People like hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov are among the elite of Soviet sports. They became an example for many boys who literally stuck to the TV screens during the broadcast of hockey fights. What was the path of a talented athlete and what is hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov doing today? Biography and the path to the ice will be discussed in this article.
The beginning of a difficult journey
Alexander Viktorovich Kozhevnikov is a famous Soviet hockey player. As part of the USSR team, he twice became the champion of the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988. He received the title of Honored Master of Sports at the age of 24 years.
Sasha Kozhevnikov was born in the most ordinary working Soviet family on September 21, 1958 in the city of Penza. His father was a driver, and his mother was a nurse. Of course, the parents, in connection with the constant work, did not have much free time, and Alexander already from childhood was accustomed to independence.
The makings of an athlete began to appear at a fairly early age. Like all Soviet boys, Kozhevnikov constantly played football. Even then, one could notice the talent of this guy for playing team sports. In the first grade of the school, Alexander heard about the hockey section and signed up for it.
Once, when he spoke at the city championship and scored 5 goals, the youth sports coach Vasily Yadrintsev approached him, praised the young talent and invited him to practice. So began the rapid rise of the then unknown Sasha Kozhevnikov.
Fateful meeting
The hardworking boy trained eight hours a day, and it was more than rewarded. At the age of 14, he is included in the youth team of the Soviet Union, and from this moment you can begin the countdown of his professional career. The first club contract was not long in coming, and in 1975, Alexander joined the ranks of Dieselist.
As the hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov himself recalls, his parents were not against his studies, on the contrary, they supported the young talent in every way and were satisfied, because he trained several times a day, so there was no time for stupidity. Of course, sometimes troubles happened, but, basically, our hero tried to squeeze out all the energy in training.
Invitation to the capital club
For his first club, hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov played until 1977. It was then that he as part of the “youth team” won the European championship, and he was invited to the grand Soviet hockey - the capital's “Spartak”.
It is worth noting a rather curious case: according to Kozhevnikov himself, in the new club he survived only 7 days, after which he ran home with a friend. He was scared by the big city and the new pace of life. But, fortunately, Kozhevnikov was persuaded to return.
The debut in the major league took place on October 2, 1977 in a derby with CSKA. They managed to throw the first goal in a month through the Dynamo goal.
A game led by Boris Kulagin
According to many hockey historians and experts and Kozhevnikov himself, the turning point in his career happened in 1977, with the arrival of a new coach, Boris Kulagin. This mentor has always been considered an excellent psychologist, and he managed to find the right words to make Alexander one of the best forward of the USSR championship.
During the first meeting with Boris Kulagin, Kozhevnikov was sure that he would be kicked out of the team, because the coach immediately said this in plain text. Later, Alexander realized that it was simply a psychological trick of an experienced mentor.
Kozhevnikov repeatedly recalled that Kulagin’s faith in his capabilities and talent incredibly motivated the hockey player. Alexander began, in everything related to the training process and his personal life, to obey his mentor.
The results were not long in coming, and in 1980 Kozhevnikova was invited to the national team by head coach Tikhonov, who had long liked the fast, strong striker.
Season 81/82 brought Alexander the first serious victories and results. According to the results of the national championship, he scored 43 goals. Then he went to the World Cup, where he scored another 6 goals and won the world championship together with the team.
Olympic awards
In 1984, Kozhevnikov is different in the game with the Czechoslovak team and brings the victory of the USSR at the Olympic Games.
In the life of athletes, ups always alternate with falls, which can explain Kozhevnikov’s transition to Wings of the Soviets. As the hockey player himself later noted, the reason for these events was a misunderstanding with coach Boris Mayorov.
But in the new team he managed to play. Hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov was constantly called up to the national team, and in 1988 he again became the Olympic champion.
Losing motivation, Kozhevnikov decided to test his strength in the new championship and moved to the Swedish AIK. He played one season in the new team and returned to KS. And already in 1990, he hung skates on a nail.
Alexander, after completing his career, maintained excellent athletic form. In 1995, he returned to the ice again as part of the Wings, and already in 1997 he put a bullet in the player’s career. Alexander Kozhevnikov is a hockey player whose personal life did not work out well, because too much time and effort was devoted to his sports career.
In the USSR championship (after 1991, Russia) in total, he played 498 matches and threw 235 goals. World Champion - 1982 Olympic champion - 1984, 1988. Participating in one world championship and two Olympics, Alexander Kozhevnikov took part in 19 matches and scored 11 times.
Alexander Kozhevnikov (hockey player) - family
The daughter of the hockey player, Maria Kozhevnikova, is a popular actress (I immediately recall the role of student Alla Grishko in the TV series "Univer") and a State Duma deputy.
At 12, Masha stayed with her mother, as Alexander left the family. For many years she could not forgive her father for this act. For a little girl, hockey player Alexander Kozhevnikov is a photo on the cover of the magazine, and only after many years the athlete managed to regain his daughter's love and respect.