The beginning of the 70s for Soviet hockey was a new stage in development. This sport has been given special attention. It was concluded that hockey needs a strong theoretical base. The consequence of this was a scientific and informed approach to the training of professional players, which gave its results. The Soviet Union managed to educate a generation of the greatest athletes. One of the representatives of that galaxy was Alexander Nikolaevich Maltsev - a hockey player, whose biography knew a large number of victories and records.
Childhood and parents
Nikolai Mikhailovich and Anastasia Stepanovna Maltsevs - Alexander's parents - were from Setkovtsy village. This area is no longer on the maps, and when it existed, it was located 20 kilometers from the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk. The Maltsev family was large. Anastasia Stepanovna was engaged in household work, working in the garden and raising children. And Nikolai Mikhailovich was a locksmith.
On April 20, 1949, a joyful event occurred in the family - the son Alexander was born. After 3 years, they moved to Kirovo-Chepetsk. This city can be considered native to Maltsev.
The family experienced financial difficulties. My father even went to work in the hazardous production workshop in order to have a “for harmfulness” surcharge. Mom moonlighted by washing the entrances. In this, her children often helped. From childhood, Alexander Maltsev knew what labor is and how money is made.
Meeting skates
Acquaintance with skates occurred at Maltsev at the age of 6 years. The family did not have money to buy sports equipment. Therefore, the father fashioned skids and attached them to the boots. So Maltsev got skates. In order to ride them, the children themselves cleared the snow and carried buckets of water to fill the rink.
The first steps in hockey
Alexander Maltsev studied very well at school. And when he told his parents that he was going to enroll in the hockey section, his mother protested. The concept: “Maltsev is a hockey player” did not fit into her head. But Alexander showed perseverance and received approval from his parents for classes. Then Maltseva was waiting for another barrier. Due to his low growth, he was refused by the trainer of the children's team “Chemist” Polyakov. Again stubborn, Alexander got a place in the team.
At the age of 15, hockey supplanted all other hobbies from the life of a young hockey player. So the first sporting successes began to appear. Maltsev is a hockey player who was distinguished by his originality and great talent. Alexander asked the coach to let older children play in his team. Maltsev did not get lost against the background of older children, and such a game was only to his advantage. Alexander Nikolaevich always came to training first and left last. This approach and attitude helped him to achieve high sporting heights in the future.
Professional career
Maltsev is a hockey player who, at the age of 17, attracted the attention of the coach of the Sunday “Chemist” and the USSR youth team Nikolai Epstein. Then Alexander played in the hometown of Kirovo-Chepetsk in the team “Olympia”. Epstein wanted to attract the young striker to Chemist, but kept it a secret. To begin with, he invited the young Maltsev to Sweden to play for the youth team at the Ahern Cup.
At the same time as Epstein, Viktor Tikhonov, coach of Dynamo Moscow, began to look after Maltsev. The latter did not pull, and in 1967 ensured the transition of the hockey player from Olimpia to Dynamo. Moving to Moscow became for Maltsev the main event in life. At Dynamo, he will spend his entire career. The next year he made his debut for the USSR national team. And at the 1970 Olympics, Maltsev is a hockey player who set a record for the performance of that tournament: 15 goals and 6 assists. Playing in the national team, Alexander Nikolaevich many times received the title of best player in the World Cup. For such high achievements, Maltsev received the nickname "Grandmaster", so well, in chess, he managed to read and play the game. Maltsev is a hockey player of the USSR, similar to which sports history did not know yet. He set the national team record: 212 goals in 319 matches.
Retirement
Like any athlete, Alexander Maltsev began to lose in performance with age. Its decline occurred in the early 80's. Every year, the great champion began to score less. However, the Moscow Dynamo has not lost in quality. Great experience and skill allowed Maltsev to become an unsurpassed assistant. Alexander Nikolayevich in a grandmaster led his partners to strike, giving the transmission contrary to the opponent’s defense.
In 1984, the hockey player Maltsev held a farewell match. A meeting was organized between the national teams of the Soviet Union and Europe. The meeting ended with a score of 7: 3 in favor of the Maltsev team.
Friendship with Valery Kharlamov
The best friend of Alexander Maltsev was another no less famous hockey player - Valery Kharlamov. They met in their youth, playing for the national team. At the training camps and competitions, they stayed in the same room, talked a lot in everyday life, had common interests and hobbies.
In 1981, a tragic event happened. Valery dies in a car accident. For Maltsev, the death of his best friend was a heavy blow. It became doubly difficult after Alexander was unable to attend the funeral. The USSR national team was at this time at the training camp in Canada. And with it, Maltsev is a hockey leader and record holder.
Personal life
Despite the fact that Alexander Maltsev is a hockey player, his family turned out to be strong and friendly. Alexander met his wife Susanna in 1972 on the Odessa beach. September 19, 1973 the couple played a wedding. The witnesses were Susanna's girlfriend and, of course, Maltsev’s best friend Valery Kharlamov. On the same day, the Moscow derby “CSKA” - “Dynamo” was held. In the morning the registry office, and in the evening the witness and the groom went out on the ice. A year later, a young couple had a son, Alexander, named after his father. In general, Maltsev is a hockey player, whose personal life has developed very well.
Sports achivments
Assessing the sporting achievements of Alexander Maltsev, he can safely be called an outstanding hockey player who achieved incredible heights in prestigious hockey tournaments - the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
The Soviet hockey player became the world champion 9 times. The first series of championships - 1969-1971, the second - 1973-1975. In subsequent years, becoming a champion in a row several times failed. But the following gold awards were separated from each other by a short period of time: 1978, 1981, 1983. In the piggy bank of the brilliant striker there are still silver medals of the World Cup 1972 and 1976, as well as the bronze of the tournament, held in 1977.
Maltsev became the Olympic champion at tournaments in 1972 and 1976. In 1980, the athlete won the prestigious silver medal. To this, it is worth adding the multiple title of the best striker of the world and Europe.
The only fly in the ointment that went to Alexander Maltsev was the absence of the USSR championship.
Unsportsmanlike rewards
During his career, in addition to a large number of sports achievements and medals, Alexander Maltsev also received awards of an unsportsmanlike nature. In 1969 he received the first medal “For Labor Valor”. And in 1972 he received the second one. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor. Two years later he received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. In the 81st year, Maltsev was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. After completing a career, 15 years later, in 1996 he was awarded the Order of Honor. In the new millennium, Maltsev did not remain forgotten - a hockey player whose photo you see in the article. In 2011, he was awarded the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, IV degree. In 2013, he received a Certificate of Merit from the President of the Russian Federation.