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Ice hockey-Soviet great Vasilyev dies age 62

Reuters, Apr 19, 2012

Valery Vasilyev, one of the top defencemen of his generation, won two Olympic and eight world titles as a member of the great Soviet Union team in the 1970s and 80s, and also took part in the 1972 series against Canada, has died at the age of 62, the Russian ice hockey federation (FHR) said on Thursday.

He was an eight-time all-star during a 13-year career in the Soviet league, playing mainly for Moscow Dynamo.

"Our hockey has suffered an irreplaceable loss," the FHR said on its website (www.fhr.ru) in a tribute to one of the most feared defenseman of his generation who spent most of his club career with Dynamo Moscow.

Vasilyev's widow Tatyana said he had died from heart and kidney failure.

Vasilyev won Olympic gold in 1972 and 1976 and was part of the Soviet team that won the 1981 Canada Cup.

He also played in the 1972 Summit Series, which pitted the Soviets against the best "professionals" from the National Hockey League (NHL) for the first time.

Vasilyev, voted the best defenseman at world championships three times, was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.

Vasilyev was the father-in-law of former NHLer Aleksey Zhamnov.

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