The idol of millions: the legendary hockey player Fetisov turned 65

The whole of Russia congratulates the real “Red Machine” on April 20. The legendary hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov turns 65 years old. He spent most of his life on the ice. Despite severe injuries and falls, Fetisov got up and walked towards the goal.

About the path to sports heights – in the plot .

Idol of millions

The game of Vyacheslav Fetisov was watched by the whole planet – a legend of world hockey, an idol for thousands of athletes and millions of fans.

Every day at Fetisov is scheduled, there are a lot of things to do. Film crew I was able to snatch literally an hour from the champion’s schedule. The meeting took place in the office, they talked about everything. For Fetisov, hockey is a philosophy, and in conversation he now and then shares wisdom.

“Success is very difficult. I was born in the Soviet Union in the barracks, but nowhere did I see an elevator to success in the form of a button. There are steps, there is a ladder, there is struggle, there is competition”– says the legendary hockey player.

Father’s support

He went from yard hockey box to the “Fab Five”, Olympic gold and the NHL Hall of Fame. He is worried that the system for searching for talented children has collapsed, so he opened his own hockey academy, where every child has a chance to express himself.

“Hockey has become inaccessible to families where there is no extra money. This is discrimination. Today, the state is obliged to identify these children in time (it doesn’t matter if their parents have money) so that they can play. Talented children cannot protect themselves”– says the two-time Olympic champion.

Fetisov himself had a support and support from his father – the main critic and motivator.

– What do you remember the most? Maybe some phrase?

– “Son, in order to get out of the barracks from here, you must study well. Try, try, and you will succeed”.

He tried very hard, but the fate of Fetisov gave not only victories. Serious injuries, terrible accident. He was told that he could not walk, let alone play. But he came back every time.

“There is no one who does not fall. In general, a man is designed to win every day in big and small”– said the athlete.

Friendship for over half a century

He rose to the pedestal again and again. His team won the Union Championship 14 times, the Olympics twice, and the World Championship seven times. And he himself was recognized as the most outstanding player of our time. Perseverance and teamwork is the secret to success. He is still a team player.

“We constantly feel the shoulder, the elbow of a comrade – what we grew up on. It seems to me that this is something that cannot be replaced by anything”Fetisov said.

They still meet now, play hockey together. Friendship for more than half a century.

“He makes people go forward, move and live interesting lives”– says the Soviet hockey player, defender, two-time Olympic champion Alexei Kasatonov.

The ice squad crushed rivals on all fronts, rolled the best players in the world on the ice. They sang songs to the captain of the Reds. He was also the first to sign with an NHL club. And then he brought the Stanley Cup to Russia.

He returned to his homeland to lead the domestic sport. First he becomes a minister, then a senator. Now he is working on the environmental agenda. And no matter what he undertakes, he does everything with full dedication.

“The most unexpected thing you can give him is a saxophone. But if I give it to him, he will play better than me, and my career will end”– stressed the musician, director of the Academy of Jazz Igor Butman.

Hockey diplomacy

What is happening now in international sports, Fetisov calls lawlessness. Says politicians have a lot to learn from hockey.

“Hockey served as such hockey diplomacy: how can you, united around a goal, play on the same team and achieve specific goals”– says the Olympic champion.

Sport is still in Fetisov’s life, he goes on the ice three times a week. And on his anniversary, he sets important tasks for himself.

“Aiming for the next 10 years. Short-term plans are already pointless to build at my age”– says the legendary hockey player.