Big Bad Russians

Yesterday I saw a news item that the legendary Russian weightlifter Vasily Alekseyev passed away at the age of 69 years old from some heart ailments. Seeing the story triggered memories of those big, bad evil Russians from way back in my youth when I was 10 yrs. old as well as 14 yrs. old.

Back then even growing up in Canada we were taught to fear those Russians. They could have been the political leaders, the Red Army, the KGB and even the athletes. These people we were told were bad beyond belief or something like that. The dreaded commie bastards! Looking back now it cracks me up that we bought that hook, line and sinker.

Anyways it started to change a little bit for me at least after the first Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet hockey teams in 1972. This series took place before TV decided starting times. Naturally the first 4 games held in Canada were held at normal times for us but the games in the then Soviet Union were held during our days at school.

At the time I was 10 yrs. old and going to Sacred Heart Elementary School on Samson near 92nd and hockey being almost a religion we were able to see the games during class time on those big black and white TVs that used to rest upon a 5 or 6 foot stand of sorts. I think the teachers tied this into our history lessons or something like that. Little did we know that this series started the huge change in the way hockey was played in North America. Therefore it was a historical event.

This was the series that introduced us to some legendary hockey players from the USSR with names like Mikhailov, Petrov, Yakushev, Zimin, Maltsev, Vasiliev, Ragulin, etc. etc.

It also introduced us to one of the most electrifying hockey players that we had ever seen in Valeri Kharmalov. This short in stature guy was built like a tank and the moves he could make and the speed in which he skated left us without a way to stop him until Bobby Clarke broke his ankle with a vicious slash in game 6.

In hindsight Team Canada in some ways acted like the big, bad evil people with the actions of Clarke, Alan Eagleson and J.P. Parise. Actions truly without any sportmanship. Okay one Russian player did act the same when Boris Mikhailov kicked at Gary Bergman during a fight. That was inexcusable.

This series also was responsible for bringing to our collective attention the unparalled prowess of the goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. Many of us were in awe due to the saves that he made against Team Canada. In games that we outshot them 2 to 1, this man stood on his head and made save after incredible save.

Hockey players like Kharmalov and Tretiak made the Soviet Union look less bad, less evil, less of something to be afraid of. At least to me it did.

In 1976 the Summer Olympics were held in Montreal and another Soviet athlete kept some of us spellbound with what seemed to be these superhuman feats of strength. That man was the late Vasily Alekseyev. He had won the gold in Munich in 1972 but that was overshadowed by the tragedy that occured at those games.

To many of us Canadians this was the first time that we were introduced to this behemoth of a man. Seeing this man with the beer barrel tummy lifting these insane amounts of weight was spellbinding. I would be there wondering is he going to get out of that squat? Will he get to his upper chest? Will he be able to get over his head? Will he hold it there for the required time? All of these were answered in the affirmative. He won the gold!

These guys along with Olga Korbut from the 1972 Summer Games were people who to me had the power in a way to bring us closer as humans in the sense that we weren't always looking at them warily now. They were humans just like us however living under a political and economic system that could never work. These athletes from that closed door society I think helped get the East and West closer in some ways. It showed us what we had in common.

The passing of the man in the red tights triggered a memory that I will always remember as one of those wow moments of my youth.