In the sports world, the fans pay special attention to dynasties, those families where the love of sport is passed down from generation to generation, from fathers to children and grandchildren. It is impossible to immediately determine whether it is easier for children to live with a crushing burden of responsibility for the glory of their ancestors. Often, the offspring do not follow in the footsteps of their parents in order to avoid the inevitable comparison.
The hero of our story, Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov (the photo is presented to your attention in the article), chose his life path, without a second's doubt - hockey. Like his father, the famous hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov, he linked his whole life with this sport ...
Hockey dynasty
There is not a single hockey fan in our country who did not know Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov, the illustrious coach of the Soviet hockey school. It was he who became the founder of the Tikhonov dynasty. Three generations of this hockey family have been pleasing fans around the world for many years. And if Viktor Vasilyevich and Vasily Viktorovich loudly declared themselves on the coaching bridge, then the youngest Tikhonov, named after his grandfather - Victor, is currently playing in the strongest hockey league of the NHL, for Arizona Coyotes. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that over time he will become a hockey coach, fortunately, there is a family predisposition to this.
In the footsteps of father
Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov was born in Moscow on May 13, 1958. The fate of the boy was, in fact, predetermined already in early childhood. Dad, Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov, at the time of his son’s birth, was an active hockey player, playing for Dynamo Moscow. When Vasily was four years old, Viktor Vasilyevich ended his career as an active player and switched to coaching. It was clear that Vasily spent all his childhood with his father, with a club in his hands. Viktor Vasilievich, not having achieved much success in the gaming field, hoped that it was in his son that he would be able to realize his unrealized gaming ambitions. Time has shown that the boy largely repeated the path of his father. Not becoming a great hockey player, he was always in demand as a coach.
Relocation to the Baltics
When Vasily was ten years old, the Tikhonov family moved to a permanent place of residence in Latvia. As usual in sports families, the move was completely connected with hockey. Viktor Vasilyevich was offered a job in a leading Latvian club, Riga Dynamo. At that time, they vegetated in the second league of the USSR championship. For nine years of work in the club, Viktor Vasilievich managed to create a fully combat-ready team from an ordinary team, which became one of the leading teams of the Soviet Union.
Despite the fact that Vasily's father headed the leading Latvian hockey club, he did not receive any advantage in terms of getting into the Dynamo team. Vasily’s game role is a defender, it was in that capacity that he made his debut in adult hockey for the Riga club “Latvijas Berzs”. He at that time played in the second union hockey league. After a couple of seasons, Vasily and his club made it to the first league, as time has shown, it was the biggest success for both him and his Riga club. In 1977, at the age of 29, the athlete decided to end the career of an acting hockey player. According to him, this was prompted by the realization that he realized that he would not be able to achieve any heights when he was a player, and pride did not allow him to vegetate on the sidelines.
Novice trainer
Despite the completion of his playing career, Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov was not going to completely break off relations with hockey. Before my eyes stood the example of my father, who did not achieve much as an active player, but managed to become the strongest coach of the Soviet Union.
Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov began his coaching career from the bottom. Initially, he worked in the Riga Youth Sports School, studying with teenagers. Over time, the work of the coach was appreciated. His children's teams, speaking at competitions of their age, occupied high places, while showing beautiful hockey. In 1985, Vasily Viktorovich was entrusted with the Dynamo Riga junior team, where he worked for five seasons.
The next stage in the career of Vasily Tikhonov was Finland. The beginning of the 90s was a very difficult time for our country. The changes taking place inside also affected hockey. There was no single union championship, rightfully considered the strongest in the world, along with the NHL. And at that moment, a proposal was received from Finland to work as a coach of the youth team of the club "Asset" from the city of Pori. Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov, whose biography is presented to your attention in the article, accepted this proposal and in 1990 moved to Finland.
Coaching career
In the role of a youth team coach, Vasily Viktorovich did not work long. The very next season, the club leaders suggested that Tikhonov lead the main team of Asset. Success in the role of the coach of the Finnish club did not go unnoticed overseas. In 1993, an offer was received from the NHL club San Jose Sharks to try himself as a second coach in the world's strongest hockey league. This was a new professional challenge, and Tikhonov Vasily Viktorovich gladly agreed to move to San Jose. He spent six seasons in overseas hockey as the main mentor of the Kansas City Blades club. Also Tikhonov’s assets include working as a head coach in such clubs as Finnish Lucco and Swiss Langnau.
Return to Russia
In 2002, Vasily Viktorovich received an offer that was impossible to refuse. His father, Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov, at that time headed Moscow CSKA. He offered his son to work with him in a pair, in the role of the second coach of the army club. Subsequently, Vasily Viktorovich switched to administrative work, fulfilling the duties of vice president of the CSKA hockey club. Until 2010, Vasily Viktorovich Tikhonov worked in the club system, and only after this long period was an attempt to work independently in the Russian “Vanguard” and AK “Bars”. However, in 2012, Vasily Viktorovich returned to the army club, this time as an adviser to the chief manager. Before the start of the 2013 season, Tikhonov was introduced to the coaching staff of CSKA, but a fatal accident cut short the life of a talented coach.
Tikhonov Vasily Viktorovich: the death of a great man
On August 7, 2013, hockey Russia was shocked by the terrible news. Tikhonov Vasily Viktorovich was tragically killed. The cause of death is very ridiculous. Everything happened in Vasily’s home apartment. In the process of installation, Tikhonov’s house was tightened with a mounting grid. Vasily Viktorovich, fearing that apartment thieves could penetrate this apartment into his apartment, tried to cut it off. As a result, he could not resist and fell out of the window of the fourth floor. So, because of an absurd accident, the life of a great coach and a wonderful person was cut short.
A year later, Viktor Vasilyevich was gone, but the Tikhonov dynasty did not end there. The baton was accepted by the youngest of them - Victor. At 28, he is the world champion in hockey as part of the Russian team, the owner of the Gagarin Cup in St. Petersburg SKA. Life goes on, and there is no doubt that we will hear more than once about Tikhonov in hockey reports.