Difficult times.
Vladimir Lutchenko is a legend of CSKA and the USSR national team. Ramenskoye is rightfully considered one of the best defenders of his generation. His history would be the envy of almost any modern day hockey player. Two-time Olympic champion, eight-time world champion, ten-time USSR champion and six-time winner of the USSR Cup. A series of very solid performances. As a rule, many legendary hockey players do not have a problem with money or further earnings at the end of their career. But this is not true about Lutchenko. In Soviet times, even the best hockey players in the Soviet Union did not receive astronomical money. Therefore, they were unable to accumulate a comfortable old age. So Vladimir really dreaded the moment when he would have to hang up his skates. As a result, this did not happen at the defendant’s own initiative.
At the end of the 1980/81 season, the hockey player issued travel documents for vacation. Then the head of CSKA, Ivan Kirillovich Pokusaev, came to him and confronted the Olympic hero with the truth – the management, together with the teachers, decided that he should stop playing play hockey. And at this time, the club is ready to give him a position at the military sports school. Of course, this news caused a complete shock to Lutchenko. But Vladimir is not used to making trouble or arguing. So I quietly agreed and ended my playing career forever.
In 1983, a new level began for the outstanding defender. He spent the next 7 years at the CSKA school. Many world hockey stars passed through his hands. Among them are the brothers Boris and Dmitry Mironov, Valery and Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov, Sergei Samsonov, Alexander Mogilny and others. However, with the beginning of the 90s and the collapse of the Soviet Union, difficult times came to CSKA. As in the whole country. As a result, many executives and managers lost their jobs. Among them was the Olympic champion. Vladimir never found a job shelter elsewhere. The problem was compounded by the fact that the defendant was very polite by nature and did not know how to ask others for help. Although, with the circle of acquaintances of Lutchenko, surely there would be someone who could solve his financial problems. But the CSKA legend never took such a step. Then, completely unexpectedly, he received an offer from Boston. Where the Soviet legend was supposed to be a children’s coach of one of the teams. The money problems were so bad that Lutchenko did not even take time to think and agreed immediately.
“I went because it was necessary. I didn’t have a job in Russia. Our partners built a skating rink in Boston, where I worked with children, and without any expectations. I had to feed my family. My two daughters went to school in Boston, then to University. In general, living conditions in the US are good. You can take out a loan and build a house in a good area. But then the skating rink where I coached was sold. Fortunately, my boyfriend was working with me, the son of Jim Craig, the goalkeeper of the USA team, who beat us at the Olympic Games in 1980. Remember “Miracle on Ice”? Jim is a businessman. He told me: “We will create a small school of Olympic champions on the same skating rink.” Jim helped me. We worked with Craig until his son stopped playing junior hockey. After that I left for Russia”said the Olympic champion in an interview.
Lutchenko returned to his homeland for a short time. He soon got a call from Rangers assistant coach at the time Tom Rennie and was offered a job as a scout in the club’s system. So Vladimir managed to solve all the money issues and extend his life in hockey for several more decades.
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2024-10-08 05:00:00
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