President of the Russian Hockey Federation (RFH) Vladislav Tretiak called Nikolai Dobronravov a legend of Russian poetry and a friend of sport.
Dobronravov died on the night of Saturday to Sunday, at the age of 94.
— His work brought him into contact with figures in culture, art and sport. He had his place everywhere, because he reflected the soul of these people with whom he was friends, whom he knew, and he wrote astonishing poems, on which songs were then superimposed. The song “Cowards Don’t Play Hockey” has become the anthem of all hockey players. I remember that I went out onto the field to the sound of this music wearing a T-shirt of the national team and CSKA. And this song always called for victory.
I met him several times and got to know him. He came to the Olympics with his wife Alexandra Pakhmutova, cheered us on in the stands and gave concerts at the Olympics in a small circle. “He is truly a legend of our poetry and a friend of sports,” Tretyak is quoted in the press service of FHR.
Dobronravov worked in alliance with his wife, the composer Alexandra Pakhmutova. In particular, the poet became the author of the lyrics of the song “Goodbye, Moscow” to the music of Pakhmutova, which was performed at the closing ceremony of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. The duo created many famous songs on sports themes, for example, “A Coward Does Not Play Hockey”, “Our Youth Team”, “Temp”.
FHR official website
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.
