Legendary Soviet and Russian hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov spent more than 10 years in the NHL. He won two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. A person worthy of attention.
One of the most recognizable players on both sides of the Atlantic, Vyacheslav Fetisov was born in Moscow on April 20, 1958. His family of five lived in a small room that was separated by curtains to create an isolated living space for all of its inhabitants.
Carier start
Like many of the strongest Soviet hockey players of his era, Fetisov played for the CSKA hockey club, which he joined in 1976 at the age of 16. Remembering his first years at the army club, Fetisov said that the pride of wearing a uniform with the CSKA logo was fantastic, and he even slept in club clothes for two months.
Having played several seasons with the best hockey team in the country, Fetisov established himself as one of the most talented defenders of the Soviet Union, not only repelling almost all the attacks of his opponents, but also having fantastic scoring potential.
In 113 official matches for the Soviet Union, Fetisov scored 42 goals, becoming one of the most legendary defenders in the world.
In the 1980s, the new line of Larionov-Makarov-Krutov-Kasatanov-Fetisov shone on the international arena, thanks to which the USSR won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988.
Personal life
In 1982, he met his future wife, Lada, who was then married to the famous Soviet footballer Vagiz Khidiyatullin. Lada's marital status did not prevent Fetisov from winning the heart of a beautiful girl, and soon they began to live together, despite the categorical protests of Lada's relatives.
The couple could not legalize their relationship for almost seven years for various reasons. For the first time, the head coach of the USSR national team, Viktor Tikhonov, did not allow Fetisov to leave the training camp, although the wedding rings had already been bought. Then their wedding was canceled after the death of Fetisov's grandmother. All preparations for this event were suspended after the tragedy turned Fetisov's life upside down.
On a hot summer evening in 1985, Fetisov was driving home with his younger brother Anatoly, a promising athlete who was named one of the best players in the 1985 European Hockey Championship. The car, which was trying to overtake Fetisov's Zhiguli, lost control on the wet road and hit a car with players, which crashed right into a street lamp.
Fetisov, who was driving, managed to survive, but his brother died on the spot, he was only 17 years old.
Vyacheslav took the blame and said that he did not want to live after the tragedy that destroyed the life of his family. But his wife helped him overcome the difficult period and return to the ice.
Now Fetisov's wife is the President of the Republic of Sport charitable foundation. She and her husband are involved in projects aimed at popularizing sports in our country. Daughter of Vyacheslav Fetisov and Lada Sergius, Anastasia, born in 1990. She now resides in the United States.
NHL career
In 1989, ignoring protests from Soviet hockey bosses, Fetisov and his titled CSKA team-mate traveled to North America to play in the world's best hockey league, the NHL.
He made his debut for The New Jersey Devils in 1989, having chalked up eight goals and 42 points during his first season in the NHL. After six years with the Devils, in April 1995, Fetisov was traded to Detroit by the Red Wings. In 1997 and 1998 he won two Stanley Cups.
Winning the Stanley Cup allowed him to join the so-called "Triple Gold Club", which includes players who have won the Stanley Cup, the Winter Olympics and the World Championship during their careers.
However, tragedy erupted again immediately after the 1995 Stanley Cup victory, when another car accident darkened Fetisov's life. The player, along with Vladimir Konstantinov and the team's masseur Sergey Mnatsakanov, went home in a limousine after celebrating the Stanley Cup Victory. The limousine driver, whose license was suspended at the time for drunk driving, lost control of the vehicle, flew off the highway and crashed into a tree.
In this accident, as in the first, Fetisov himself was not injured, but his friends remained confined to wheelchairs for life. In the upcoming season, the Red Wings decided to dedicate their second Stanley Cup win to their teammates.
Konstantinov, who was brought to the ice in a wheelchair, lifted the prestigious Cup alongside his former teammates to celebrate their Triumph.
Having won all the major titles in hockey, Fetisov announced his retirement in 1998.
Eleven years after retirement, at the age of fifty-one. On December 11, 2009, Fetisov laced up a pair of skates again and took to the ice to play for CSKA during their KHL game.
Fetisov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada in 2001 and was named to the IIHF's international team of stars of the century as one of the most talented defenders of hockey of the 20th century.
During his brilliant sports career, he won two Olympic gold medals, two Stanley Cups and seven world titles - becoming one of the most titled hockey players of all time.
