The legendary coach of the golden era of Soviet hockey is remembered both for his many titles and for the historic defeat to the USA at the 1980 Olympic Games
In sport, as in life, you can go down in history by victories, but also by defeats. Or both at the same time, because the falls of those who win a lot are also often heard. Viktor Tijonov gathered both. The most legendary ice hockey coach, a Soviet and Russian national sport, died on Sunday night in Moscow at the age of 84. The hard retired army and hockey colonel leaves one of the most brilliant winners in the history of the sport. Eight world titles, two silvers and a bronze between 1979 and 1990, but above all three Olympic golds in Sarajevo 84, Calgary 88 and Barcelona 92 (already as Unified Team, not the USSR), and a previous silver, the most famous, in Lake Placid 80 It was the famous defeat against American college students known as the "Miracle on Ice" and that far from discouraging him, it served as an incentive to turn his team into an invincible army.
He directed with iron hand the enormous quarry of his country and over the criticisms of his methods, even cruel, he took full advantage to continue in the sport of the world's fastest team the successes of the USSR since his return to Olympism in the decade of the 50. With the Soviet disintegration came the decline and not even he, after the stampede of players to the NHL, the American professional league, could win a medal in the following games of Lillehammer 94, and left the post. I could not have the same absolute control. Afterwards, Russia just scored one silver in Nagano 98 and one bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002. Then, nothing. This year, in Sochi, live, there was the last total disaster barely alleviated a few months later in May with a world title in Minsk (Belarus). But he never knows the same thing, because it is disputed in the middle of the NHL playoffs, that he does not make another hole in his calendar so that all the best are there. The 6-1 rematch over the United States, for example, was only symbolic and almost unnoticed.
The ice colonel, on the other hand, could always add to his technical quality a plethora of extraordinary players at the time. Without them full-time, it would have been difficult for them to achieve success. They could be summarized in the famous KLM, acronyms of the surnames of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, and to which we could perfectly add the F of Vyacheslav Fetisov. Tijonov was a true merciless tamer, with disciplines only possible to impose on totalitarian regimes and a tight control to prevent escapes in those times towards the NHL dollars. If he suspected players who could escape in a tournament, he would not call them. Even so, before the Perestroika opened the doors, some escaped him. Larionov even publicly denounced his harsh methods in a magazine: "We suffered constant insults and humiliations. We lived 11 months a year in a training camp, isolated from the world, in barracks. Even those of us who were married. It was a miracle that our women became pregnant ... "
Tijonov continued training until 10 years ago. But it was not the same. Many walls had fallen.
Defender of elite in its beginnings like player, only really reached the top of the hockey in the benches after beginning like second trainer in the Dynamo of Moscow and in the national equipment that gained in Grenoble 68 an Olympic title more. In 1977, when the USSR had already won five of the six golds played since the first in Cortina d'Ampezzo 56, it reached a double leadership: in the national team, and in CSKA, the army club, which would also be with him a total dominator: 13 consecutive European and national titles. The colonel, a range awarded for being a coach, began his almost unstoppable career.
It did not take long to follow the "razzia" of world championships achieved equally by the Soviets, but his Olympic debut, however, was one of the emblematic failures of sport of all time. Great favorite in 1980 with the team of undercover professionals that allowed the Eastern European countries to dominate the great competitions before the Fall of the Wall, lost in an amazing way against the United States, 4-2, the decisive match. Interestingly, the story was repeated 20 years earlier, when the Soviets also fell to the hosts in the previous Games in North American territory, the Californians of Squaw Valley 60. But the impact of Lake Placid, in the state of New York, was infinitely greater.In fact, the victory is still considered one of the largest in American sport in its history. The reasons were obvious. For the television coverage and for the convulsive economic and political situation that patriotism had against the "soviets" in one of its high points. Especially, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan by which even President Jimmy Carter boycotted the Moscow Summer Games a few months later.
Tijonov lost that battle on ice and was especially criticized for replacing the goalkeeper, the most charismatic and no less legendary player, Vladislav Tretiak, after the first period. The current president of the Russian Federation, already gold in Sapporo 72 and Innsbruck 76, closed the wound to be able to win after Sarajevo 84, his third Games, the first technician as a rematch. Now, after praising his achievements, Tretiak has confessed that the hospital was still talking about how to return Russia to the highest level. In the current selection of Sochi and the World Cup has played another Tijonov. His grandson of the same name, who plays in the SKA St. Petersburg after having passed through the Arizona Coyotes in the United States. Viktor has lost in just one year his grandfather and his father, because he, also a coach, died after a fall in his apartment. Vassili Tijonov came to work as a second coach at the San Jose Sharks, but he must have always been sorry for the long shadow of his father. And his death was perhaps another nail in the coffin of the already elderly colonel.
