Flashback: Tretiak Wanted To Play For Montreal

From the February 14th, 1992 edition of the Vancouver Sun:

Vladislav Tretiak says he always wanted to play for the Montreal Canadiens but was forced to lie because of pressure from the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation.

Tretiak, now a hockey commentator for Russian television at the Olympics, said he was severely reprimanded after he mentioned on one Soviet tour he would like to play for Montreal one day.

The Canadiens held his draft rights.

"I told them I was misquoted by western journalists," Tretiak said. "After that I always said I belong to the Soviet people and would finish my career with the Red Army team. You understand I was not telling the truth.

"I would have loved to have played in Montreal. That is my city."

Here is my full Vladislav Tretiak profile

Vladislav Tretiak: How A Stick Of Gum Changed His Life

Genvieve Beauchemin of CTV is in Sochi and keeping a daily blog. She recently had a chance to talk with the greatest Russian hockey player of all time, Vladislav Tretiak.

What she found out is amazing. A simple gift of a stick of gum from a local hockey hero of his helped set Tretiak's hockey dreams.

Goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak told me a story today. As a child, he happened to meet a local hockey hero. The man gave him a piece of gum, just a regular stick of chewing gum. He says he was in awe. He took a tiny piece of gum everyday, making it last for over a week. He was savouring the chance encounter that he says helped shape his hockey dreams.

Furthermore, the encounter continues to shape how Tretiak handles himself with his endless legion of fans.

Tretiak says that’s why he patiently smiles, signs autographs, poses for photos as we try to take a short walk in Sochi. If anyone is inspired to pursue their own dreams, he says, then, he feels he is giving back like that hockey hero he met fifty years ago.

Here's the full story.

Tretiak, Rodnina Light Sochi Olympic Cauldron

One of the key moments in every Olympic Opening Ceremony event is the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. The honour, usually a closely guarded secret, is usually reserved for the highest honoured athletes in the host nation's history.

The honour at the  2014 Sochi Winter Olympics went to two great athletes: hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak and figure skating great Irina Rodnina.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova entered the arena carrying the torch. She handed the torch to pole vaulter Yelena Isinbaeva, who handed it to wrestler Alexander Karelin, who passed it to gymnast Alina Kabaeva (who is rumoured to be president Vladimir Putin's girlfriend). From there Rodnina and Tretiak, both three-time gold medalists, lit the cauldron together in a spectacular display.

Tretiak, of course, is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalies in hockey history. He won three gold medals as part of the Soviet Union team in 1972, 1976 and 1984. He won silver in 1980, the year of the United States’ "Miracle on Ice." He never had the chance to play in the NHL, but as a coach he taught a generation of NHL goalies including Dominik Hasek and Ed Belfour. He also has served in public office and as the head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

Tretiak joins Wayne Gretzky (Vancouver 2010) and the entire 1980 American "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team (Salt Lake City 2002) as hockey players to light the Olympic cauldron

Rodnina is one of the most decorated figure skaters in history, winning three straight gold medals, from 1972 to 1980, in pairs skating. She also won 10 world championships and 11 European championships during the 1970s.

Summit Series Heroes: Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Tretiak was never given a chance to play in the NHL, but he captured the hearts of many North American fans when he helped the Soviets push Canada to a gigantic eight game battle in the 1972 Summit Series.

Tretiak was the hero of the tournament. Not only was he a hero on the Russian front, but he became a hero on the Canadian side as well. In fact no Russian player has the respect of Canadians more so than Tretiak.

Tretiak was an unheard of 20 year old at the beginning of September 1972. He was dismissed as the weakest link of the Soviet "amateurs" due largely to a single scouting trip by Team Canada. Scouts Bob Davidson and John McLellan spent just 4 days in Russia and saw Tretiak in just one intra-squad contest. Tretiak allowed 8 goals and the Canadians chuckled at the man that was supposed to play in nets against Team Canada just a couple of weeks later.

The scouts made a huge mistake by only watching the one game. As it turned out Tretiak had spent much of the previous night partying as he was getting married soon after. As a result he played horribly before Team Canada's watchful eyes in the stands.

In the end, Tretiak chuckled the hardest. "Maybe it was a trick," hinted Tretiak years later, referring to the Russian's mysterious ways of playing possum with their sporting opponents.

Full Vladislav Tretiak biography

Vladislav Tretiak Like You've Never Seen Him Before

Check out this amazing photo of Vladislav Tretiak and his, ummm..., friends:

Forgive the crease, as I scanned it out of a pretty rare book I recently found at Vancouver Public Library.

"Vladislav Tretiak" was originally published in Russia  in 1978 and revised in 1979. It was compiled by V. Snegirev, designed by A. Litvinenko and featured the photography of M. Botashev, A. Bochinin, D. Donskoy, S. Lidov and Yu. Sokolov.

In 1979 the book was translated into English (by a fellow named Christopher English, oddly enough) and released in North America by Progress Publishers.

The photo-intense book is thin at about 50 pages or so, and features Tretiak's life story including many press-scrum-style quotes from him.

Here's a few more photos from the book:

Tretiak and another of his animal friends - Shamu!

 

Rare photo evidence of a puck that got past the great netminder:

A great shot of Tretiak's face:

And here he is with his son Dmitry: 

In the book Tretiak talks about how as a young boy he wanted to be a pilot. Well here's Vladislav with "The Golden Jet," Bobby Hull:

And lastly, we all know the Soviets were known for their innovative physical training techniques, many of which are now commonplace in the NHL nowadays. Here's one exercise drill that never really caught on over here:

Here are a few written highlights from the book:

• Q - "What did you want to be when you were a child?" A - "A fighter pilot. Perhaps because my father was a pilot."
• On deciding he was born to stop pucks - "Once, at the very dawn of his sporting career, Tretiak played forward in the TSKA youth team. Someone had fallen sick and he had to help the team out. He played forward in two matches in the Moscow championship and scored one goal in each. However, when his friend recovered and rejoined the team Vladislav took up his goalie's stick again. By then he had probably understood that this was his true sporting vocation. 
• His mother introduced him to hockey - My mother is extremely sporting. By profession she's a school P.E. teacher. Before the war she  even played bandy in the Metallurg women's team. It was thanks to her that I developed an early love for the sport. 
• On his idol - "The finest example of selfless, courageous service of ice hockey is represented for me by the career of Viktor Konovalenko, whose place I took in the USSR team."
• "Tretiak never plays a stereotyped game. He is like a living computer - first he 'inputs' into his head all the information connected with the state of play, processes it and 'outputs' the right decision, taking account of a number of factors: from which point the goalshot is most likely to be made; which part of the goal the puck will be sent towards; which of this teammates are on the ice at the moment;which of his opponents are attacking. "Aha, Henderson, he'll never try for an intricate shot." "He y, is that Bobby Hull stealing up on me? That means the puck'll be passed to  him and - slam!" "That Martinec with the puck? He'll probably try and dribble it around me." All this information is processed instantly - there is no time to waste, with the puck flying at the speed of an airplane."
• Q - "Can you tell in advance at which part of the goal a shot is going to be hit, and how hard? A - "I can, as soon as the players swings his stick. It's not often that I get it wrong. I only know two players who were able to flick the puck really hard without a swing, just with the strength of their wrists. These were Anatoli Firsov and  Bobby Hull. I know when Firsov made his famous flicks some goalkeepers simply used to close their eyes.
• "It would be a mistake to regard all these as a result of Tretiak's sporting talent alone. His interests extend far beyond the ice rink. He graduated with distinction from a P.E. institute and is doing post-graduate work. He is concerned with the psychology of top-level sport, the secrets behind the attainment of supreme skill, and is anxious to determine the limts of human potential. His diaries are full of fascinating and unexpected observations."
• "By nature sociable and lively, Tretiak avidly attends all new plays and is the possessor of an enviable library. But in general he is a domestic type at heart. He likes to spend his free time romping with his tiny daughter Irina, reading fairy stories to his six year old Dimka, helping his wife with the housework. In the summer, Vladislav and his family head south, to the warmth of the Black Sea."

Carrying On The Tretiak Name

Vladislav Tretiak's 15 year old grandson Maxim is making a name for himself. He too is a goaltender, a decision he made not because of who his legendary grandfather is but rather because he wanted to keep his teeth.

Maxim Tretiak, grandson of legendary Soviet and Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, began his own hockey career as a skater. Choosing to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and move to goalie, however, wasn’t a decision made from any family pressure. It was more about the look:

“When I was small I asked my grandfather at our country house: ‘You played hockey, how come you still have all your teeth in your mouth?’ ” said Maxim. “My grandfather replied ‘I had a mask on so I got to keep all of my teeth,’ I liked this and so I decided to switch to goaltending.”

Here's the full story.

Vladislav Tretiak: No Stretch

It is no stretch to say Vladislav Tretiak is one of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history:

Covered: Vladislav Tretiak

Gretzky and Tretiak Right Guard Commercial.

Amazing Photos From Rare Vladislav Tretiak Book

Check out this amazing photo of Vladislav Tretiak and his, ummm..., friends:

Forgive the crease, as I scanned it out of a pretty rare book I recently found at Vancouver Public Library.

"Vladislav Tretiak" was originally published in Russia  in 1978 and revised in 1979. It was compiled by V. Snegirev, designed by A. Litvinenko and featured the photography of M. Botashev, A. Bochinin, D. Donskoy, S. Lidov and Yu. Sokolov.

In 1979 the book was translated into English (by a fellow named Christopher English, oddly enough) and released in North America by Progress Publishers.

The photo-intense book is thin at about 50 pages or so, and features Tretiak's life story including many press-scrum-style quotes from him.

Here's a few more photos from the book:

Tretiak and another of his animal friends - Shamu!

 

Rare photo evidence of a puck that got past the great netminder:

A great shot of Tretiak's face:

And here he is with his son Dmitry:

In the book Tretiak talks about how as a young boy he wanted to be a pilot. Well here's Vladislav with "The Golden Jet," Bobby Hull:

And lastly, we all know the Soviets were known for their innovative physical training techniques, many of which are now commonplace in the NHL nowadays. Here's one exercise drill that never really caught on over here:

Tretiak Meets Big Bird

Vladislav Tretiak . . . look up . . . WAY up! Meet Larry Robinson

The Great Tretiak: Montreal Hero

Jim Craig and Vladislav Tretiak shake hands following the American's shocking upset at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Don't feel too bad for Tretiak though. He's got a few other gold medals to celebrate:

 

Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette has a special piece on Tretiak and his special connection with the city of Montreal. Here's a quick sample:

"A happy if flight-delayed Tretiak landed back in Montreal from Moscow via Paris on Sunday evening, 41 years after he first arrived as a 17-year-old. He is delighted to be back for the auction that will benefit his foundation and that of Kovalev, the popular former Canadien who will arrive in town Tuesday following his Ottawa Senators game Monday in Ottawa.

“The first time I came to Montreal, I remember it the same as yesterday,” he said in his hotel suite Sunday night, his body telling him it was nearing 4 a.m. after an endless travel day. “Canada, for us, was a special country. It was very close to Russia on the mental side — we both loved hockey. I remember big cars. Good cars. Oldsmobiles, Chryslers, big Fords. Russian cars were not so big, the design didn’t look so good. Here, big streets, big downtown, big buildings.

“The first time I went to the Forum — unbelievable, fantastic.”

You can read the full Montreal Gazette article here. You can also view some excellent video courtesy of Stubbs at Habs Inside Out.

Tretiak Still A Magical Name

From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"Tretiak is a legend no matter what country you come from. Everybody in the world knows how unbelievable he was for Team Russia. He was one of the best ever. When he walks the streets of Montreal, everyone recognizes him. That's how great he was." - Sergei Gonchar

Full Story

Tretiak Coming To Toronto November 26th

The Vladislav Tretiak Foundation and the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) will be holding a charity auction at the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 26th, 2009 at 6pm. The guest of honour will be Vladislav Tretiak, the Soviet goaltending legend and general manager of the 2010 Russian Olympic team.

CERBA has held charity auctions in Moscow every year since 2002, raising money to help orphans, improve schools and sporting facilities and provide equipment to hospitals in rural Russia. In February 2009 they raised $130,000 US.

This will be the first ever CERBA silent auction outside of Russia.

Event prizes and auction items will include outstanding hockey memorabilia from the 1972 Summit Series and around the NHL, fine jewelry, personal tours of the Russian State Duma, exquisite dinners and many more exciting items. Proceeds will benefit children charities in both Canada and Russia.

More information can be found at the CERBA website or by calling Natalia at (416) 360-2299.

Tretiak Named Russian Olympic GM

Earlier this year Vladimir Putin took time out from over seeing the Russian government to over see the Russian Olympic hockey team. In the photo above he is toasting the team, with Vladislav Tretiak is directly behind him.

Tretiak, the most decorated Olympic hockey player in history, has now been named the General Manager of the Russian Olympic Team. I'm sure Mr. Putin would approve.

Meet Tretiak In Toronto Next Week

Either click on the image below or this link for more information on your chance to meet Vladislav Tretiak

"My Cousin Knows Vladislav Tretiak"

Before Christmas some time I showed up at my girlfriend's house, surprised to see she was all excited because her cousin and his family had arrived into town.

The visitors had left the house by the time I got over there, but she was over-ecstatic that her cousin knew a former Russian hockey star personally.

She had never heard of him, and could not pronounce a name resembling any Russian hockey star I had ever heard of. Eventually we figured out that the hockey player he knew was none other than Vladislav Tretiak.

"Yeah, right" was my obvious reaction. I did not believe it. All of her family that I had known to that point had all lived in small town northwestern BC. How does this cousin I had never heard of before know Vladislav Tretiak?

Well it turns out he's a big wig with Cisco, based in Moscow and doubling with organizations like CERBA, the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association. He gets to meet a lot of famous people like Prime Ministers and hockey players.

I eventually did meet him and his family. He's a real interesting guy with some impressive stories to share, yet very much at ease in the local, small town watering hole.

He even promised me he would get me a signed Tretiak jersey when he met up with the goaltending great for the 8th annual CERBA Silent Auction in February.

I never doubted he would be a man of his word. I never would ask for such a favor myself, although it seems my girlfriend sent out a few reminders.

Well guess what I got this past week!


There is only one way I can repay him. And that is to tell you guys about the CERBA charitable pursuits.

CERBA teams up with the Vladislav Tretiak Foundation annually for a silent auction and cocktail. This year they raised over $127,000 US, with the money goes to children's, social and family institutions in Saratov and the Russian regions.

The CERBA website does offer online sales of items for charity fund raising, although I am not completely positive the sale is still active.

Thanks again Sheldon.

Gretzky Visits Tretiak In Moscow

Here's an amazing find on YouTube.

A young Wayne Gretzky, along with father Walter, mother Phyllis, brothers Keith, Brent and Glen, not to mention then-girlfriend and caviar-shy Vicky Moss, visit Vladislav Tretiak and wife Tatiana and children Dmitri and Irina.

The Tretiaks show their Canadian guests Moscow and treat them to a traditional Russian meal.

Tretiak pitches Summit Series II

It was nice to see Vladislav Tretiak at Ken Dryden's jersey retirement ceremony on Monday night.

The book on Tretiak is mixed. Some say he is among the greatest goalies of all time, while some insist he is highly overrated given the powerhouse team he played behind and general lack of competition he usually faced. Regardless, he is undeniable legend in both Russia and Canada largely for his role in the 1972 Summit Series.

Speaking of the Summit Series, Tretiak openly spoke about creating a Summit Series II, perhaps even later this year in time for the 35th anniversary.

Now president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, Tretiak said he wished to speak to Gary Bettman about the possibility of such a series. However given the rocky relations between the NHL and Russians, it is highly unlikely it will happen this year.