“My parents are from the former Soviet Union, from Ukraine, and I grew up wanting to be a professional hockey player.” ParentPlayerGrewGrew UpUnionsFormerHockeySovietSoviet UnionUkraineHockey Player Author:Gabe Polsky
“When I looked into the story of Soviet hockey and its players, I realized that it has nothing to do with hockey. It was a larger story using hockey as a window into the story of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian people, with friendships and betrayals, paranoia and oppression, and the meaning of sports to people and nations around the world, and how sports was used as a political tool.” PeopleWorldStoriesPoliticalUsedFallNationsSportsPlayerToolsWindowUnionsBetrayalI RealizedOppressionAround The WorldHockeySovietSoviet UnionParanoiaRise And Fall Author:Gabe Polsky
“What I found interesting about Slava Fetisov was that he went through three different generations of Soviet hockey. In the late 70's, he experienced the Miracle on Ice, and then in the 80's became with his teammates the Russian Five, the most dominant team in the history of hockey, and then helped bring down the hockey system when the Soviet Union collapsed and became one of the first players to play in the NHL, and then ultimately came back to Russia.” FirstsDifferentPlayThreeFoundInterestingFivePlayerGenerationsTeamLateMiracleUnionsRussiaIceHockeySovietDominantSoviet UnionTeammateNhlDifferent Generations Author:Gabe Polsky
“If you're a skilled player, you want to use your skill, not just hit the puck.” IfsWantUsePlayerSkillsPuck Author:Gabe Polsky
“In the U.S., coaches could be the father next door. They had no formal training. They're like old hockey players. They don't go to school and study.” SchoolNextFatherStudyPlayerDoorsTrainingCoachesHockeyFormalHockey Player Author:Gabe Polsky
“I guess the prime example is in North America there's a thing where if there's no opportunity to move forward with the puck, then a [hockey] player is told to dump the puck into the other zone. Just give up the puck and dump it in. Give it to the other team. And to the Soviet mentality in coaching, it just doesn't make any sense. If you're a skilled player, why are you going to give the puck away to the other team? Just give it away, right?” IfsGivingAmericaMovingOpportunityPlayerTeamExampleGiving UpMoving ForwardCoachingZonePrimeHockeySovietMentalityDumpNorth AmericaPuckJust Give UpHockey Player Author:Gabe Polsky
