Q&A with Vladislav Tretiak

Vladislav Tretiak won over fans in North American with his excellent play in the four games in Canada, including during Game 1 in Montreal on Sept. 2, 1972. AP

Vladislav Tretiak played all eight games of the 1972 Summit Series and finished with a 3.87 goals-against average. Only 20 years old at the time of the Series, his outstanding performance earned him a great deal of respect among the North American players. Tretiak was the first Russian elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. Tretiak spoke with CNNSI.com NHL Producer Jon A. Dolezar about '72 Summit Series, as well as his legendary internation career and what he has been up to since retiring in 1984.

CNNSI.com: What was the lasting impact of the 1972 Summit Series?

Tretiak: I think 1972 was the best time for me and the best time for hockey. It doesn't matter if it's North American or Euro hockey, because the eight games of the 1972 Summit Series made a big revolution inside hockey. Because it was the first time amateurs like the Russian team played against professionals, like the All-Star Canadian team. It was a big revolution because after 1972 Russian hockey players opened the door for European players to come to the NHL. And today, many hockey players from Europe play in the NHL. And the Soviet team represented not only Soviet Union hockey, but all European hockey.

CNNSI.com: Do the Russian players of today appreciate how groundbreaking you guys were?

The Series An exhibition which turned legendary 1972 Summit Series Game Recaps Defining event in Canadian history Russian hockey changed drastically Oppression bred creativity on ice From SI Eliot: A lasting impression Flashback: Still blushing Flashback: Off to Hockeyland Flashback: Narrow victory Features Q&As: Henderson | Tretiak Team Stats: Canada | Soviet Union More stories Canada bodychecked communism Slap in face to Canadians Hopes were dim heading to Moscow Too much garbage with series

Tretiak: Yes. Russian hockey players are very proud that we played in 1972 because it was great hockey and great players. Both teams had great hockey players. Both teams showed the best hockey I've seen. You know Yvan Cournoyer. He won 10 Stanley Cups, and a couple of weeks ago in Russia at the same stadium where we played in 1972 we had a big party with the whole Russian team. We invited Yvan Cournoyer to come to this party and he gave a good speech. He said, "Before 1972 I didn't like these people. Now I think they are my best friends. And nobody lost in 1972, everybody won because both Team Canada and Team Soviet played great." He said that even though he won 10 Stanley Cups, but people don't ask me about how we won the Stanley Cups, everybody asks how we played in 1972. He's a very nice guy and a very great hockey player.

I think we not only won hockey players and hockey fans in the world. Because you watched eight of the best hockey games 30 years ago. Today, the two channels in Russia translated all eight games from 30 years. And the Russian people watched and many called me and said, "Oh, Vladislav, what unbelievable hockey. Oh my God, it was 30 years ago. It was the best hockey, maybe better than today." No, no, no. Today the mixed hockey, because after 1972 mixed hockey. Because we play in Europe with more passes, more discipline and in North America they play with more shots, more moves to the net, more checking, more rebounds. It is different hockey, but today it's mixed to make the best hockey in the NHL. When the styles are mixed together it becomes great hockey.

CNNSI.com: How much do you think the style that you guys played in 1972 influenced the NHL game of today?

Tretiak: In Russia there were many changes. Because the Russian hockey players have developed more checking and harder play. And I think North American hockey players took from Europe more passes and more discipline. It's good. I like it. Tactically a little bit different, because the Russians taught the Canadians some things and the Canadians taught us some things. But all together, it's great hockey.

CNNSI.com: What was the highlight of the series for you?

Tretiak: For me the first game and last game. Every game for me was hard. More hard first game, before I knew who was playing against me. I knew only their names, not how they play. Before the game in the Forum with 18,000 people, it was very noisy. They played the organ and music. In Russia they never play music at the games. And before the game to introduce each player from the Soviet Union, nobody clapped. After us, they introduced Team Canada and we watched them cheer for like five minutes for each hockey player. It was very noisy. From Yvon Cournoyer to Phil Esposto to Frank Mahovlich to Ken Dryden. Wow, and you looked to see who was playing against us. And the first game we were very nervous because nobody knew. After the first game everybody knows who is who.

And in the last game when we lost, it was unbelievable. We went to the third period with a 5-3 lead, then lost 6-5. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. But Team Canada played very well.

CNNSI.com: How incredible was that last game?

Tretiak: The last game I was so tired because I played all eight games. Ken Dryden played four games and Tony Esposito played four games, but I played all eight games. It was bad luck for me. On the last goal, Yvan Cournoyer gave a pass to Paul Henderson. Henderson shot at me, I made the save, but the second time he scored on me. Unbelievable.

CNNSI.com: How were you guys treated during the four games in Canada?

Tretiak: Before we left for Canada, my team was very nervous because we had never played against professionals. My team was very strong, but was very nervous and focused on their hockey. We wanted to show everybody that Soviet hockey was great, too. We played very seriously in the four games in Canada. After we beat Canada, we came back to Russia and thought that if we beat them in Canada it will be easy for us to win in Russia. We got a little too relaxed. The first game you win you think, "Oh, three games and we win the Series." A little bit not good discipline, inside a little bit relaxed. Everybody knows, "OK, we win, we win." It's not possible. It's very important to respect teams every game, every second and to work hard every second, too.

CNNSI.com: Do you think the Summit Series was some of the best hockey ever played?

Tretiak: Yes, in the national teams. Because I played in the best hockey in the clubs, too, when the Red Army played the Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Eve in 1975. But that was a little bit different because it was the clubs. In 1972 against Canada, it was the best hockey. Canada Cup 81 was a good tournament, too. Each Olympics game was the best hockey. The Olympic games are a little bit different because you have the Czechs, the USA and Canada -- that was always very good hockey, too. Each Olympic games was very important for us, because we had a lot of pressure in the Soviet Union because my government they told us we could only win the gold medal. The silver medal wasn't possible. If you take second place, it's not good for us. The minister of sport, the hockey federation, the government think the Russian team should win only the gold medal, the silver medal is a bad time.

The government said it was OK because we showed great hockey. And it was the first time that we played against professionals, the best hockey players. Everybody told us thank you because we showed great hockey. Nobody was mad at us.

CNNSI.com: How do you describe Soviet hockey back in 1972?

Tretiak: Lots of passes. We kept good discipline. Team Canada was more aggressive. They didn't have discipline and took a lot of penalties. I think discipline is No. 1 in hockey. Maybe if I don't have a good team but if we have good discipline, we could still maybe win. The coaches all the time pushed us on this. For me it doesn't matter what problem or injury I had, it was very important to keep discipline. If hockey players keep discpline, they play very well on the power play. We had two practices every day and one practice was only on the power play. Power play, power play, power play, penalty kill. And we played the power play the best. We focused on the power play. Everybody knows who is doing what. We lived nine months a year in a special house. It's a little bit different in the NHL. In the NHL, the hockey players stay home all day. In Russia, maybe for eight or nine months we'd stay in a special house or special hotel. Then we had training camp for two months. Everybody knows what the other guys do. Because the Red Army had 12 players on the national team, so everybody knows who is who and what you do at every second.

Training camp was in a suburb of Moscow. It started in July. We had rest for only one month. In July 1, we started a two-month training camp. We had three practices every day. We'd wake up at 7:15, then at 7:25 run for one hour. Breakfast at 9. Eleven to 1 was training on dry land that was very hard. Then after lunch we'd sleep for two hours, then have one more practice from 5-7. It was very tough. I didn't like training camp. Because sometimes the start of the season I would be so tired because it was unbelievable. In Chicago it's three hours, no more. In Russia, training camp was so hard. And we did this for 11 months out of the year with the same team. It was tough.

CNNSI.com: How different is that from the way they did it in Canada?

Tretiak: In Canada, it's better for hockey players because you can go home to your wife and family. My children didn't know me very well because all of the time away staying in a different hotel. It was a tough life many years ago in the Soviet Union. It was the special system for hockey. Because if we won the gold medal, they thought, "OK, this is the correct system." Now it's changed a little bit. The hockey players in Russia stay home more. I think now they stay home and maybe two days before a game go to a special house.

CNNSI.com: Was it worth being away from your family and friends?

Tretiak: Each hockey player would like to stay home more. Because it's very tough to sleep in the same house and see the same people for 11 months. It was very tough mentally for me. I would like to have stayed home, and then one day before a game maybe stay at a special home. That would've been better for me.

CNNSI.com: Was playing hockey more of a job for you or did you have enjoyment from it?

Tretiak: I enjoyed it because I was 20 years old. I loved hockey very much. I played for 15 years for the national team and the Red Army. I retired at 32 years old too early, because I was very tired. Every year was the same pace. I played in 15 world championships and have 10 gold medals. If you get 11, it doesn't matter, right? I have three gold medals from the Olympics and I played in four Olympic games. At 32 years old, I was so tired about hockey. The last couple of years, it was my job. Before I liked hockey. In 1984 after my fourth Olympic games I wanted to go to the Montreal Canadiens, because they drafted me. I wanted a change. Maybe I would've played another five or six years if I could've switched my way. Because I didn't like it anymore to have to stay in a home and not see my family. It was only hockey, hockey, hockey, and it was so tough. I would've liked to go to Montreal but my government said no. They said I was a big star for Russia and couldn't go to North America. It was a bad decision. So I retired at 32 years old.

CNNSI.com: Is your biggest regret not getting to play in the NHL?

Tretiak: Yeah, I'm mad about it because I would've liked to have played in the NHL. It's different. I would've liked to win the Stanley Cup. Serge Savard, the general manager of Montreal Canadiens, visited Russia four times and the Russian Hockey Federation said that I couldn't go. I don't know why. The big government people said that my father was a big general and didn't want me to go to North America to play. Nobody asked me if I would like to go. My father wasn't a general, my father was a major. I know there was a Tretiak who was a general, but it was only the same name, it wasn't close to me. It was a joke. The Russian government said that my father was a big general, but it was not true. They said he was a very proud father and didn't like me to move. Nobody even asked me if I would like to go to Canada or not. I would've liked to go, but it wasn't possible a long time ago.

CNNSI.com: What have you been doing since you retired from hockey?

Tretiak: I have been with the Blackhawks as their goaltender coach for 11 years and I just signed a new contract for three more years. I really enjoy staying here because I work with the goalies in Norfolk (Va.) and Chicago. I teach 400 goalies in my hockey school every year. I taught Martin Brodeur for eight years; he won the Stanley Cup. Jose Theodore was the best goalie this season; I taught him for eight years. Ed Belfour, I taught him for seven years; he took the Stanley Cup. I very much enjoy it. I would like my student players the best. I teach many hockey schools in Minnesota and Toronto, too.

I live in Chicago and in Moscow, half and half. My family is in Moscow more. I like Chicago. It's the best town. The best people. Chicago people like sports. I like the Chicago Blackhawks organization. It's my home. I like Chicago very much. I played everywhere in the USA -- San Diego, Phoenix, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston, New York -- and never played in Chicago. I'm very proud because my own life continues.

 

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