First All-Star in the Soviet League every year from 1971 to 1984.
• Won thirteen league titles with CSKA Moscow.
• Named MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the league five times.
• Awarded the Order of Lenin in 1978.
• First player born and trained outside North America to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Inducted into the first group of the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.
• Received the Order For Merit to the Fatherland (3rd and 4th class).
• Received the Order of Honour.
• Received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.
• Received the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
• Received the Order of the Badge of Honour.
• Received the Medal "For Labour Valour".
• Received the Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR".
• Lit the Olympic Cauldron at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
• Received the Meritorious Service Medal from Canada.

Images for kids

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  Tretiak on a 1979 card

See also

In Spanish: Vladislav Tretiak para niños