Viacheslav Fetisov

Viacheslav Alexandrovich "Slava" Fetisov MP (born 20 April 1958) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman, coach, politician and sports official. He played for HC CSKA Moscow for 13 seasons before joining the National Hockey League (NHL), where he played with the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings. With the Wings, he won back-to-back Stanley Cups and was part of the team's Russian Five unit.

Fetisov was important in helping Soviet players join the NHL. His actions led many top Soviet players, and later the best players from all over Europe, to play in North America. Internationally, he was a long-time captain for the Soviet Union national team and is a two-time Olympic champion. In 2002, he led the Russian Ice Hockey Olympic team as GM and head coach, winning a bronze medal. He was voted as one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) Centennial All-Star Team and inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005.

After retiring as a coach, Fetisov began a political and executive career. He served as Minister of Sport from 2002 to 2008. He is a member of the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the Federation Council representing Primorsky Krai, and has held many leadership roles in ice hockey and sports organizations. He was also involved in bringing the 2014 Winter Olympics to Sochi.

Playing career

Fetisov started his hockey career with CSKA Moscow at just sixteen years old. He joined the main team in 1978 and quickly became a star player, earning awards for his great performances.

Later, Fetisov wanted to play in the NHL in North America. This was very hard at the time because Soviet players were not allowed to leave. With new rules allowing more freedom, he and seven other Soviet players joined the NHL when he was 31. He was picked by the New Jersey Devils and played there until 1995, when he moved to the Detroit Red Wings. With the Red Wings, he helped the team win two big championships called the Stanley Cups in a row. Even after retiring, he came back for one special game in 2009 at the age of 51.

International play

Viacheslav Fetisov was one of the most successful ice hockey players in the world. As a young player, he helped the Soviet Union win gold medals at the European Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships.

With the Soviet national team, Fetisov won gold medals at the Winter Olympics in (/wiki/Ice_hockey_at_the_1984_Winter_Olympics) and (/wiki/Ice_hockey_at_the_1988_Winter_Olympics), as well as many medals at the World Championships. He also won a Canada Cup in (/wiki/1981_Canada_Cup). Later, he coached the Russian national team and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Olympics. Fetisov, along with teammate Igor Larionov and several other great players, achieved the "Grand Slam of Ice Hockey" by winning the most important tournaments around the world.

Coaching career

After he stopped playing hockey, Fetisov became an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. During his time with the team from 1998 to 2001, he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2000.

Executive career

After working as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils, Fetisov became the general manager of the Russian national team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The Russian team won a bronze medal there. Later, Pavel Bure took over this role for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

In 2005, Fetisov started leading the Athlete Committee at the World Anti-Doping Agency. In 2009, he became the president of HC CSKA Moscow. Because some important players were hurt, the 51-year-old Fetisov briefly returned to playing, just for one game against SKA St Petersburg.

He also went to the World Hockey Summit in 2010. There, he talked about making the National Hockey League and the KHL work better together, especially about fair payments when players move between the leagues.

Honors

Viacheslav Fetisov has received many awards for his achievements. In his home country, he was given several important honors, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, the Order of Lenin, and the Order of Service To The Fatherland. An asteroid in space was also named after him.

In North America, Fetisov was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also chosen for an special international team by experts from many countries.

Personal life

Viacheslav Fetisov has a daughter named Anastasia, who appeared with him in a film called "Of Miracles and Men."

In 1985, Fetisov was in a car accident that led to the death of his younger brother Anatoly, who was only 18 years old at the time.

Later, in 1997, after celebrating with his team, the Detroit Red Wings, Fetisov and his teammate Vladimir Konstantinov were in another serious car accident. The driver lost control of the car and crashed. Konstantinov faced serious health challenges but survived, while Fetisov had less severe injuries.

In 2023, Fetisov spoke out about the difficulties Russian athletes faced in competing internationally because of the situation involving Russia and Ukraine.

Sanctions

In 2022, Fetisov was sanctioned by the UK government because of the situation involving Russia and Ukraine.

Political career

From April 2002 to March 2004, Fetisov was Chairman of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Physical Culture and Sports.

In September 2003, Fetisov became a member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party. Since then, he has been very active in this role. He also became an Acting State Councilor of the Russian Federation, 1st class.

From March to November 2004, Fetisov was Head of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism. From November 2004 to October 2008, he led the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports. In November 2007, he officially joined United Russia as a member.

In October 2008, Fetisov was elected a member of the Federation Council from Primorsky Krai. Since October 2008, he has been Chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Physical Culture, Sports, and the Development of the Olympic Movement. He also serves on the Federation Council Committee on Local Self-Government and the Federation Council Commission on Youth Affairs and Tourism.

On 4 December 2011, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai but chose to stay in the Federation Council instead. Since December 2011, he has been the First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy.

Since October 2016, Fetisov has been a Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Affairs. Since December 2017, he has been deputy chairman of the board of trustees of the All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature. In February 2021, he was elected Chairman of the Central Council of the All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Honours and awards

Viacheslav Fetisov received many awards for his amazing work in hockey and sports. Some of his top honors include the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and the Stanley Cup. He was also recognized by UNESCO as a Champion for Sport and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005. These awards show his big impact on sports in Russia and around the world.

Movies

Fetisov was the main focus of the 2014 documentary movie Red Army, which also highlighted other important players from the Soviet era.