Two-time Olympic champion Vladimir Luchenko in the film “Valery Kharlamov . At high speed “I remembered how I learned of the death of the legendary striker, who would have turned 75 on January 14.
A documentary about Kharlamov is currently airing on the channel and will also be shown on a loop at 6:30 p.m. Moscow time.
“Valery was very maneuverable, dexterous and also cunning, as coach Anatoly Tarasov liked to say,” Lutchenko explains in the film. I remember the 1972 Super Series. We flew from Montreal to Toronto, we get on the plane – then all the passengers get up, even the old people, and start clapping like at the Bolshoi Theater. That’s what a Canadian fan who enjoyed Kharlamov means.
Was Viktor Tikhonov responsible for not taking Kharlamov to the Canada Cup and he died in a car accident?
– I never criticized the coach. I have already done an analysis based on my life experience. You can’t blame the coach, he has his own thoughts. You can’t get under his skin.
When the national team flew to Canada, CSKA’s non-playing team stayed in Moscow to train. Valery has always been sociable and playful. And here she is standing, dark, getting dressed. We tell him: “Valer, the main thing is not to get angry. What you are…”
I don’t know if that’s why he was so worried that they didn’t take him to Canada. Maybe your own life situation has piled up. He said, “Come on, I’ll go to my dacha now, otherwise I have training tomorrow morning.” Wish him good luck.
And in the morning, I remember, I wake up – a call from CSKA: “Kharlamov crashed …” For us it was a shock. Then we learned that Valerka’s hand had remained on the steering wheel. He tried to rectify the situation in one way or another at the last moment before the tragedy.
The burial was difficult. They were very worried about their mother. We walked, carried the coffin and swayed. Six people who played with him. When they saw him leave, people blocked the whole Leningradsky prospect. People liked him very much.
– Who is Valery Kharlamov for you?
— This is the story of our achievements in hockey, of our traditions of victory. It’s Kharlamov.
Valery Kharlamov played for the USSR national team from 1969 to 1980 and managed to become a two-time Olympic champion and eight-time world champion. Competed in the Super Series in 1972 and 1974. In 1998 he was inducted into the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) Hall of Fame. As part of CSKA Moscow, he became the champion of the USSR 11 times. Kharlamov died in a car accident at the age of 33 on August 27, 1981.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
