29 Facts About Valeri Kharlamov

Valeri Borisovich Kharlamov was an ice hockey forward who played for CSKA Moscow in the Soviet League from 1967 until his death in 1981.

Valeri Kharlamov was a gifted skater who was able to make plays at top speed.

Valeri Kharlamov was considered one of the best players of his era, as well as one of the greatest players of all time.

In international play, Valeri Kharlamov represented the Soviet Union at 11 World Championships, winning 8 gold medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze.

Valeri Kharlamov spent most of his career playing on a line with Vladimir Petrov and Boris Mikhailov, and this trio is considered one of the best in the history of ice hockey.

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The Valeri Kharlamov Trophy is presented annually to the best Russian hockey player in the NHL, as chosen by his peers.

The Valeri Kharlamov Cup is presented to the champion of the Minor Hockey League playoffs, and the Kontinental Hockey League named one of their four divisions after him.

Valeri Kharlamov was born in Moscow to Boris and Begonita Valeri Kharlamov.

Valeri Kharlamov was named after Valery Chkalov, a pioneering Soviet pilot.

In 1956, when he was 8-years-old, Valeri Kharlamov moved to Spain with his mother, though they both returned to the Soviet Union after several months.

At age 5, Valeri Kharlamov first started to skate, fastening his father's blades onto his own shoes.

Valeri Kharlamov was trained by Boris, who had played hockey himself.

However, Valeri Kharlamov, who enjoyed playing football as well, was quite sickly as a youth; in 1961 he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and doctors ordered him to cease any physical activity, and spent several months in hospital, though he ultimately recovered with no apparent cause nor lingering effects.

However Anatoli Tarasov, the coach of the team, felt Valeri Kharlamov was not good enough for the team so after 15 matches with CSKA sent Valeri Kharlamov to join Zvezda Chebarkul, who played in the third division.

Valeri Kharlamov was a fixture on the Soviet national team roster for the next decade.

Valeri Kharlamov played in eleven World Championships in total, capturing 8 gold medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze.

Valeri Kharlamov was named to the tournament All-Star team four times .

Valeri Kharlamov played a total of 105 games in the World Championships, scoring 74 goals and adding 82 assists .

Valeri Kharlamov scored two goals on Ken Dryden during the second period, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Two years later Valeri Kharlamov was in the Soviet lineup again during the 1974 Summit Series, playing against the best Canadian players from the World Hockey Association.

Valeri Kharlamov scored two goals and added six assists in the series.

Valeri Kharlamov helped the Soviet national men's ice hockey team to win gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics.

Valeri Kharlamov won his second gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1976, contributing three goals and six assists.

Valeri Kharlamov was part of the silver medal-winning Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, which was his last international tournament.

Valeri Kharlamov missed the 1976 Canada Cup due to the injuries he sustained in his first major car accident, and was left off the roster for the 1981 Canada Cup just prior to his fatal car accident, as Tikhonov felt he was too old and not in good enough shape for the team.

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Valeri Kharlamov was still active with CSKA when he was killed in a car accident on 27 August 1981.

Irina, Valeri Kharlamov's wife, was driving back to Moscow from the family's cottage when she lost control and crossed into opposing traffic, hitting a truck head-on.

Valeri Kharlamov was posthumously inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.

At that time Valeri Kharlamov was unaware he had a son, until he received a phone call from Irina telling him he was the baby's father.