In The Beginning Was Anatoli Tarasov

Pavel Datsyuk, Russia’s Master of Sports Emeritus, Olympic champion, winner of the World and Russian Championships, double Stanley Cup winner, has become yet another, eleventh representative of Russian hockey in Toronto based Hockey Hall of Fame. And in the beginning was Anatoli Vladimirovich Tarasov.

He was the first Russian — and European, too — to get his name inscribed in ice hockey history by founders of this game.

Ice hockey plays a unique role for Canadians. Worshipping the Hockey Hall of Fame they call it a shrine (or temple in French). And in their list of the greatest compatriots of the 20^th century, Canadians named Pierre Trudeau 2nd to Wayne Gretzky, while another Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker, hosted the opening ceremony of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1961.

Fifty years ago the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame trustees made a decision to induct Anatoli Vladimirovich Tarasov. They sent a letter to the USSR Hockey Federation inviting Tarasov to attend the traditional ceremony. In response, they were informed that the former coach of the USSR national team was allegedly seriously ill and for that reason would not be able to fly to Canada. And since Tarasov was associated with the Soviet Army all of his life, Major Stanislav Ignatov, who served in Ottawa at USSR Embassy’s military section, was assigned to attend the said celebration.

Upon his return from Toronto he told me:

“The ceremony was held in Toronto’s largest and most luxurious hotel, the Royal York. At least 600 celebrities from Canada and the United States attended. Gentlemen in tuxedos and ladies in evening dresses were seated for candlelight dinner.

Champagne was poured, and according to long-standing tradition, Clarence Campbell, NHL President, proposed to toast the Queen of Great Britain [at that time, Canada was still a dominion – A.P.]. Everybody stood up and drank to the health of Her Majesty to the tune of “God Save the Queen!”.

Since the NHL has  American clubs, too, Campbell’s next toast was in honor of the President of the United States. Again, everyone rose from their seats and the American anthem was  played. Then a most spectacular moment came. Because of Tarasov’s induction, Campbell had to raise his next toast in honor of the head of the USSR. But our country is governed by Leonid Brezhnev who is known in the West as the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist party. Still, Campbell found a brilliant way out.

After all, he was an experienced lawyer. At Royal York, the NHL president proclaimed, “My next toast is for the great Soviet people!”. I am a military officer, and still I felt goose bumps and tears in my eyes. And when I went to the head table to accept the honorary diploma for Tarasov from Campbell’s hands, the celebration continued. Only instead of a toast there was an ovation.”

Fred Shero, who coached the Philadelphia Flyers and helped his team win the Stanley Cup in 1974, took the floor at Royal York celebration, too. He praised Tarasov and called his “Path to Olympus” book his own hockey bible.

The next issue of the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame yearbook contained a chapter dedicated to Anatoli Vladimirovich that said, “There is no doubt that Anatoli Tarasov is one of the most progressive and dedicated exponents of hockey in the world — a true Builder of this game.”

Three years later Tarasov came to Canada and visited the Hockey Hall of Fame when he attended the World Junior Championship as a consultant coach for the USSR national team. In Toronto he thanked for the honor bestowed upon him and noted, “I consider this not just a personal honor but a sign of recognition of our national hockey. You have a most wonderful exhibition, but something is still missing here. We’ve got a whole galaxy of exceptional players and coaches in our country who made a huge contribution to the development of ice hockey, too.”

At that time I was stationed in Canada as a Soviet newsman and soon afterwards I got a letter from Hockey Hall of Fame’s director and curator Maurice (Lefty) Reid with a request to submit photos of Soviet teams which had won world and Olympic championships. I complied with his request and later on Mr. Reid got some missing exhibits.