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Fetisov Vyacheslav biography family brothers. Legends of our hockey

Vyacheslav Fetisov is an outstanding hockey player who needs no introduction. His name has long become synonymous with Soviet and Russian hockey, and his successes on the hockey field are surrounded by a huge number of legends.

But what do we really know about this outstanding player? We decided to collect all the most reliable information about Vyacheslav Fetisov in this article.

Early years, childhood and family of Vyacheslav Fetisov

Vyacheslav Fetisov was born in Moscow. He first started playing hockey on an amateur rink, which was located in one of the courtyards next to Korovinskoye Highway. Speaking in games for his team, Vyacheslav almost immediately became the leader of the team. In the city tournament "Golden Puck", our today's hero, together with his team, took second place.

However, despite the defeat in the final, he managed to attract the attention of the coaching staff of the Dynamo hockey team. He was invited to play for this club, but it later turned out that the aspiring hockey player was still too small for their training group. Thus, Fetisov found himself left behind Dynamo, and later began playing for another Moscow club - CSKA.

Career of hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov

Our today's hero managed to appear for the first time in the main lineup of the army team in 1975. At first his position in the team was unstable. The defender spent the 1976 season in the youth team. However, subsequently Fetisov still managed to gain a foothold in the main team and even advance to a leading position in his native team. In 1977, Vyacheslav became the champion of the Soviet Union for the first time. Subsequently, the talented Moscow hockey player achieved such a high result twelve more times.

For most of his career, our today's hero played for CSKA Moscow, but later in his career there were also Moscow Spartak, the American New Jersey Devils and the Detroit Red Wings. In total, Vyacheslav Fetisov spent ten full seasons in the NHL, during which he managed to win many team and personal awards.

The legendary Fetisov returns to the ice at 51

Twice in his career, Vyacheslav Fetisov raised the Stanley Cup over his head. In addition, the player’s overseas career also included a brilliant victory in the Canada Cup and some other prestigious trophies.

As for the statistics of performances in the USSR national team, in this regard it is worth noting the fact that the talented defender began to constantly perform in its composition very early. In 1977, he made his debut in the national team and the same year was recognized as its best defender. In every match and in every shift, Vyacheslav Fetisov played brightly and confidently.

That is why, already in the early eighties, many famous commentators and sports functionaries openly called him the best hockey player in the Soviet national team. His popularity among fans grew with every match and with every cup won.

And in this regard, it is quite easy to understand Soviet hockey connoisseurs.

Over the years, Vyacheslav Fetisov managed to win two Olympic gold medals, six world championships, eight European championships, and some other less prestigious tournaments with the USSR national team. Several times, as captain of the Soviet Union national team, our today's hero won prestigious individual prizes. Fetisov was recognized as the best hockey player in Europe and was included in various symbolic teams based on the results of prestigious tournaments.

Vyacheslav Fetisov: about Putin’s love for hockey, patriotism and his shortcomings

After the end of his sports career in 1998, the Russian hockey player was also included in the NHL and IIHF (International Hockey Federation) Hall of Fame. Subsequently, Vyacheslav Fetisov was also awarded a place in the symbolic team of the twentieth century.

The hockey player also received many prestigious awards in his native country. He became an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1978), laureate of the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner of Labor, two Orders of the Badge of Honor, as well as many other awards. In 2008, the hockey player even had a lifetime monument erected on the CSKA Walk of Fame.

Career as a coach and hockey functionary

After that, our today's hero left professional sports and began to engage in sports management. From 2008 to 2012, Fetisov was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kontinental Hockey League. From 2009 to 2012, he also served as president of the CSKA hockey club (Moscow). It is very interesting that in December 2009, the formerly famous player briefly resumed his career, taking part in one official match for the “army” club. This step was made in order to draw attention to sports and hockey in Russia and other CIS countries.

Currently, Vyacheslav Fetisov holds the post of head of the department of management and sports industry at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. Since 2012, he has also led the Russian Amateur Hockey League and is active as a member of the United Russia party and a government official.

Personal life of Vyacheslav Fetisov

The famous hockey player lived his entire life with one woman - his wife Ladlena Yuryevna (aka Lada Sergievskaya). Currently, Fetisov’s wife holds the post of president of the “Republic of Sports” charitable foundation and, like her husband, works to popularize sports in Russia.

The couple have a daughter, Anastasia, who was born in 1990.

During his career, Vyacheslav Fetisov won all more or less significant trophies and for many years was considered the best defender in the world. However, all his life the hockey player had to fight: against circumstances, the system, but more often - against death.

Vasily Oskolkov

Childhood in barracks
Vyacheslav Fetisov was born on April 20, 1958 on the street of the 800th anniversary of Moscow. The future hockey player spent his childhood in extreme conditions. The Fetisov family lived in a barracks for 20 people in a room that was divided into several cells by a curtain.

Heating was provided by a potbelly stove, which did not provide much heat. Because of this, the child was often sick. In winter, the future hockey player slept in a hat, felt boots and a fur coat, which did not save him from frequent illnesses. Fetisov recalled how one night he wanted to drink, leaned over to a bucket of water, and there was a solid piece of ice. I had to chew on it.

Only when Vyacheslav was six years old did the family move to an apartment on Korovinskoye Highway.

USSR national team and CSKA
One of the best defensemen in hockey history may not have existed. Although young Fetisov attracted attention from an early age and, as part of the amateur team of Housing Office No. 19, reached the final of the city tournament “Golden Puck,” they did not want to take him into the sports section for a very long time. First, the child was taken to the Dynamo school, where he did not fit in age - he was too young. Then to the CSKA school, where he again did not fit in age - he was too big.

Fortunately for Fetisov, the army soon announced a new recruitment. Anatoly Tarasov himself looked through the boys. The line stretched for a couple of kilometers, and Vyacheslav had to stand for four hours waiting for his chance. Standing on the street was not conducive to a good game. Fetisov was not accepted into hockey again. It was possible to get into the sports school only on the third attempt in 1970.

Tarasov is greeted by "Yaroslav the Wise". Photo by ITAR-TASS

The player’s first coach was Yuri Chabarin, under whose leadership five years later he reached the main team of CSKA, and two years later he joined the USSR national team. Both in the club and in the national team, Fetisov quickly became one of the main characters. For the army team, the defender sometimes followed the “points per game” schedule, which is simply an incredible result for a defensive player. And the five Fetisov - Kasatonov - Makarov - Larionov - Krutov was the best not only in the 80s, but is still considered one of the strongest in the history of hockey.

The young man’s career developed rapidly. Already at the age of 17, he earned more than his father, got an apartment, and bought a car. Over 15 years in red-white and red-blue uniforms, Fetisov became a six-time world champion, eight-time winner of the European Championship, Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988, winner of the 1981 Canada Cup, and the hockey player did not win the USSR championship only in 1976, when CSKA sensationally lost the title to Spartak.

Kasatonov and Fetisov. Photo by ITAR-TASS

Now the list of all Fetisov’s awards takes several lines, but it is difficult to describe how much effort was spent on the path from the barracks to the Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup. Moreover, we are talking not only about training and Tikhonov training camps. At least four times during his career, the defender could have retired from hockey. At least three times - die.

On the edge
For the first time, Fetisov’s career was called into question in 1978. Arriving with the USSR national team in Holland, the 20-year-old hockey player stepped off the plane and fell. The defender's legs gave out. While the national team was playing, Fetisov was staying at the hotel. The defender was carried out of the plane in Moscow on a stretcher. Doctors diagnosed “pinched nerve endings” and decided to perform surgery. Fetisov refused.

The team doctor, Yakov Mikhailovich Kots, put the hockey player on his feet, and treated the player with the help of his invention - an electrical stimulator. Six months later, Fetisov returned to the ice.

Life prepared the most serious test for the defender in June 1985. Fetisov, together with his brother Anatoly, had a car accident. A car going to overtake hit the curb and, crashing into the hockey players' Zhiguli, knocked them off the road into a pole.

Anatoly died in the hospital. Vyacheslav learned to walk again. Fetisov would later say that after his brother’s death he went out onto the balcony of the 17th floor and thought for a long time whether to jump or not. I was dissuaded from suicide by my mother, who said: “Slava, from now on you must live and play for two.”

12 years later, Fetisov was again in a car accident. In 1997, after Detroit’s victory in the Stanley Cup, the hockey player, along with his defensive partner Vladimir Konstantinov and club massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov, were returning in a limousine from a team party. The driver of the car was a certain Richard named Gnida, who smoked herbs before the trip.

The limousine flew into a tree at high speed. Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov received serious injuries and became disabled. Fetisov injured his hip and chest, but was discharged from the hospital a couple of days later. However, he could no longer perform power moves and turns to the right, which did not prevent him from winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup with Detroit.

But all this was already in the late 90s. To leave for the NHL in the late 80s, Fetisov also had to go through a lot.

Against the system
The first attempt to get Fetisov into the NHL was made by Montreal. The effort came in the form of draft picks. In 1978, the Canadians spent a 12th round draft pick, No. 201 overall, on one of the world's best defensemen. However, there was no talk of the Soviet hockey player moving overseas at that time. Five years later, Montreal’s rights to Fetisov expired, and New Jersey decided to try their luck, choosing the player with the 145th pick in the eighth round.

Fetisov with his wife Lada. Photo by ITAR-TASS

In 1988, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello came to Moscow. The Americans wanted to see Fetisov in the NHL, Fetisov wanted to see himself in the NHL, the State Sports Committee saw a million dollars in front of him, but Viktor Tikhonov did not allow him to leave. Fetisov did not want to flee to the west, as Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov would soon do. A protracted conflict began with Tikhonov.

“For Tikhonov, we are ice robots, but we are people with our own joys, sorrows, experiences, concerns. I’m tired of Tikhonov’s dictatorship, because of which there is a constantly unhealthy situation in the team. And I don’t want to play anymore for a coach I don’t trust !" - these words in January 1989 cost the hockey player his place in CSKA.

Fetisov was forbidden to play and train with the team, they promised to send him to Siberia, and they threatened his wife. But he stuck to his guns and maintained his form by playing for the amateur team of the Sacco and Vanzetti pencil factory.

However, the defender was not left without great hockey. The top five of CSKA put forward an ultimatum demanding that they take the player to the World Cup in Sweden. Fetisov became the best defencist of the tournament, and the USSR won gold medals.

The 31-year-old defender started the next season with New Jersey.

With the enemy at the gate
Fetisov went to New Jersey with Sergei Starikov, but they didn’t really manage to play together. Starikov's affairs overseas were going from bad to worse. The hockey player had a hard time getting used to the American way of life and hockey. The defenseman's NHL career lasted only 16 games. Two years later, he left the sport and tried a bunch of professions, from loader to builder.

“New Jersey” signed Alexei Kasatonov, with whom Fetisov won everything and whom he did not want to see on his team at all. In the conflict between Soviet hockey players and Tikhonov, Kasatonov took the position of coach and, according to rumors, followed Fetisov’s every move. In the Devils, the defenders played in the same pair, but did not talk and did not trust each other.

In 1993, Kasatonov went to Anaheim, and two years later Fetisov moved to Detroit, with whom he won two Stanley Cups.

At the peak
In Detroit, the defenseman reached the peak of his NHL career. Krylia head coach Scotty Bowman created the Russian five - the best example of Soviet hockey in the 90s. Playing alongside the tough and reliable Konstantinov, Fetisov could join the attack without damaging his own goal.

The best season in the hockey player's overseas career was the 95/96 season. Fetisov scored 42 points in 69 matches with a performance indicator of “plus 37”, but the team won the Stanley Cup a year later, when his indicators were already more modest - 64 matches, 28 points. The defender won the second Cup in 1998 at the age of 40.

Russian Five. Photo s19.photobucket

Third Cup and Olympics
After finishing his career, Fetisov was invited to coach New Jersey. The Russian helped first Robbie Ftorek, and then Larry Robinson, with whom he won his third Cup. After that, Fetisov quit the NHL. However, he was not left without work.

Before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich was offered to become the general manager and coach of the Russian national team. Fetisov, who was an indisputable authority for Russian NHL players, managed to gather almost all the stars on the team, with the exception of the usual refuseniks Sergei Zubov and Alexander Mogilny.

That team took bronze medals, but won, in fact, one serious match at the tournament - against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. The Russians defeated Belarus in the group and playoffs, which took fourth place but conceded 39 goals in six matches, and also drew the match with the Americans.

Return
Fetisov played his last match in his career 11 years after its completion. In December 2009, almost all of CSKA’s defenders broke down, and in one of the interviews, the club’s general manager Sergei Nemchinov seemed to jokingly say that the “red-blues” would include Fetisov for the match with SKA. There was a very high degree of truth in the joke. The 51-year-old defender played eight minutes, earned a minus for usefulness, and CSKA lost 2:3. But the PR move turned out to be just great. Fetisov's return became an event that was discussed throughout the hockey world.

Fetisov played for CSKA in the KHL match. Photo by ITAR-TASS

Achievements of Vyacheslav Fetisov

Olympic champion 1984, 1988
Olympic silver medalist 1980
2002 Olympic bronze medalist as coach
World champion 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990
Silver medalist at the 1987 World Championships
Bronze medalist at the World Championships 1977, 1985, 1991
Multiple European champion
USSR Champion 1975, 1977-1989
Winner of the USSR Cup 1977, 1979, 1988
Multiple European Cup winner
Stanley Cup Winner 1997, 1998
Stanley Cup winner as coach 2000
Winner of the Canada Cup 1981
IIHF Hall of Fame Member
Member of the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame
Member of the Triple Gold Club
Entered the symbolic team of the century "Centennial All-Star Team" of the International Ice Hockey Federation

Statistics in foreign clubs

1989 – 1995 New Jersey 138 (20+118) points
1995 – 1998 Detroit 118 (18+100)

The famous Russian hockey player, who will turn 44 years old tomorrow, is offered to head the Ministry of Sports in Russia, and in America to become the head coach of one of the NHL teams

10 facts from the life of the legendary captain of the USSR national hockey team

The name of Vyacheslav Fetisov is known to everyone who is familiar with the word hockey. During his playing career, the legendary captain of the USSR national team became the owner of all the most significant titles in this sport. He was the pride of Soviet hockey, one of the first domestic players to go to the NHL and proved that not only Canadians and Americans can be real stars of the strongest league in the world. Now Fetisov is one of the most respected people in the hockey world, both in Russia and in America.

From the “FACTS” dossier

Vyacheslav Fetisov. Born April 20, 1958. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, defender. In 1975-1989 he played for CSKA Moscow. Champion of the USSR 1975, 1977-1989, silver medalist of the USSR Championship 1976. He played 478 matches in the USSR championships and scored 153 goals. Winner of the USSR Cup 1977, 1979, 1988. In 1989-1994 he played for the NHL club New Jersey Devils, and in 1994-1998 for the Detroit Red Wings. He played 546 matches in the NHL championships and scored 36 goals. Winner of the Stanley Cup in 1997 and 1998, finalist in 1995. World champion 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, silver medalist in 1987, bronze medalist in 1977, 1985, 1991. Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988, silver medalist at the 1980 Olympics. Winner of the Canada Cup-81.

At the age of 30, Fetisov had to prove his genius in the NHL

1. In the 80s, the first five of CSKA and the USSR national team, in which Larionov, Makarov, Krutov, Kasatonov and Fetisov played, were undoubtedly the best in Europe. Largely thanks to these hockey players, the Soviet Union national team dominated the ice rinks of the world. Fetisov himself was repeatedly recognized as the best hockey player in the USSR and Europe. He participated in 113 official matches of the USSR national team, in which he scored 42 goals - a fantastic result for a defender! However, when Fetisov entered the NHL at the age of 30, he had to re-prove his hockey genius. In the New Jersey Devils, Vyacheslav for a long time was not able to show the game that was expected of him. One day, a Russian reporter was photographing Fetisov in the locker room. After this, his comrades teased Vyacheslav for a long time: “It turns out we have stars on our team!” And only when he got to the Detroit Red Wings did he start playing the hockey he was used to. In Detroit, a new, essentially new birth of Vyacheslav Fetisov as a hockey player took place. He was already 35 years old then. Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman was not afraid to gather Russian players in one line - Vyacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Vladimir Konstantinov. In this Russian five - the first in the history of the NHL - Fetisov was what he was used to being - the leader of the team.

2. During the Soviet Union, Vyacheslav Fetisov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and two Orders of the Badge of Honor. For high sporting achievements at the XV Winter Olympic Games, Fetisov was awarded the Order of Lenin, later, after the end of his farewell match, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, and the most important sports award in the world - the Olympic Order. But the brightest - in the literal sense of the word - reward appeared in Vyacheslav's sky: an unnamed asteroid was named after him.

3. Fetisov was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. Of the representatives of the Soviet hockey school, only coach Anatoly Tarasov and goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak are “present” there. “I won all the hockey trophies in the world and now that I have been recognized in the NHL, I think that my career has really been a success,” noted Vyacheslav Fetisov after the ceremony of “registration” in the Hall of Fame. “Our Slava has been inducted into the Hall of Fame!” - Russian newspapers were full of similar headlines.

Fetisov “recaptured” the wife of the famous football player Vagiz Khidiatullin

4. Vyacheslav Fetisov fell in love with Lada literally at first sight. “I have never seen such a beautiful girl,” he admitted after his first meeting with the wife of the famous football player, Spartak Moscow and USSR national team player Vagiz Khidiatullin. Actually, Vyacheslav was invited to visit to introduce Lada’s friend, but he didn’t take his eyes off Khidiatullina all evening. Then Fetisov simply did not let Lada pass for a long time - he picked her up at work, waited for her on the street. In the end, his persistence paid off. Lada, despite all the protests of her family and friends, decided to leave Khidiatullin and moved in with Fetisov. As a child, she did gymnastics - first sports, then artistic, but did not achieve serious success in big-time sports. Lada was more attracted to the work of a fashion model; she played in the theater and acted in films.

5. Vyacheslav and Lada could not get married for a long time. The first time, when a wedding dress and suit had already been purchased, limousines were ordered and a restaurant hall at the Metropol Hotel was rented, CSKA head coach Viktor Tikhonov did not let the team go to the celebration. When the Fetisovs submitted an application to the registry office for the second time, Vyacheslav’s grandmother died. And then his younger brother died, and the wedding had to be postponed again. The Fetisovs had to wait even longer for the birth of a child in their family. For seven years, Lada was treated for infertility. In the Soviet Union, doctors claimed that she would not be able to give birth. Fortunately, doctors in the USA had a different opinion, and Nastya Fetisova was born. In 1997, Nastya won the title of Miss American Princess.

6. Vyacheslav and Lada lived in a one-room Moscow apartment. Having moved to New Jersey, the Fetisovs quickly found themselves a luxurious home: four bedrooms, a huge kitchen, four toilets, three showers, two baths, a large veranda, and a two-car garage. Next to the house is a real sports club with a swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards and a sauna.

7. Recently, information has appeared in the press about Fetisov’s affair with singer Lyubov Isaeva. She claims that she met with the famous hockey player and is even raising his daughter Masha. “Before the birth of his daughter, Slava assured that he would take care of the child who would bear his last name. And, indeed, at first Vyacheslav took care of his illegitimate daughter: when she was born, he sent so many children's clothes, toys, pacifiers and bottles that they were enough for two years. Then he met with Masha four more times. Called a lot more often. And he did not forget to send money and parcels for his daughter with the opportunity from distant America. But lately Fetisov has forgotten about the child,” Lyubov Isaeva told reporters. According to her, Fetisov never promised to marry her. From the very first meetings, he explained to the girl that he had already given his word to someone else. And she can’t refuse him - “after all, he took Lada away from her husband.”

Isaeva even filed a lawsuit against Fetisov. Vyacheslav had to hire experienced lawyers. He stated that he did not know either Isaeva herself or her daughter Masha. The case was heard in the Krasnopresnensky Court of Moscow, which ruled in favor of Fetisov. Vyacheslav refused to take an analysis, as a result of which he could prove or disprove his paternity.

Fetisov became the head coach of the Russian Olympic team largely thanks to Vladimir Putin

8. On June 13, 1997, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov and Detroit massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov were in a terrible car accident. This happened six days after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, the main trophy of professional hockey overseas. The limousine they rented crashed into a tree at a speed of 75 km per hour. Fetisov was lucky - he escaped with only a severe bruise to the chest. Mnatsakanov died in hospital, and Konstantinov was in a coma for several months. Then he began to gradually come to his senses, his speech and memory were restored, but Vladimir moves only in a wheelchair. The driver Richard Gnida was found to be at fault for the accident because he lost control. As it turned out later, Gnida was drunk. In addition, he used drugs. In addition, six months before this terrible incident, the police took away his license. This accident left no one indifferent in the United States. Thousands of Americans, even those who were not at all interested in hockey, expressed their condolences and sympathies to the victims. And when Fetisov returned to the ice, he was greeted as a national hero.

It must be said that car accidents haunt a hockey player throughout his life. In 1985, 20-year-old forward Anatoly Fetisov died (while driving his car, he crashed into a lamp post at an army sports complex) - Vyacheslav's brother. Anatoly was one of the best players at the 1985 European Junior Championships, and on the ice, they say, he was in no way inferior to his older brother. The reasons for his death remain unclear. Some Soviet newspapers wrote that Vyacheslav was also in the car at the time of the accident. He grieved the death of his brother and never talked about the details of that tragedy.

One day, a car driven by a 19-year-old girl crashed into Lada Fetisova’s car. And if it weren’t for the reliable Mercedes, something irreparable would have happened. In Moscow, Slava did not allow his wife to drive, saying: “A woman driving is worse than a drunken fascist in a tank.” But in America, a car has become a necessity - from the Fetisovs’ house to the nearest store it’s a forty-minute walk.

9. In the USA, Fetisov immediately realized that the money he earned was best invested in some business. Moreover, his first contract was more than modest compared to recognized NHL stars. Soon Vyacheslav opened his own gourmet food store. However, the store did not bring the expected profits. Then he decided to start producing vitamin preparations based on Canadian ginseng. Together with Pavel Bure, he bought a farm in Canada where ginseng is grown, and a small plant for its processing. The drugs manufactured at their enterprise were successfully sold in the USA, Canada and Russia. At the same time, Fetisov personally advertised his products, for which he received the nickname Mister Ginseng.

10. The appointment of Vyacheslav Fetisov as head coach of the Russian national team before the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City came as a complete surprise to many. Fetisov won a Stanley Cup when he was New Jersey's second coach, but he never worked as a head coach. They say that the appointment of Fetisov as the coach of the Russian Olympic team is the wish of Vladimir Putin himself. And a little later, Vyacheslav learned that he, like the entire coaching staff, had been fired from New Jersey.

Fetisov had a conflict with the current president of the Russian Hockey Federation, Steblin. Once Vyacheslav admitted: “Ten years ago, Steblin chose me as his enemy, and imagine his state when, after all the delays, he finally had to sign a contract with me.” After the Russians lost in the semi-finals of the Olympics, television cameras captured Steblin’s joyful face. “Throughout the entire Games we felt Steblin’s pressure. After the match with the Americans, he told both journalists and specialists that, in his opinion, the refereeing was excellent! All night long, together with our “illegal” - the national team’s television cameraman, who was denied accreditation by the Russian Hockey Federation, I edited the video recording, choosing moments of unfair refereeing, and when in the morning, before the match with the Belarusians, I showed the film to Steblin, he said: “Yes, mistakes were. And serious." After the end of the Olympic Games, Steblin naturally attributed all the blame for the defeat to Fetisov. Nevertheless, Vladimir Putin did not change his attitude towards Vyacheslav. The President of Russia called Fetisov directly into the locker room before the semi-final match and wished him good luck. Then he congratulated us on the bronze medals. And when he hosted the Olympians at his residence, he noted the performance of the hockey players. Fetisov had a personal forty-minute conversation with Putin. Perhaps it was after the conversation with the president that Fetisov had a desire to return to his homeland. Now he is the number one contender for the post of chairman of the State Sports Committee of Russia and literally one of these days could receive a ministerial portfolio. Fetisov also has worthy offers from the NHL. The management of the New Jersey Devils invited him to continue working at the club, and one of the American teams dreams of seeing Fetisov as a head coach.

Fetisov Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich is an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Coach of Russia, two-time Olympic champion, three-time seven-time world champion, ten-time European champion, World Cup winner, thirteen-time champion of the USSR, member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. And this is not the entire list of titles and regalia of this famous hockey player.

Childhood

Date of birth: April 20, 1958. He was born in Moscow. Parents came to the capital from the provinces: father, Alexander Maksimovich, from the Ryazan region, mother, Natalya Nikolaevna, from Smolensk.

Until the age of 6, Vyacheslav’s home was a barracks in which, in addition to the Fetisovs, 20 other families lived. Their room was the last one, which allowed the grandfather and father to build a small extension. Vyacheslav spent his childhood years there.

First ice

Little Slava learned to skate very early. The first ice for him was frozen water from a pump that stood on a hillock, not far from the Fetisovs’ house. Flowing down, it covered almost the entire street with ice. The biography of Vyacheslav Fetisov, whose family has always followed a healthy lifestyle, developed this way largely thanks to his early introduction to sports. The father, being a fit and athletic man, often took his son to nearby ponds. It was then that the boy put on skates for the first time. They had two runners and were tied to shoes with twine. Later, when more advanced “eiders” appeared, Vyacheslav’s joy knew no bounds.

In subsequent years, Vyacheslav Fetisov, whose family moved to a three-room apartment in 1964, learned to play hockey in the courtyard of his house on Korovinskoye Highway. There, local enthusiasts built a hockey rink, which even had lighting, which by the standards of that time was considered very rare.

School or hockey

Fetisov Vyacheslav was a completely successful student. For his parents, getting an education was always a priority. The father, who had earned his living by physical labor all his life, believed that if his son received a diploma, the latter’s life would be much easier than his own. For parents, having a son who was an engineer was much more desirable than a son who was an athlete. Therefore, before going to training, Slava had to complete all his homework. He succeeded in doing this. He perfectly combined morning training and studies.

Later he entered the Military Institute of Physical Culture (Leningrad), which he subsequently successfully graduated from. However, having got into big hockey, the future champion realized that he would no longer be able to do anything else. There was simply no energy or time for this. The parents' dream of having an engineer son was buried.

From the yard team to CSKA

Fetisov Vyacheslav, like most boys of that time, played in the yard hockey team. While participating in the city tournament "Golden Puck", the team of Housing Office No. 19, of which Slava was a member, makes it to the finals. One of the meetings took place on Peschanaya Square. CSKA hockey players trained in the same place. At that time there was Yuri Aleksandrovich Chebarin, who once stayed after training and saw a sports battle between ordinary boys from the yard. He noticed Slava’s bold and confident play, and two days later the boy, together with his Zhekovsky mentor Boris Nikolaevich Bervinov, went to training at CSKA. Vyacheslav was enrolled in the team and assigned to the defense.

The famous army hockey school, whose traditions were laid by the great Tarasov, accepted the talented guy with open arms. Nobody paid attention to the fact that he got into the team completely by accident. And the coaches quickly came to the conclusion that Vyacheslav was truly talented.

"Fetisovsky" style of play

Being more of an attacker than a defender by nature, Fetisov did not want to play in the generally accepted manner for a defender. This behavior was the reason why his participation in the first away matches of the Soviet youth team in Canada was in question. According to the then coach Nikolai Veniaminovich Golomazov, defenders who do not leave their goal should play in the main matches. And he called Fetisov’s game adventurous, because at the first opportunity that arose he immediately rushed to the attack. This approach, on the one hand, led to a large number of goals scored, and on the other, to flaws in the defense. Today there is a concept of the so-called “Fetisov” hockey style, when the game of defense is active, characterized by constant connections to the attack and powerful throws. Hockey philosophy has changed after the appearance of a newcomer named Vyacheslav Fetisov in world hockey (see photo below). And the hockey masters realized that with the right approach to the training process, his style leads to success.

First victories

Now the life of Vyacheslav Fetisov has undergone many changes. He participates in the main matches of the army youth team, traveling around the world. So, in 1974, the young army team won a resounding victory in a match with the Canadians, almost exactly repeating the feat of the “adult” USSR national team. Then, like the big team, they were on fire at the beginning of the match, conceding two goals in the first minutes. But then the army team gathered all their strength and won with a score of 7:3.

Since 1975, Slava, who was only 17 years old at that time, has been playing as part of the main army team. The first participation in the world championship dates back to 1977. Then in Vienna he played together with the most experienced Gennady Tsygankov. Despite the guy’s youth, the coaches trusted him and were confident in his game. Fetisov Vyacheslav played then in the top five, which was very prestigious. And a year later, in Prague, where the 1978 World Cup was held, he became the best defender of the tournament.

Sports career development

The young hockey player had a lot of fans. Somehow he immediately won the hearts of all fans. Who would have thought that, in fact, at that moment he was still new to the team. But it seemed that Vyacheslav had been defending the honor of the country for many years, playing as part of the legendary USSR national hockey team.

Fetisov did not change his signature style - it fit perfectly into the tactics that distinguished the Soviet hockey team - the “big red machine”, which earned respect and admiration among fans all over the world.

And in 1981, the triumphant victories of the CSKA team began, which formed the most successful five in the history of hockey. The defense was carried out by the pair of Vyacheslav Fetisov and Alexey Kasatonov, the attack was carried out by the trio of Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov. Such a star company did not at all embarrass Vyacheslav, who was young by hockey standards. And among them he was a clear leader.

At the peak

Soon, Vyacheslav Fetisov, whose biography proves his unique hockey and organizational talent, is appointed captain of CSKA and the USSR national team. Never during his entire more than successful career did anyone even have a shadow of doubt about the correctness of this decision. Enthusiastic assessments of Fetisov's activities from sports critics and the exorbitant love of fans from all over the world are irrefutable proof that this man is the greatest hero of his time.

In the 80s, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Fetisov truly became a people's favorite. At that time, he had reached all conceivable and inconceivable heights. It would seem that the time has come to end my sports career and rest on my laurels. But Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich, having received an offer to play in the NHL, accepted it. There, overseas, he started everything from scratch. But, thanks to perseverance, hard work and the desire to reach new heights, Fetisov became one of the most successful players in the NHL, and later a coach.

Return to Russia

In the spring of 2002, Fetisov received an offer from President Putin. Having accepted it, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich headed the State Sports Committee of Russia. Two years later he became the head of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. But the position of a high official not only did not spoil Fetisov’s character, but, on the contrary, helped demonstrate all his best qualities. The obvious problems in domestic sports did not frighten Fetisov. Largely thanks to his talent as a manager, it was possible to overcome these negative trends and restore the traditions of domestic sports.

In 2008, the main hero of the day in the sports environment of the Russian Federation was Vyacheslav Fetisov. After his half-century anniversary, the biography of this famous athlete, excellent coach and sports director was filled with new events.

From 2009 to 2012, he was the president of the CSKA hockey club (Moscow).

Now Vyacheslav Fetisov heads the department of management and sports industry at the Russian Economic University. Plekhanov. Since 2012, he has headed the Russian Amateur Hockey League.

Vyacheslav Fetisov: personal life

This great athlete lived his entire life with his wife Ladlena (the name Lada Sergievskaya often appears in the press).

Now Fetisov’s wife is the president of the “Republic of Sports” charitable foundation. She, like her husband, participates in projects aimed at popularizing sports in our country. The daughter of Vyacheslav Fetisov and Lada Sergievskaya, Anastasia, was born in 1990. Now she permanently resides in the USA.

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Fetisov(April 20, 1958, Moscow, USSR) - Soviet and Russian hockey player, statesman, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1978), Honored Coach of Russia (2002), played as a defenseman.

Sports achivments

Winner of all top world hockey titles:

Olympic champion (1984,1988), Olympic silver medalist (1980)
World champion 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990; silver medalist 1987; bronze medalist 1977, 1985, 1991. In the OWG and World Cup tournaments - 123 matches, 48 goals.
Multiple European champion
Multiple USSR Champion 1975, 1977-1989. Silver medalist of the USSR Championship 1976
Winner of the USSR Cup 1977, 1979, 1988
Multiple winner of the European Cup. There are 26 washers in EC.
Winner of the NHL regular season and Stanley Cup winner (1997, 1998), finalist 1995.
Winner of the Canada Cup (1981), finalist 1987. Participant of the 1996 World Cup, captain of the Russian national team at this tournament (4 matches). In Canada Cup tournaments - 16 matches, 3 goals.
In 2005 he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
Inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame.
He was included in the symbolic team of the century “Centennial All-Star Team” of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
since June 7, 1997, member of the Triple Gold Club.
On April 19, 2008, a bust of Vyacheslav Fetisov was unveiled on the CSKA Walk of Fame.

Born on April 20, 1958 in Moscow, Slava proved himself on the ice at the age of 12. He started playing hockey in the yard team at house No. 4 on Korovinskoye Shosse, and as part of the team of Housing Office No. 19 he made it to the finals of the city tournament “Golden Puck”. It was there that he was noticed by the “army” coach Yuri Aleksandrovich Chabarin, who brought the teenager to CSKA.

Fetisov managed to try out Canadian ice six years later, when the club’s youth team toured the homeland of hockey.
The young defender immediately established himself as part of CSKA and soon became one of the leaders of the best Soviet club of those years.

Since then, he has won the title of USSR champion 14 times (1975, 1977-1989) - even for the times of the rule of the “Red Army” in Soviet hockey, this is a phenomenal result. Even Tretiak has “only” 13 such awards. Three times (in 1977, 1979, 1988) Fetisov won the USSR Cup, and the European Champions Cup also submitted to him. In total, our hero played 478 matches in the national championships and scored 153 goals.

Even in his youth, Fetisov posed unsolvable tasks to coaches with his play. He did not become a pure defender, every now and then appearing at other people's gates and scoring goals for every taste. But he couldn’t be called a striker either. More likely, a role from the Tarasov system would have suited him - a midfielder, but conservative coaches often mistook his attacking actions for a simple inability to play reliably in defense. And they put him on the bench, and he tried to leave hockey - fortunately, it worked out.

It was his first coach, Yuri Chabarin, and then the brilliant Viktor Tikhonov who managed to reveal Slava’s talent and uniqueness.

Both of them believed in their ward, and he did not let them down, first at the age of 20, brilliantly playing the World Championship in Prague, and then becoming the best player in the USSR. Never before has a defensive player been awarded this title.

At the age of 24, he was first recognized as the best defender of the World and European Championships, after which he became the captain of both teams - CSKA and the USSR national team. As part of the “red car” (which began to be called by this glorious name just in the 80s), he became a six-time world champion, eight-time winner of the European Championship, Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988, winner of the 1981 Canada Cup and finalist of this tournament in 1987 . In 143 matches for the national team, he scored 51 goals - you agree, a good result for a defender.

However, Fetisov never forgot about his direct responsibilities. He was not afraid to engage in a power struggle even with the most powerful forwards, and when joining the attack, he immediately gave out his signature first passes, which were so appreciated by both Soviet fans and NHL fans. At the same time, on the ice, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich was intelligent and never stooped to outright rudeness.

He was a player in the legendary Larionov five, which also included forwards Sergei Makarov, Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and defender Alexei Kasatonov. “The team’s tactics depend on the players the coach has at his disposal. My partners and I played combination hockey. The amount of skill that our five team had at their disposal allowed us to do this. We felt each other subtly. I think we had one of the strongest attacking units in the history of world hockey. But when necessary, we could play in a defensive style.", Fetisov noted in an interview.

By the age of 30, this great defender had seemingly achieved everything in hockey, becoming a key player in the national team and club, but he still had ambitions. The peak that many hockey players behind the Iron Curtain dreamed of - the Stanley Cup - remained unconquered. Fetisov became one of the first hockey players in the Soviet Union to sign a contract with the National Hockey League club (New Jersey Devils). The general manager of the North American club, Lou Lamoriello, with whom Fetisov had developed an excellent relationship over the years, played a big role in this transition. However, contrary to popular belief, this transition was very difficult for our hero. Of course, this was no longer an escape, as in the case of Alexander Mogilny, but then we had to endure and endure everything.
In the National League, Fetisov had to seriously reshape his game. As part of the Devils, he began to appear much less often in attack, and in the City of Motors he even received the status of a pure defencist and almost an assistant goalkeeper. As part of New Jersey, he failed to achieve serious achievements, but in Detroit, where the great Scotty Bowman created the magnificent “Russian Five,” he won two Stanley Cups at once. " Scotty Bowman specifically created the Russian link. He already had three players at his disposal, and he invited two more - me and Igor Larionov - precisely in order to form an entirely Russian five. And this plan completely justified itself,”- said Vyacheslav Alexandrovich.

Thus, in 1997, our hero became a member of the “Triple Gold Club”, which includes hockey players who were able to win the Olympics, the World Championship and the Stanley Cup over the years of their career. However, that year was by no means happy for Fetisov, but, on the contrary, very tragic. On June 13, together with teammate Vladimir Konstantinov and massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov, he got into a serious car accident. Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov remained disabled after this accident, but Fetisov was lucky - he escaped with minor injuries.
Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich always steadfastly endured the blows of fate - the death of his brother in a car accident, and constant injuries, after which many would have left hockey, and criticism addressed to him. Even after that unfortunate accident, he spent a great season in the NHL and only then ended his sports career. In total, Fetisov played 546 matches in the NHL regular championships, scored 36 goals and scored 228 points. He has 116 appearances and two goals in the Stanley Cup. “I have always believed that Fetisov is a leader in spirit. It is Slava who cements our unit, and what unit cements the entire team!”- said Igor Larionov.

The great Canadian Wayne Gretzky echoed him: “In my time I have never met a more tenacious and active, more intelligent and formidable defender than Fetisov”.

It was on the initiative of Vyacheslav Fetisov that the Russian five from Detroit delivered the Stanley Cup to Moscow, making it part of the national celebration on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the capital. Fetisov soon became the first European to receive a coaching position in the NHL. As Lou Lamoriello's assistant with the New Jersey Devils, he won another Stanley Cup in 2000.
In August of the same year, the World Hockey All-Star Game was held in Moscow, dedicated to the great Russian athlete. This meeting was attended by world hockey stars of different years, such as Vladimir Krutov, Vyacheslav Bykov, Sergei Makarov, Alexey Yashin, Pavel Bure, Valery Kamensky, Martin Brodeur, Darius Kasparaitis, Martin Lapointe, Bob Carpenter, Gino Odzhik and many others.
On November 12, 2001, Vyacheslav Fetisov was included in the International Hockey Hall of Fame, and a year later he was entrusted with coaching the Russian Olympic hockey team. With this team, he won bronze medals at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, after which he was awarded the title of Honored Trainer of Russia. For his activities, Fetisov received a number of other honorary awards over the years: the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree, the Order of Honor.

In 2002, Vyacheslav Fetisov led the Russian national team at the Olympics in Salt Lake City as a coach. However, he led the national team only to third place, beating the Belarusian team in the bronze medal match. After that, our today's hero left professional sports and began to engage in sports management. From 2008 to 2012, Fetisov was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kontinental Hockey League. From 2009 to 2012, he also served as president of the CSKA hockey club (Moscow).

It is very interesting that in December 2009, the formerly famous player briefly resumed his career, taking part in one official match for the “army” club. This step was made in order to draw attention to sports and hockey in Russia and other CIS countries. Currently, Vyacheslav Fetisov holds the post of head of the department of management and sports industry at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. Since 2012, he has also led the Russian Amateur Hockey League and is active as a member of the United Russia party and a government official.