Evgeny Tarasov hockey coach. Anatoly Tarasov: biography, personal life. The Last of the Mohicans - Viktor Tikhonov

Anatoly Tarasov was considered the “father of Russian hockey” and the best coach in world history. And at the same time, he was distinguished by his wayward character.

Letter "T"

Tarasov's coaching career began in 1947, when he headed the Moscow FC VVS, becoming a player-coach. At the end of the season, however, after Tarasov left, the team took last place in the first group of the USSR Championship, and Tarasov went to CSKA and immediately became a champion there. There were no surnames on the sweaters and T-shirts of Soviet athletes - only the numbers under which they competed. Tarasov became the first to order and wear personalized clothing with the letter “T”. Trainer? Tarasov? Many deciphered it differently: “Tyrant.” The difficult character of Tarasov the coach has become no less legendary than his achievements.

"Summoning"

Soviet hockey player, participant in the 1972 Super Series, Yuri Blinov, who showed great promise in various sports in his youth, recalled under what circumstances he chose hockey: “Four generals came for me, a kid. They took him to the dacha of the Minister of Defense. I come in, and there is Tarasov: “What are you going to play?” I answer: “Football.” - “And I say: hockey.” - “And I say: football.” Andrei Antonovich Grechko, Minister of Defense, butted in: “Tolik, why is he talking to you like that? Let's go to part of it."

For many years, Tarasov created the “red car” relying on the enormous resources of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The best young players were lured away from other teams through “drafting,” and the military also had other levers of influence over athletes.

Argued with journalists

Like many great coaches, Tarasov had a bad relationship with journalists. Even Soviet ones. The most significant episode occurred in 1967, when, on the initiative of Tarasov, the country's leading sports journalist Evgeny Rubin - a future emigrant, a character in some of Dovlatov's stories - was deprived of the right to cover the World Cup in Vienna.

Tarasov and Rubin made peace after the matches of the 72 Super Series. In his note, the principled Rubin reminded readers that most Soviet hockey players were trained by Anatoly Tarasov, and Tarasov appreciated this.

“... stood up for the honor of army sports”

On May 11, 1969, due to Tarasov’s fault, the most scandalous game in the history of the USSR hockey championships took place. Contrary to today's ideas, CSKA's hegemony in the domestic championship was not total at all. Moscow's Spartak provided decent resistance to the army team, and the meetings between the two teams were a real highlight of the championship. So that day, about 14 thousand spectators came to the Luzhniki Sports Palace, including the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev.
The army team lost 1:2. In the final part of the match, before the last change of goal (then there was a rule to change courts in the middle of the third period), they managed to equalize, but this was done after the referee's whistle. The goal was not counted. Tarasov lost his temper and sent the team to the locker room. The pause lasted half an hour. The television broadcast was disrupted. Whoever tried to persuade Tarasov to return the players to the ice - to no avail.
But the great coach got away with this demarche. He was slightly scolded and even deprived of the honorary title “Honored Coach of the USSR.” The title was soon returned, and Defense Minister Andrei Grechko allegedly even awarded him a personalized weapon: “For standing up for the honor of army sports.”

“We don’t need this kind of hockey!”

In January 1970, Komsomolskaya Pravda published an article by Anatoly Tarasov, “Is this hockey?”, which caused a lot of noise, in which the Soviet specialist criticized the NHL. In those years, it seemed to many Soviet sports functionaries that domestic hockey could develop successfully without meetings with players from the world’s leading league. Tarasov publicly joined this opinion. Later, he would radically change his views, but, one way or another, the opinion that Tarasov dreamed of defeating Canadian professionals for many years and was preparing Soviet hockey players for these victories is not true.

Damansky-Nedomansky

After the events of the Prague Spring, hockey meetings between the national teams of the USSR and Czechoslovakia acquired particular urgency and principle. Mutual anger and hatred spilled out onto the ice rink. In the late 60s, a joke became popular: “The Soviet Union has two problems - Damansky and Nedomansky.” Damansky is a disputed island on the border of the USSR and China, Vaclav Nedomansky is an outstanding hockey player, leader of the Czechoslovak national team. It was he who was covered with a three-story mat by Anatoly Tarasov during the decisive match at the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo.

It must be admitted that the great hockey specialist, standing on the captain's bridge, was not particularly distinguished by his gentlemanly behavior. In that match too, he regularly provoked the Czech. Unable to restrain himself, Nedomansky hit Tarasov’s assistant, Arkady Chernyshev. This ugly episode became one of the most scandalous in the history of Olympic hockey tournaments.

Took 13th place

Having finished with big hockey, in 1975 Tarasov took over the leadership of the football team CSKA. But either his coaching genius extended only to hockey, or, as Tarasov’s ill-wishers slandered, the omnipotence of the Ministry of Defense did not extend to football, but in this path Tarasov faced complete failure. The army team took 13th place and almost flew out of the Major League, and Tarasov was soon relieved of his position.

The biography of Anatoly Tarasov is described in detail in this article. This is a famous Soviet football and hockey player, as well as a coach in these sports. He is considered the “father of Russian hockey,” since it was he who made the Soviet team one of the strongest on the planet. Together with Arkady Chernyshev, he achieved a record that has been unsurpassed to this day. Over the course of 9 years of his leadership, the USSR national team managed to win all the international tournaments in which it participated.

Childhood and youth

When talking about the biography of Anatoly Tarasov, you need to start with the fact that he was born in 1918. The hero of our article was born in Moscow.

His fate was not easy. When he was only 9 years old, his father died. Mom worked as a seamstress-machine operator and disappeared for a long time at work, so it was Anatoly who had to try on the role of the eldest man in the house.

The biography of Anatoly Tarasov is very interesting. The family lived not far from the Dynamo sports complex, which at that time was just beginning to be built. Therefore, Anatoly and his younger brother decided to enroll in the Young Dynamo hockey school. Tarasov himself was always distinguished by his persistent and ambitious character, so he easily achieved success. Soon he became the leader of the Dynamo youth team and its captain, and led the Moscow national team.

Early career

The sports biography of Anatoly Tarasov in those years developed very successfully. It is interesting that in those years all Soviet athletes simultaneously played football in the summer and hockey when it got cold.

In 1937, young Tarasov ended up in the capital's SKIF team. And he constantly began to receive playing practice in Dynamo Odessa, to which he moved in 1939. For his new club, Tarasov played 11 matches, in which he scored 3 goals. But I couldn’t help the team. Odessa "Dynamo" failed the season in the Major League of the USSR Championship. In 26 matches, the team suffered 17 defeats, finishing last in the standings.

But they paid attention to the promising Tarasov. Already in 1940 he began as part of the CDKA. As in Odessa, he played as a striker, but failed to gain a foothold in the starting lineup. During the entire season he played 6 games without scoring a single performance. His team finished in 4th place.

During the war

The hero of our article began the 1941 season as part of the Red Army team from Moscow. But that season was never completed due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. Of the 9 matches of the Red Army, Tarasov managed to take part in two.

In 1941, Tarasov immediately went to the front. He finished serving with the rank of major in the internal troops. Immediately after the war in 1945, his candidacy was recommended as a mentor for the sports club of the Air Force of the capital's military district. Tarasov began simultaneously coaching hockey and football teams, while remaining a player himself.

Coaching successes

Tarasov achieved the greatest success in his career as a hockey coach. In 1948, he became the USSR hockey champion at the head of CSKA.

This was only the second championship in the history of Soviet hockey; for CSKA the season turned out to be truly outstanding. In 18 matches the team won 16 victories. Its main stars were playing coach Anatoly Tarasov and forward Vsevolod Bobrov, who scored 52 goals against the opponents. On average almost 3 goals per game.

The following year the team managed to repeat this success. Many became interested in the biography of coach Anatoly Tarasov, since he had already become a two-time USSR hockey champion. The victory in the 1948/49 season was almost as confident. Just one loss all season. True, Bobrov concedes the championship of the best scorer to Alexey Guryshev from the Moscow “Wings of the Soviets”.

In the 1949/50 season, CSKA lost twice during the season, but this did not prevent the team from becoming the national champion for the third time in a row. Hockey coach Anatoly Tarasov, whose biography is given in this article, is celebrating another triumph. Bobrov regains the title of top scorer, scoring 36 goals.

End of player's career

Tarasov said goodbye to his playing career in 1950, concentrating on coaching. He remained at the head of CSKA until 1974, with several short breaks.

During this time, he managed to become the USSR hockey champion 14 more times and win the USSR Cup 8 times.

In the national team

Anatoly Tarasov, whose biography you are now reading, became the senior coach of the USSR national team in 1957. Since 1962, he was listed as the coach of the national team, helping Arkady Chernyshev.

Under his leadership, the team twice won silver medals at the World Hockey Championships. In 1958 in Norway, the USSR national team won 5 victories in 7 matches (then everything was limited to the group tournament), playing only in a draw with the Czechs (4:4) and losing to the Canadians (2:4).

The following year, in Czechoslovakia, Soviet hockey players confidently defeated their opponents in Group B - the Americans (5:3), the Norwegians (13:1) and the GDR team (6:1). In the final round, he wins 4 times in 5 games, again losing only to the Canadians - 1:3.

In 1960, at the Winter Olympics, the USSR team beat Germany (8:0) and Finland (8:4) in the group stage. But the final bullet is unsuccessful. Only the Czechs (8:5) and the Federal Republic of Germany (7:1) manage to win, with the Swedes a draw - 2:2, but Soviet hockey players lose to Canada and the USA - 5:8 and 2:3, respectively. The result is bronze medals.

Success as a second coach

Tarasov’s career as the second coach of the national team was much more successful. Already at the 1964 Olympic Games he has no equal, defeating Switzerland 15:0, Finland and Germany 10:0, USA 5:1, Canada 3:2, Czechoslovakia 7:5 and Sweden 4:2.

After this triumph, the coaching tandem of Chernyshev and Tarasov won two more Winter Olympics.

In 1968 in France, the Soviet team was not even stopped by a 4:5 defeat from the Czechs; they still managed to win gold, and in 1972, in the final pool, the USSR team won 4 out of 5 matches, only once drawing with Sweden 3:3.

The Soviet team had no equal during this period and at the World Hockey Championships. From 1963 to 1971, not a single failure.

Tarasov himself is remembered by many as a brave and sometimes adventurous person. In 1975, being a famous hockey coach, he accepted the offer to head the football team CSKA.

A year earlier, the army team took 13th place in the Major League, and high hopes were pinned on Tarasov. In 30 matches they managed to win only 6 times, repeating last year's result - again 13th place.

At the same time, Tarasov will also remain in the history of domestic sports as the founder of one of the most popular children's tournaments - the Golden Puck.

In 1974, the hero of our article was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto. He died in 1995 in Moscow. Tarasov was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

Personal life

The biography and personal life of Anatoly Tarasov has always been of interest to his many fans and journalists. His wife's name was Nina Grigorievna. They had two daughters - Galina and Tatyana.

When talking about the biography of Anatoly Tarasov, a photo of the family is always the center of attention. His youngest daughter Tatyana became, perhaps, no less popular than her father. Moreover, she also became famous in a winter sport - figure skating.

She performed in pairs with Georgy Proskurin. The athletes won the 1966 Winter Universiade and won silver and bronze at the USSR championships. But as a coach, Tatyana Tarasova became one of the most famous specialists. Among her students are such stars as Irina Rodnina, Alexey Yagudin, Maxim Kovtun, Sasha Cohen.

In total, her students won 41 gold medals at the World and European Championships, and also won 7 victories at the Winter Olympic Games in various disciplines.

- (December 10, 1918 Moscow June 23, 1995, ibid.). One of the founders of the national school of ice hockey; Honored Master of Sports (1949); Honored Coach of the USSR (1957). Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. coach of the Moscow team CSKA (1947 75)… …

- (1918 95) Russian athlete and coach, one of the founders of the national school of ice hockey, Honored Master of Sports (1949), Honored Coach of the USSR (1957), Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. Champion of the USSR in 1948 50. In 1958 72 (with a break) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (b. 12/10/1918, Moscow), Soviet athlete, one of the founders of the Soviet school of ice hockey, Honored Master of Sports (1949), Honored Coach of the USSR (1957), Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences (1971), Colonel. Member of the CPSU since 1945. In 1948 72... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Tarasov, Anatoly Vladimirovich- Anatoly Vladimirovich TARASOV (1918 1995), Russian athlete and coach, one of the founders of the national school of ice hockey. Forward for a number of army teams (1946 53), including CDKA (1947 53); 3-time champion of the USSR (1948 50).… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1918 1995), one of the founders of the national school of ice hockey, Honored Master of Sports (1949), Honored Coach of the USSR (1957), Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. Champion of the USSR in 1948 50. In 1948 72 (with a break) coach of the USSR national team ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Genus. 1918, d. 1995. Coach, one of the founders of Soviet ice hockey. In sports since the late 20s. He studied at the Higher School of Coaches at the Moscow Institute of Physical Education. Worked with the CDKA team (later CDSA, CSKA) (1947 75, until 1953 ... Large biographical encyclopedia

- (1918, Moscow 1995, ibid.), athlete and coach, one of the founders of the national ice hockey school, Honored Master of Sports (1949), Honored Coach of the USSR (1957). In 1946 he made his debut in the team of the Moscow Military Air Force... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

- ... Wikipedia

Anatoly Vladimirovich (1918 1995), Russian athlete and coach, one of the founders of the national school of ice hockey. Forward for a number of army teams (1946 53), including CDKA (1947 53); 3-time champion of the USSR (1948 50). CSKA coach... ... Modern encyclopedia

Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov (December 10, 1918, Moscow - June 23, 1995, Moscow) - Russian hockey player, football player and coach in these sports. Encyclopedia Britannica calls Tarasov “the father of Russian hockey,” who made the USSR “the dominant force in international competition.”

Life and career

When Tarasov was only 9 years old, his father died. At that time, the mother of the future coach worked as a seamstress-machine operator. The family lived not far from the Dynamo sports complex, so Anatoly and his brother Yuri enrolled in the Young Dynamo hockey school. He soon became the leader of the Dynamo youth hockey team, and then the capital’s national team.

1937 - entered the Higher School of Coaches, which operated at the Moscow Institute of Physical Education. Before the war, Anatoly Tarasov also managed to play football.

1939 – was in group “A” in Dynamo Odessa. During World War II, Tarasov received the rank of major.

1947 – coached the Moscow Air Force FC. In addition, he was a player-coach of CSKA.

1948-1950 - USSR champion in hockey. In total, Tarasov played 100 matches, during which he scored 106 goals.

After finishing playing, he remained the head coach of CDKA, CSK MO, CDSA, CSKA. During this time, he repeatedly won the titles of USSR champion and USSR Cup winner.

1958-1960 - senior coach of the Soviet hockey team. Under his leadership, the Soviet team became:

3rd prize-winner of the Olympic Olympics (World Championships);
2nd prize-winner of the World Championship;
European champion.

1961-1972 - coach of the USSR national team. The head coach at that time was A. Chernyshev. As a coach, Tarasov led the USSR hockey team to the title of champion:

Winter Olympic Games;
world championships;
European Championships.

Together with A. Chernyshev, he set an unsurpassed record - for 9 years in a row (1963-1971), the Soviet ice hockey team became the champion of all international tournaments.
1975 - became the coach of football CSKA. But he took only 13th place in the Major League, so he was fired.

Tarasov's daughter Tatyana became a famous figure skating coach.

Anatoly Tarasov is the founder of the Golden Puck youth tournament.

In 1974, the famous Russian coach was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Canada. In 1997, he was one of the first to be inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame. A division of the Kontinental Hockey League is named in honor of Tarasov.

The famous coach created a special women's committee at CSKA. It included the spouses of hockey players. Anatoly Vladimirovich based his work with the female sex on their passion for beautiful things, which at that time could only be purchased abroad. As soon as some hockey player reduced his activity or even went on a spree, a women’s council was convened. Tarasov had conversations with the athletes’ wives that went something like this: “It seems to me that some husbands (specific names were mentioned) like your dresses from last year, and they do not want to update your wardrobe. Well, then there’s no need to fly to Canada, and with such a game, your husbands are unlikely to have enough money for new fur coats.” Such meetings were enough for members of the women's council to put appropriate pressure on the wives of the offending hockey players, and they, in turn, forced their husbands to carry out any coaching instructions.

On the screen, the image of Tarasov is embodied in such films as “Hockey Games” and “Legend No. 17.”

Tarasov wrote the following books:

“For children about hockey”;
“Hockey without secrets”;
"Hockey Tactics";
"The path to yourself"
"Hockey of the Future"

Grateful admirers and insidious envious people. They surrounded the legendary specialist all his life. And they made up myths, one more beautiful than the other...

Myths about Tarasov

The beginning of the sixties in our hockey is like the beginning of a new era. The first steps on the international stage, the first successes and disappointments are behind us. The political world was covered by the Cuban missile crisis. The first man flew into space. And the USSR national team, after a series of failures, refused to participate in the next World Championship in 1962, which the American Colorado Springs was preparing to host. The US State Department refused to issue entry visas to East German hockey players due to the construction of the Berlin Wall in that country, which, according to the American leadership, violated human rights. These were the realities. However, little has changed now.

This time became a watershed in our hockey. I have already written about the “turmoil” in the strongest team in the country.

If we take an example from the relationship between the players of CSKA and Tarasov, the times of the “Troubles”, then one cannot help but take into account the fact that in many ways the players’ dissatisfaction was due to the manifestation of the despotic nature of the mentor, who put loads on the players that were unbearable, in their opinion, and... harshly punished for doing so called regime violations. Everyone understands what is hidden behind this formulation. And it’s even more understandable why, having received a “easing of the regime,” the team eventually “collapsed.”

Can we blame Tarasov for this confrontation? Don't think. Do you want results? Don't interfere with your work. Dot.

The most eloquent example is the legendary defender of that time, and at the same time one of the leaders of the “conspirators” - Ivan Tregubov. After the 1961-62 championship, Tarasov expelled him from the team. For a moment - a hockey player, just a year ago recognized as the best defenseman of the world championship. Formally - for frequent violations of the regime, informally - for opposition to the mentor. The need to cut to the quick - Tarasov clearly understood this for himself.

One way or another, Ivan Tregubov was unable to continue his career at a high level, in other teams, without strict control. And even a great democrat, such as Khimik’s coach, Nikolai Semenovich Epstein, after a certain time, also had to part with Tregubov. The coach never found the keys to the once famous hockey player.

The result of this confrontation is that Anatoly Tarasov received practically a new team under his leadership for years.

However, the sixties were not entirely red and blue. Moscow Spartak provided very serious competition to the army team. And it is not at all surprising that Anatoly Tarasov, who always strives for victory in all competitions, received a very serious irritant in the person of the red and white. And any successes of the hockey players of the trade union team, even within the national team of the country, only intensified the confrontation.

I have already mentioned that the transition to the army camp of Anatoly Firsov during the period of the largest “recruitment” of CSKA in the period 1962-63 became largely decisive. Yes, in addition to Firsov, several other very strong hockey players joined the army squad. But the fact that Spartak was Anatoly’s former club, as well as the championship of the red and white team in the 1961-62 championship, made this fact very piquant.

But even this fact did not save Tarasov from losing the championship to Spartak in the late sixties. Moreover, the trade union club had much more modest conditions for attracting talented juniors to its team. Plus, the army team’s attempts to lure Spartak’s young leaders into their club, in particular Alexander Yakushev, who was being hunted until the mid-seventies, constantly added “fuel to the fire.”

By that time, CSKA, largely through the efforts of Tarasov, had built a whole scheme for attracting young hockey players to the club. Of course, it was not as streamlined as in the eighties, but it had a very serious structure.

A colonel named May served in the central military registration and enlistment office, who was responsible for ensuring that all hockey players were included in a special directive and were, as they say at CSKA, “under the hood.” At a certain time, Tarasov could call this or that player to the team “for trial”. Or he could have exiled the obstinate hockey player somewhere “near Khabarovsk.” History is silent about how many were actually sent in this way. But the fact that Anatoly Vladimirovich made many enemies for himself suggests that it was not only the constant victories of the army team that irritated those around him.

The desire to have all the best on your team after the “troubles” only increased. I mentioned the three railway workers - Nikolay Snetkov - Viktor Yakushev - Viktor Tsyplakov, who were saved from moving to CSKA only by the intervention of the Minister of Railways. Exactly the same story happened with the leading trio of Gorky Torpedo - Robert Sakharovsky - Igor Chistovsky - Lev Khalaichev.

Tarasov was very impressed by these guys. In the 1960-61 season, the Gorky team sensationally took silver in the championship, and the contribution of these guys to success, as well as goalkeeper Viktor Konovalenko, was very great. By the way, the previously mentioned Moscow Lokomotiv took bronze in that championship.

The talented Gorky residents, as well as the railway workers, were able to be defended not without the help of high party leaders. But here’s a very interesting fact - after 1962, none of the mentioned hockey players were called up to the national team for serious tournaments. Only the all-rounder Viktor Yakushev had his permanent place in the main team.

Let's return from club affairs to the national team. In 1962, Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov received an offer to become Arkady Chernyshev’s assistant in the USSR national team. In his book, he writes about the “conditional” division of responsibilities. That in the main team both specialists had equal spheres of influence. This is far from true. And by definition it couldn’t be like that. Considering Tarasov’s energy, if the question was posed in this way, he would simply crush his partner.

The motto - “to win - all means are good” - is the leitmotif of Anatoly Vladimirovich’s entire career. Again, this is all according to the morals and foundations of that time. According to the assigned tasks. Even if you had to go over your head.

Much has been written about the division of powers in the USSR national team. Basically, a lot of it is just speculation. Arkady Chernyshev was responsible for the result and direct management of the game. Anatoly Tarasov - for the training process. This is no longer news to anyone. But these powers were much broader.

Anatoly Vladimirovich could not simply limit himself to controlling the educational and training process. Too small for a figure of this size. And based on those decisions that have been known to everyone for many years, we can say with confidence that Tarasov had a very large influence on the composition of the team. Hence, sometimes the absence of players in the final list of the team who did not meet Tarasov’s personal parameters.

Moreover, here the influence of Arkady Chernyshev was to a much lesser extent. Suffice it to mention the preparations for the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

After the defeat at the previous Olympic Games, the next one was given great importance. Including for political reasons.

The national team played three attacking threes for the games. The composition of the lines did not raise any doubts, these were the first three leaders of Russian hockey - CSKA (Konstantin Loktev - Alexander Almetov - Veniamin Alexandrov), Spartak (Evgeny Mayorov - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Boris Mayorov) and Dynamo (Stanislav Petukhov - Vladimir Yurzinov - Yuri Volkov).

In friendly matches, other hockey players were also tested, in particular the railway workers already mentioned (Snetkov - Yakushev - Tsyplakov), but still the positions of the first three links remained unshakable. Army player Anatoly Firsov was the tenth forward. During the preparation process, however, Firsov received a place in the Dynamo line, leaving Petukhov as a reserve.

Shortly before the games, Dynamo center forward Vladimir Yurzinov received a painful blow to the body in a training match, which provoked an attack of appendicitis. Naturally, I had to give up my dreams of the Olympics, but after him, another Dynamo player, Yuri Volkov, was excluded from the national team. Anatoly Tarasov insisted on including army player Leonid Volkov in the team instead, who had previously played only two games in the national team.

Tarasov motivated his decision by the desire to have practiced combinations in the lineup. And Leonid Volkov played in the club with Anatoly Firsov. Together with them, the team consisted of Viktor Yakushev, for whom playing with different partners in the national team was nothing new.

Stanislav Petukhov went to the games as the tenth forward, and at the tournament he often played in the Spartak team instead of Evgeniy Mayorov. Here the inviolability of feigned connections turned out to be not so fundamental. Even then, Tarasov was “looking closely” at Evgeniy.

As we can see, Arkady Chernyshev did not in any way influence the presence of his club’s players in the national team. Which directly or indirectly indicates that there was a division of spheres of influence between the mentors of the main team.

In addition, from the stories of veterans I heard that Anatoly Vladimirovich, although he disagreed with any decision of the head coach, was never shy about visiting various offices, and signaled as best he could. Anatoly Vladimirovich had enviable energy. He could do anything to literally “push” the desired solution. It is possible that this circumstance was the reason why Chernyshev delegated the formation of the composition to him.

True, stating this fact, the explanation of the failure at the previous Olympic Games of 1960 in Squaw Valley, given by Anatoly Tarasov, looks somewhat ridiculous, the reason he called the composition of the team ... imposed on him contrary to his opinion.

There are no perfect people in the world. Some more, some less, fit the ideal, the exact criteria of which... do not exist. This is exactly where there are so many people, so many opinions.

Fulfilling the party's task - to make our hockey the strongest in the world, Tarasov never forgot about another task, the USSR Ministry of Defense - to make the CSKA team the strongest hockey club in the country. He is a communist and an officer. There is an order, and everything else is fantasy for ordinary people. But this is already history, and therefore we have a chance to reflect and even give our assessments. Conditional, of course.

The confrontation with Spartak, which had intensified by that time, led to the fact that in the next season Evgeniy Mayorov, who was rumored to be in excellent shape, was removed from the squad and replaced ... by army player Anatoly Ionov. But what about the notorious desire for fake connections?

Anatoly Vladimirovich himself explains this by saying that Evgeniy Mayorov lost speed, could not keep up with the actions of his partners and thereby pulled the link back. Made him less dangerous for his opponents. Tarasov’s opponents were sure that this was a simple settling of scores with Spartak, a team that caused him a lot of trouble.

Someone even quoted Tarasov’s words, expressed unofficially, that he did not want to play lines for his main rivals in the national team. Very plausible. Let’s remember for a minute - the senior coach of the national team is Arkady Chernyshev. Sometimes, having a large amount of information and the ability to analyze, you come to the conclusion that, nevertheless, there are no fewer questions.

One way or another, by 1965, the national team had a situation where there were army players in each of the three links. And attempts to replace one of them with a senior coach ran into fierce resistance from Tarasov, using various calculations, statistical conclusions and, if necessary, manifestations of personal resentment. He knew how to defend his interests very well.

At the same time, always remaining principled. After all, the story of Konstantin Loktev, whom Tarasov expelled from the national team before the 1963 World Cup, is very well known because he did not keep his word to quit smoking. What, he was the only one who smoked on the team? And was it so indecent a fact? Of course not. It’s just not about smoking as such, but about the fact that Loktev “GAVE HIS WORD” to his comrades... and did not keep it. And this, for Tarasov, was akin to betrayal.

“How can they go on reconnaissance with you if you...?” - and so on. Now many will not understand, and some will even twirl their finger at their temple...

But it happened, and this is our story.

To this day, army veterans consider Tarasov their teacher, father, and generally the main person in life. Representatives of other clubs, as a rule, perceive this information with irony...

Of course, one of the main reasons for success in those years was not even Tarasov’s famous training, but the fact that he knew how to establish discipline in the team. Because at all times our main enemy is “violations of the regime,” which ruined many talented hockey players. And the combination with the hardest training ultimately led to the fact that famous athletes often died very early.

But one can perhaps blame the eminent mentor for the lack of an individual approach. For some, dancing with Ragulin on your shoulders is a blessing - you will become a real hero, and... watch out, Canadians... but for others, it will simply kill the speed and ability to improvise. And as a result, we will get another good soldier - a thug who competently carries out the trainer’s tasks.

And there were many such cases. According to Tarasov - “if you can’t, get out of hockey.” And they left. Alexander Maltsev still notes that it’s a blessing that he didn’t end up in CSKA. The lion's share of the ability to improvise and create on the ice would come from muscles. Some may argue that Tarasov would not have given Maltsev any slack, and would have saved him from the inevitable problems that Alexander faced in the prime of his career. Very controversial. Do you think Vysotsky would have become the same Vysotsky if he had been forbidden to live the way he wanted? - “At least he would have remained alive” - they will object... and this is a completely different conversation. And far from grateful.

In this regard, the story of Veniamin Alexandrov is very eloquent. CSKA player, "Russian - Bobby Hull". A great scorer who didn't get the lion's share of his fame. In the 1962-63 national championship, he scored 53 goals against opponents, an achievement that has not been beaten to this day. The magnificent technician had a “deadly” throw, but did not like power struggles. As a result, Tarasov was soon accused of cowardice and unwillingness to help the defense.

Perhaps the forward reminded Anatoly Vladimirovich very much of Vsevolod Bobrov and their confrontation. One way or another, instead of developing Aleksandrov’s strong qualities, Tarasov limited him to the framework of collective hockey in his vision, after which Veniamin’s play sharply declined. He lived his life in hockey longer than his teammates in the trio - Konstantin Loktev and Alexander Almetov, but without his characteristic brilliance.

Isn't this an example of a lack of individual approach? And forgive me, I cannot call this a strong point of the eminent mentor. On the other hand, the same Vladislav Tretyak will tell many stories about how Tarasov tinkered with him, came up with various exercises, and as a result raised a goalkeeper, whom many called the strongest goalkeeper of the 20th century.

Where is the truth? I would not be surprised if truth as such does not exist in principle. Or, for everyone it is their own, like their own truth.

In creating an aura of greatness, fans often use various myths, which the authors intend to emphasize this greatness. And it often happens that these myths overshadow the very figure of the hero.

But Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov is, first of all, a man, with his own weaknesses and oddities. With your passions and your shortcomings. And you need to perceive him exactly as he is. First of all, so that his memory lives on, and we are grateful to him for what he really did for our hockey.

But it is not at all clear why certain forces needed to turn mistakes into achievements with the help of myths? Why create an icon out of a person who, in fact, he is not?

One of the most common myths is the discovery and upbringing of the national star - Valery Kharlamov. Based on this myth, an entire film was even created - “Legend 17”, replete with similar lyrics. Its main theme is that Tarasov saw a fantastically gifted hockey player, and decided to cultivate his character in order to get a master ready for any achievement. Fearless and perfect. He taught the mind to reason, put him in the goal and, in the end, sent him to Chebarkul to strengthen his character... Beautiful!

Why not just talk about the fact that Tarasov did not see Kharlamov point-blank, and sometimes openly mocked him so that he would leave and not get in the way? And he sent me to Chebarkul because he was sure that Valera couldn’t stand it there and would run away. And I forgot about him and didn’t remember if it weren’t for Kulagin, who was just working with little Valera and always believed in him. And he insisted that Kharlamov be given another chance at CSKA.

Why this ridiculous invention? Tarasov was simply mistaken. How many people are wrong. I didn't believe it. Didn't appreciate it. Why, out of a mistake, create a myth about his exceptional pedagogical flair? Do you think the new generation will appreciate it? Yes, the more such fantasies, the more people will consider the Red Machine a fairy tale. A well-combed fairy tale.

And Tarasov is not at all the figure who needs such “folk art”. He has enough strengths to take his rightful place in hockey history.

Why not just tell us that Tarasov loved his Motherland very much, and therefore hated everyone who interferes with our victories. Skewed? Yes, it's skewed. And which of the outstanding ones does not have them?

Hence the shouts, like “fascist”, in the back of Josef Golonka. I don’t think Tarasov really considered him that way. Emotions just went off scale, and Anatoly Vladimirovich is quite an expressive figure. And what is most difficult to suspect an eminent mentor of is liberalism and mercy.

Another very beautiful story described in the magazine “Sports Games” in the late eighties. Then a series of articles was published based on the book by Robert Bakalar - “The Lost Years”, translated by Semyon Vaikhansky, dedicated to the Czechoslovak hockey players, world champions, who in 1950, on trumped-up charges of high treason, were arrested and sent to prison. The article talks about the difficult fate of hockey players, including the famous goalkeeper Boguslav Modra, who, upon leaving prison, was frankly forgotten by everyone.

So the article says that Tarasov, visiting Czechoslovakia, helped the Modra family a lot, and on occasion shamed Czechoslovak officials for their callous attitude towards the legend, who left a huge mark on the history of hockey.

Either these were “miracles of translation”, or a trend of the time when the myth production machine was working at full capacity, but, as my friends from the Czech Republic noted, there is nothing like that in the book. And it couldn’t have been, considering that Tarasov never liked Czechoslovak athletes, and they responded to him “in return.” Moreover, Anatoly Vladimirovich was known as an ardent communist, and the repressed athletes were perceived by the regime as nothing more than enemies of the system.

It’s no secret that Anatoly Vladimirovich had plenty of enemies.

And enemies, and of course friends. Both of them were very influential. Some did not allow his return to big hockey, others made him a legend, the father of hockey in Rus'. Some at various levels tried to undermine his authority, others mercilessly crushed those who criticized him.

Unwillingness to lose, intransigence in everything. The story of Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov’s demarche in the decisive match of the 1969 national championship with the capital’s Spartak is well known, in which the army coach, disagreeing with the referees’ decision, took the team to the locker room. The match was eventually completed, and CSKA was defeated, but Tarasov was not forgotten.

Is it any wonder that this story became a kind of catalyst for the process? Then they wanted to make the most of this situation. Getting even with Tarasov once and for all.

On May 12, 1969, a devastating article appeared in the Pravda newspaper, authored by journalists Vladimir Dvortsov, Evgeny Rubin and commentator Nikolai Ozerov. It was called “Farewell to hockey at the beginning of May.” In it, Tarasov’s activities and mistakes were, as they say, “disassembled to the bones.”

Tarasov always paid for his mistakes himself. And he paid in full. Anatoly Vladimirovich, soon after the scandal, was deprived of the title of Honored Coach of the USSR, but remained the coach of CSKA and the national team. Then, after another international title, the title was returned, and after another couple of years, no one except the authors remembered the article in the newspaper.

But Tarasov never forgot his enemies.

A very eloquent example here is journalist Evgeny Rubin, who was an opponent of Tarasov throughout his career, and called him nothing less than “villain.” For which he eventually became an outcast, and who, due to constant persecution and the inability to do his favorite thing, had to leave the country.

To be fair, it should be noted that it was 1978, and Tarasov no longer held a high position, either in the national team or in CSKA. It was also a time when the departure of dissidents became very popular, as did the deprivation of their citizenship by the USSR authorities. Many people left: singers, artists, writers, directors... journalists. Mostly Jews. It just so happened...

“Who is right and who is wrong is not for us to judge...” Almost like in Krylov’s fable. Everyone had their own reasons, and I am just stating a fact. We only know that almost no one regretted their decision. Including Ruby. They say that he was even grateful to Tarasov for such a change in his life, no matter how paradoxical it may sound.

In the history of Russian hockey, Anatoly Tarasov remains as a talented propagandist and motivator. It is known that he even had a nickname - “sickle-hammer.” All kinds of adjustments and “pumping” before the match and during it, this is Tarasov’s strong point.

The myth about Anatoly Vladimirovich singing in the locker room is very well known. More precisely, not so much about singing as such, but about the reaction to it.

World Championship. Decisive game. Our team is losing. During the break, all hockey players are in a depressed mood. Nobody knows the way out of a difficult situation and a way to turn the tide of the fight in their favor. And then Tarasov enters the locker room and begins to sing the anthem of the Soviet Union. After that, the team seemed to have wings behind its back. They entered the decisive period of the match and literally tore apart the opponent, winning yet another gold medal.

Vladislav Tretyak wrote about this in particular:

- “The honest truth! Just in that very year 1971. Only this was not in Bern, but in Geneva, in a match with the Swedes. We lost... We thought the coach would make us angry after the first period. And he sat down on the bench and began to sing the Anthem of the Soviet Union. We were stunned: “If my dad started singing, we now have to tear the Swedes into pieces.” They jumped onto the ice like crazy and defeated Tre Krunur.

Vyacheslav Fetisov recalls:

- “One day he came to the 1978 World Youth Championships in Quebec. Final round, match with Canada. And so Tarasov goes down to the locker room during the break. He is wearing an Olympic fur coat, takes off his fur hat, hands at his sides - and begins to sing the anthem of the Soviet Union! After that, we defeated Gretzky and his comrades (3:2), and in the final we tore the Swedes apart (5:2)..."

The story will work for any novel. Only the variations of such stories are different. Either he sang the anthem, then “Internationale”, then “Black Raven”... Moreover, the hockey players themselves are usually confused in their memories. Bibliographers know everything.

The truth has only recently emerged.

During a break in an unsuccessful match, the senior coach of the national team, Arkady Chernyshev, carried out the installation... as Tarasov bursts in and begins to sing the anthem of the Soviet Union! Everyone fell silent and listened to the end. After which Chernyshev’s words were heard: “Well, you b... singer, don’t bother me working...” - everyone laughed. The team relaxed psychologically and won.

It seems like he sang, and the result is the same... but the difference, you see, is huge.

Yes, everyone fought for their country, honestly and fearlessly, but these were simple guys with simple desires in life, and not ideological fighters for communism throughout the world. These are the myths I don’t want to hear about most of all.

A very difficult issue with Tarasov leaving the national team together with Chernyshev after the victorious Olympic Games in Sapporo. It is not at all so clear cut. And this story is still very interesting to hockey fans.

This is a real haven for those who like to write myths.

The most common one is the one that many publications vying with each other, and which, excuse me, simply oozes ignorance. The gist of it is that Tarasov and Chernyshev allegedly received orders from the country's leadership to concede to the Czechoslovakian team at the Olympics, a team from the socialist camp, so that they could bypass the US team in the table and win silver medals.

Our coaches, “accustomed to winning,” disobeyed the order from above and beat the Czechoslovak athletes, for which they were then expelled from the national team.

In this version, what surprises me more is not the fact of its appearance, because there have been more delusional stories, but the fact that it was so easily adopted by various publicists writing about hockey. After all, there is no logic or common sense here. The Czechoslovakian national team of those years was the main irritant for Soviet hockey players, and the matches between our teams were very tense. And several times the victory in the world championships was, let’s say, “hanging by a thread.” Plus, there is a pronounced political aspect.

The version that sounds even more ridiculous is that there, at the top, it was decided to lose the World Championship, which was supposed to be held in Prague, to the home team, a couple of months after the Olympic Games. And the leader of Czechoslovakia, Gustav Husak, allegedly personally asked Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev about this. In order to strengthen the friendship between our countries. After all, our team already has a more prestigious title – the Olympic one. And ten victories in a row on the world stage can easily cover up a possible failure.

But, knowing the obstinacy of the national team’s coaching staff, the management was not confident in solving the task, so they decided not to risk it and sent a new coaching team to the world championship - Vsevolod Bobrov and Nikolai Puchkov.

That is, Vsevolod Mikhailovich Bobrov is loyal and efficient. Did he lose voluntarily in order to immediately show himself as a zero in the coaching business, against the backdrop of his antagonist Tarasov? To label yourself a loser where Tarasov was the first for ten years in a row?

I will believe in anything, but not this.

The strength of the Czechoslovakian national team then grew every year, and sometimes only a lack of proper concentration prevented them from winning the championship title. Having beaten our team several times, in the decisive matches they were no longer so motivated or were extremely exhausted from playing against our hockey players. This happened again at the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble and at the 1969 World Championships in Stockholm. Having beaten our team, the Czechoslovak hockey players then lost to the Swedish team both times. And at the 1971 championship in Switzerland, having beaten ours again and winning the title of European champions, they lost the world title, losing the match to the US team.

Our team lost to a very strong opponent on the Prague ice. Lost with the new coaching staff. All this gave impetus to all sorts of inventions.

There was also a version according to which the organizers of the world championship in Prague asked our federation not to send Anatoly Tarasov to the championship in order to avoid various excesses. Because with his behavior he provokes Czechoslovak athletes, and as a result they cannot guarantee the safety of our team, especially considering the negative sentiments after the events of four years ago.

I can't help but mention one more version. According to it, Arkady Chernyshev and Anatoly Tarasov understood that every year, victory was becoming more and more difficult, and sometimes only a miracle allowed our hockey players to retain the title of champions. And ahead was the championship in Prague, where the hosts would be extremely motivated, and it would be extremely difficult to win there. Therefore, our mentor duo decided to leave undefeated.

In general, everything is limited only by imagination. Some write about the reluctance to lose, some about the fear of losing, and some about elementary fatigue, and the decision they made was completely voluntary and deliberate.

Others went further and told the world that Colonel Tarasov, after the Sapporo games, really wanted to receive the rank of general. And he set this desire as a condition for continuing to work in the national team. In the name of this, he went for what is called “all-in”, and, as often happens in such cases, he lost.

What really happened? I'm afraid there is simply no clear answer to this question. As we know, there is no smoke without fire. And if you exclude the most ridiculous versions, and combine the rest into a single whole, then you can get a more or less real result. Plus, the hockey management was already fed up with Tarasov’s various antics, and the idea of change had been floating around for several years.

The most interesting thing is that the new coaching staff of the national team, having accepted the team, refused the services of Anatoly Firsov, whose hockey player Anatoly Vladimirovich loved very much. And in this regard, there is an unpleasant story that Tarasov, through the team players, tried to influence the new coaching staff, in particular in personnel matters.

In particular, a very interesting document signed by the then head of the sports games department, Valentin Lukich Sych, is available. In it, he raises the issue of Tarasov’s interference in the work of the new national team coaches. What is this, a statement of fact or intrigue to settle old scores? The document is quite unpleasant in any case.

Lovers of myths love to celebrate tactical innovations that supposedly revolutionized hockey. And without ever naming them. The only thing that comes to my mind is the playing system invented by Tarasov with two forwards, two midfielders and one defender, which he actively implemented and for which he saw the future. Tarasov called his new product the system.

According to this system, the team played mainly on the line of Anatoly Firsov with Vladimir Vikulov and Viktor Polupanov. The trio also tried out the new product: Anatoly Ionov – Yuri Moiseev – Evgeniy Mishakov.

In his books, Anatoly Vladimirovich describes in detail the advantages of the new scheme, and also supports all this with statistical comparisons. Quite convincing, however. True, after Tarasov left the national team, no one began to develop this. And I don't remember anyone else trying it. With universal love for Tarasov’s work.

And no one is able to say what it was - a look into the 21st century, or just a delusion?

Later, one of the hockey players who took part in this experiment was asked about the system, and his opinion... - “Yes, all this is nonsense...” answered the veteran, “They played so as not to offend the master...”.

Add a little romance? Well, first of all, CSKA had a tangible advantage over other teams in the physical condition of the players. Tarasov could not help but use this. He came up with a tactic that many hockey players called “psychic attack.” The essence of it was to suppress the opponent in the first minutes of the match due to the intense tempo and body play, and already in the first period have a handicap of two or three goals. The advantage gained at the beginning of the match made it possible to control the course of the game and, by varying tactical formations, bring the match to victory.

Of course, the functional training of the team plays a huge role. Here Tarasov had no equal. Moreover, you train players of the highest talent, such as Tarasov had at CSKA. And here Anatoly Vladimirovich’s tactics for matches are very well understood - to stun, break through, push through...

The same Nikolai Semenovich Epstein at Khimik, whatever one may say, did not have enough high-class performers for such tactics. Hence all kinds of games of kickback, traps, etc. And this often brought success. What would Tarasov come up with if he worked on a Chemist class team? How could things have turned out for Epstein at CSKA?

We won't know the answer to this question. And without it, thinking about the genius of this or that specialist is essentially a conversation about nothing. Order beats class - this was precisely the philosophy of early Tarasov. It was not possible to see the result in practice. Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov came very close to this during his time as the head of Dynamo Riga, but he also did not reach the heights with average-level hockey players.

In 1975, Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov, the first of the Russian players and specialists, was elected a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is located in Toronto. It was this circumstance that prompted lovers to create new myths, one more beautiful than the other.

Why was Tarasov the only Soviet specialist worthy of attention? Did our coach's achievements influence Canadian voters that much? Is it really true, according to the founders of hockey, that Tarasov is head and shoulders above all his colleagues in his role?

And the answer turned out to be simple. Not only hockey players and coaches are elected to the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame, but also functionaries and other people who have contributed to the development of hockey. Tarasov’s coaching achievements are practically nothing for Canada, but he is highly respected for his books on hockey theory and tactics. Methodological materials. And this is a fact that cannot be denied. It was as a theorist that Anatoly Vladimirovich took his place in the hockey “alma mater”.

In conclusion, I would like to answer the question - “who was Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov?”, without fictitious achievements and far-fetched facts.

Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov is the national hockey record holder for winning national champion titles. Seventeen times the Moscow army team won the title of champion under the leadership of Tarasov. And this result is unlikely to be surpassed.

Of course, he is an outstanding specialist, one of the founders of the development of hockey in our country, and a major theorist in the field of sports. Creator of his own training system. Founder and chairman of the children's club "Golden Puck", which gave a start in life to many famous masters.

In addition, Anatoly Vladimirovich was a member of the coaching council, and participated in the training of young mentors at the higher school of coaches. It is also well known that the captain of the USSR national team, Vyacheslav Fetisov, during the conflict with Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov, before leaving for the NHL, kept in shape by training with Tarasov at his dacha.

Anatoly Vladimirovich, to put it mildly, did not like Tikhonov. In this regard, it is interesting how the position of an eminent mentor changes over time. During his years of working for CSKA and the national team, Tarasov more than once noted that Soviet hockey players would never sell out in the NHL for their dollars. They play for the country, for the people!

But during the conflict between the top five and Tikhonov in the late 80s, I openly wondered why the coach of CSKA and the national team, Viktor Tikhonov, did not prepare the players to play in the NHL, where they would represent Soviet hockey... Really, it’s very important where, when and in what context any words should be spoken.

Here I would like to give another quote from Vyacheslav Fetisov:

“The greatness of any coach lies in human qualities, only then will the guys fight for him on the ice. Tarasov was thrown out of hockey at the age of 55. But he didn't get angry. I started working with the boys in the all-Union Golden Puck tournament. Raised many trainers. He lived by hockey, died by hockey. There is no one to compare him with. We won't have such great people again."

Sergey Glukhov