He began to play a leading role early in CSKA and the Union national team. In 1978, at the age of 20, he was already the main defender of the national team. It seemed that Fetisov would spend his entire career in the military club, but in the late 80s of the 20th century, Soviet hockey players began to hope that they would be allowed to prove themselves in the NHL.
The first time they started talking about Fetisov’s possible departure to North America was in 1988, after the USSR national team triumphantly won the Olympic gold medals in Calgary, in Canada. By the time of the 1998 Olympics, Vyacheslav was already 30 years old. The matches in Calgary turned out to be incredibly successful for him: in eight matches of the Olympic tournament, Fetisov scored 13 (4+9) points using the goal+pass system and became the second scorer of the national team, behind attacking Vladimir. Krutov (15).
Just during the flight to Moscow, the leaders of the USSR Sports Committee informed Fetisov about the negotiations with the NHL club. Vyacheslav Arkadyevich learned that the general director of the New Jersey Devils, Lou Lamoriello, spoke to the Soviet delegation at the Olympic tournament and learned about the opportunity to recruit the captain of the national team. However, the negotiations failed.
Photo source: NHL
Two main factors prevented Fetisov from leaving for the NHL. First, he was an active officer in the Soviet Army, reaching the rank of major. Secondly, at that time all transactions with Soviet athletes were carried out exclusively through Sovintersport. This organization actually served as an agency office. It was entirely state-owned and aimed solely at obtaining the majority of the players’ contract amount. Sovintersport made excellent use of the specific laws of the Soviet state and sometimes took from athletes up to 90% of the amount of their contracts abroad.
Fetisov tried to do everything according to the law and tried to resolve these two fundamental questions. In February 1988, he wrote a letter of resignation from the army. The head coach of CSKA and the USSR national team Viktor Tikhonov signed his report and said that he himself would send it to the top management. However, this was just a ploy to keep Fetisov with him. In the summer of the same year, the hockey player was summoned to the Kremlin for an awards ceremony, during which he was awarded the Order of Lenin. After the ceremony, a prominent representative of the Ministry of Defense took the hockey player to the Officers’ Club, taking Tikhonov with him.
We know about the conversation that took place in the Officers’ Club only from the words of Fetisov himself. He said that the general was not against his possible departure to the NHL, but then Tikhonov showed all the cards, insisting that Vyacheslav’s experience would help CSKA and the national team to raise a new generation of defenders. Fetisov realized that no one would let him go anywhere from now on. It was on this day that he met Lou Lamoriello, who flew to Moscow to sign a contract with Fetisov, and did not even suspect that the deal would fail.
Photo source: CSKA
In September 1988, Fetisov wanted to go on strike and refused to train with the army team. But then, for the sake of playing the game, he abandoned this idea and returned to CSKA. Vyacheslav knew that New Jersey was trying by all means to reach an agreement with the Soviet authorities.
This fall, CSKA traveled to Germany for pre-season matches. Fetisov agreed to go on tour only because he had a secret meeting with Lamoriello in the GDR. In a personal conversation, the Devils general manager suggested that Fetisov flee to the United States that same day on the team owner’s personal plane. However, the Soviet hockey player refused, because he did not want to “throw away” his homeland and wanted to do everything “amicably”. After arriving in Moscow, he again knocked on all offices and tried to get official permission to leave for the NHL. Vyacheslav decided to challenge the system.
But after the trip to Germany, the situation did not come to a standstill: the military and sports authorities held firm. Fetisov only managed to get a promise that after the next New Year’s tour of North America he would remain in the NHL and finish the season as a player from New Jersey. But the authorities have not yet kept their word, forcing him to return to the Union.
Then Fetisov decided to wash his dirty linen in public and tried to attract media attention. Vyacheslav gave a resounding interview to Moskovsky Komsomolets, in which he spoke about the constant behind-the-scenes matches at Sovintersport and said that he did not intend to play for any of Tikhonov’s teams. He deliberately burned the last bridges.
Photo source: New Jersey Devils HC
After that, Fetisov and his family began to receive threats of exile to Murmansk. But public pressure in a country gripped by perestroika has paid off. A year and a half later, the system took pity on Fetisov and gave the green light to his departure for the United States.
On August 13, 1989, Fetisov and his wife Lada flew from Sheremetyevo to New York. The Soviet hockey legend pursued his dream and managed to legally obtain permission to leave.
Vyacheslav Fetisov will spend 5.5 years in New Jersey, after which he will be traded to the Detroit Red Wings. It was there that Scotty Bowman created the “Russian Five,” of which Fetisov was a major puzzle. In the camp of the “red wings” Fetisov will have time to win two Stanley Cups and will end his playing career at the age of 40. Two years later, as coach of New Jersey, he would add another Stanley Cup to his treasure. In 2002, Fetisov agreed to lead the Russian team at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, after which he decided to return to his native country. Currently, Vyacheslav Arkadyevich is a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, where he is the first deputy chairman of the committee on physical culture, sports, tourism and youth.
Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic
Source: Sport
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.
