Athletes who have achieved the highest results are sincerely respected by fans and specialists. The Soviet ice hockey team was always determined to win. Legendary defender Valery Vasiliev made his modest contribution to the common cause.
Difficult childhood
A sense of belonging and collectivism is developed in different living conditions. For team sports, these qualities of a player are most highly valued. Valery Ivanovich Vasiliev was born on August 3, 1949 in the family of a serviceman. Parents at that time lived at a small station in the Novgorod region. The father fulfilled his official duties. The mother was raising two sons. A few months after the birth of the future hockey player, the head of the family died tragically in an accident.
After this tragedy, the mother collected her poor belongings and, together with the children, cleaned up to her relatives in the city of Gorky. Here she went to work as a shop assistant. Close relatives did their best to support the family. Valery, together with his older brother, watching how hard it was for his mother, tried in every possible way to help her. They got the hang of making snares and catching birds in the surrounding groves for home keeping. Siskins, tits, goldfinches, bullfinches fell into the snares. Each bird had its own price in the market. For example, a titmouse was sold for a gold piece. In this way, the guys at least a little, but replenished the family budget.
It is important to note that the house where the Vasilievs lived was located next to the Dynamo stadium. As a teenager, Valera spent a lot of time on the field, playing football and other outdoor games. Or watched the training of "adult" football players and hockey players. When the boy turned 10 years old, he approached the coach, and he was enrolled in the hockey section. From that moment on, training began, training camps, control games and other activities that the young athlete liked. He tried. He mastered the techniques of the game and the technique of skating. Thanks to the diligence and perseverance, Vasiliev was taken to the team of Gorky "Dynamo".
First games
1967 was a turning point for the future master of sports. The city of Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod, was considered a sports center at all times. The sports bosses, for their own reasons, transferred Vasiliev to several matches in the Gorky Torpedo. The team of the Moscow Dynamo arrived in the city on the Volga. Muscovites won the game with the ice owners. At the same time, the coach of the capital's team, the legendary Arkady Chernyshev, noticed a talented player and invited him “to his place”. Valery accepted this invitation without any doubts and packed his suitcase.
Later, after many years, a note appeared in the hockey player's biography that he played for seventeen (17) seasons, without interruption, at Dynamo Moscow. At the first European Championship among juniors in the history of sports, the national team of the Soviet Union took second place. At the same time, Valery Vasiliev was named the best defender of the tournament. Already in the next season of 1969, Soviet juniors came out on top. After these games, the coaches of the “adult” national team drew attention to Valery Vasiliev. The young player organically joined the close-knit team.
According to the current rules, a beginner always went on the ice together with an experienced player. Vasiliev was lucky, his teammate Vitaly Davydov became his partner. They quickly got used to it and demonstrated a high class of the game. Vasiliev played his first match for the national team of the Union in February 1970. After a short period of time, he became one of the leading defenders both in his native Dynamo and in the national team. Valery went to all games under his individual number “6” on a sweater.
Career heights
From the very beginning of his sports career, Valery Vasiliev has established himself as a tough player. He noticed and quickly adopted the skills of the game from his older comrades. The defender of the national team of the Union, if necessary, used his trademark technique, which is called the "mill". It should be clarified that in a game situation, the defender throws the opponent over his back. Of course, the reception is carried out within the framework of the current rules. It is interesting to note that both in the national championship and at international tournaments, knowing about the tough manner of play of defender Vasiliev, the opponent's attackers tried not to get in touch with him.
When the national team of the Soviet Union went overseas to Canada, where the first friendly series of games took place, the whole world saw that Vasiliev was absolutely not inferior in technique to the Canadian professionals. In 1972, Soviet hockey players on the American continent were spoken of with respect. Valery took all the praises and praises addressed to him calmly. As they say, he was not arrogant.
Personal life
An important feature of Vasiliev's character was considered the ability to be friends. Make friends both on ice and in life. The defender of the Moscow Dynamo Valery Vasiliev and the forward of CSKA, the legendary Valery Kharlamov, were friends of their families. The personal life of the famous hockey player Vasiliev can be told in a few words. With his future wife, Tatyana, he met at a home holiday with his friend, hockey player Anatoly Motovilov. The meeting took place on May 1, 1972. They got married just a few months later.
Husband and wife have lived their entire life together under one roof. Raised and raised two daughters. Valery Ivanovich enjoyed studying with his grandson and three granddaughters. Few people know that the two-time Olympic champion and multiple world champion suffered several heart attacks. One of them at the 1978 world championship while playing with the Czechoslovakian team. The famous hockey player Valery Vasiliev died in April 2012 after a serious short illness.
