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Pelletier and Houda look back at
key performers from the Canada Cup/World Cup of
Hockey
Vladislav Tretiak Biography
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.
By the time of his
first Canada Cup appearance in 1976 Tretiak was
already a seasoned veteran and the player the
Soviets relied on in pressured situations. Even
though Soviet Union came to the 1976 tournament with
a lot of new faces the fourth place was seen as a
failure.
When the Soviets entered the 1976 Canada Cup
tournament they weren't even considered the best
team in Europe, but their fourth place was still a
disappointment. It was their long time archrival
Czechoslovakia who was the reigning World Champion,
a title they defended in 1977 as well.
Tretiak had many
memorable moments in his illustrious career. When
reflecting back at his marvellous hockey career he
picked a rather surprising moment as his career
highlight.
It wasn't the
gruelling eight game series in 1972, or any of the
two Olympic gold medals he had that was his most
memorable moment. It wasn't even the 1981 Canada Cup
triumph when his team romped Canada 8-1 in the
final. No, it was the 1978 triumph during the World
Championships in Prague.
" I remember
playing the Czechs in the decisive game of the 1978
World Championships. In the first game we lost 4-6,
and in order for us to get back the championship
title we needed to win the last game by two goals.
We won 3-1, and became the World Champions, and that
was a feat. We were amazingly and infinitely happy.
No one had given us a chance."
With that Tretiak started a phenomenal string of 45
straight World Championship games where he went
undefeated. It lasted between 1978-83. The Soviets
lost the 1980 Olympic gold to a bunch of American
college kids but Tretiak & Co bounced back from
that with a vengeance and cruised past their
opponents for the next few years.
In the 1981 Canada
Cup tournament Tretiak played better than ever and
captured the MVP award after posting a brilliant
1,33 GAA in 6 games. In five of these games he
yielded one goal. Years later Tretiak said he had an
awful pre game warm up before the final. It bothered
him a lot but he got to make a few tough stops in
the beginning of the game which restored his
confidence.
Tretiak was
constantly faced with pressure.
" When I came to
be called one of the world's best goaltenders, I
found that it was a huge responsibility, especially
in my last playing years. I didn't care so much
where and with whom I was playing, but I had to play
for my reputation. It was as if I had been given
some sort of quality stamp, and I had to maintain
that level. I always felt that I didn't have the
right to make a mistake. So I began to practice more
to prove myself in every game," he said.
Vladimir
Alexandrovich Treitak was born in Orudyevo, Moscow
on April 25,1952. As a little boy he wanted to
become an airline pilot like his father. His
interests in sports came naturally as his mother was
a very good bandy hockey player. She gave a young
Vladimir his first skating lessons and at first he
played as a forward. When Tretiak was 11 years old
he donned the goalie pads for the first time after
sustaining a serious injury. It was the start of a
spectacular hockey career.
Some of his many
personal achievements include being named the First
All-Star Team Goalie in the Soviet Elite League
during 14 consecutive seasons. He won thirteen
league titles with CSKA Moscow and was named Soviet
player of the year a record five times. Tretiak won
the Gold Stick three times, given to the outstanding
player in Europe. He collected over 90 medals
participating in four Olympic tournaments, winning
three gold medals and one silver. Tretiak
was also a ten time World Champion and a thirteen
time European Cup champion.
Tretiak never did get a chance to fulfill his dream
and play in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens who
drafted him in 1983. During the cold war the
Communists weren't ready to let their best PR
product slip away to North America, even if it meant
a lot of dollars.
Tretiak did however
receive the highest honour a hockey player can get
when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in
1989.
He became involved
with the NHL after his playing days were over, being
the goalie coach / consultant for the Chicago Black
Hawks. There he helped goalies like Eddie Belfour
and Dominik Hasek. Tretiak also opened a hockey
school near Moscow,
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