“One ironic thing is that although (the Soviet Union) was one of the most oppressive systems, with no respect for the individual, it somehow produced the freest hockey on the planet. These guys, when they got on the ice, it was like watching jazz. They could do anything. I find that a paradox. It's interesting because I think the North American style was a lot less free. It was not encouraged to be creative.” ThinkingGuyIndividualInterestingCreativeStylePlanetsUnionsJazzIceParadoxHockeyIronicSovietBe CreativeSoviet UnionNo RespectIronic Things Author:Gabe Polsky
“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
“Growing up, I didn't know very much about my heritage and the Soviet Union and things of that nature. But when I saw the Soviet Union play hockey for the first time, to me, it was profound.” KnowsFirstsPlayGrowing UpSawsGrowingFirst TimeUnionsProfoundHockeyHeritageSovietSoviet Union 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
“Anatoli Tarasov, the guy that created the Soviet style of play, was a visionary. He was a creative thinker. He studied ballet and chess and art and read a lot.” ArtPlayGuyCreativeStyleChessThinkerSovietBalletVisionaries Author:Gabe Polsky
“There (in the Soviet Union) it was a science. In order to be a coach, you had to study in school.” SchoolOrderStudyUnionsCoachesSovietSoviet Union 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
