Monday, January 14, 2013 marks the 65th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet hockey player, two-time Olympic champion Valery Kharlamov (1948-1981).

Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, two-time Olympic champion Valery Borisovich Kharlamov was born on January 14, 1948 in Moscow.

Father, Boris Kharlamov, worked as a test fitter at the Moscow Kommunar plant. Mother, Aribe Abbad Hermane (Begonita), in 1937, the girl was brought to the USSR among the refugees from the Spanish civil war engulfed; from the 1940s she worked at the same Kommunar plant.

For the first time Valery Kharlamov started skating at the age of seven, in 1962 he began to practice in the hockey section. Soon, the coaches saw great sports potential in Kharlamov and recommended him to the adult CSKA team, however, the army club mentor Anatoly Tarasov was not impressed with the player at first, mainly due to his small stature. In the spring of 1967, Valery Kharlamov flashed in the final tournament of the USSR junior championship in Minsk, and upon returning to Moscow, he was nevertheless invited to CSKA.

Kharlamov managed to gain a foothold in the main team of CSKA in the 1968 season in a trio with Boris Mikhailov and Vladimir Petrov. In December 1968, Kharlamov was invited to the second USSR national team to participate in the international Moscow tournament (later it became known as the tournament for the prize of the Izvestia newspaper) and immediately after the tournament, Kharlamov, Mikhailov, Petrov were invited to the main team for two exhibition games with Canada. It was from these games that the famous trio Mikhailov - Petrov - Kharlamov appeared in the USSR national team.

In 1969, as part of the national team, the hockey player took part in the World Championship in Stockholm. The USSR team won the tournament, after which Kharlamov was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports.

In the USSR-1970/71 championship, he became the top scorer, having thrown 40 goals into the opponents' goal. At the 1971 World Championships, Kharlamov brought gold medals to the Soviet team, hitting the gates of the Swedes in the final match. In 1972, at the Olympics in Sapporo, he became the top scorer of the tournament, and the USSR national hockey team won gold medals at the Olympic Games.

After the Super Series of the USSR - Canada in 1972, Kharlamov received universal recognition in world hockey, becoming one of the leading players in the national team in these games. At the end of 1975, the first games between the USSR and the NHL took place at the club level. The CSKA team had to play 4 games in North America, where Kharlamov was greeted like a superstar. According to the results of the overseas tour, Kharlamov was the best in the CSKA team in the "goal + pass" system, scoring 4 goals and giving 3 assists.

In February 1976, having put an end to the decisive match with Czechoslovakia (4:3) at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Kharlamov became a two-time Olympic champion. In April 1976, at the World Championships in Katowice, he was recognized as the best striker of the championship.

On May 14, 1976, Kharlamov married 19-year-old Irina Smirnova, whom he met a year earlier at the Rossiya restaurant. In January 1976, the young couple had their first child, son Alexander. A little later, their daughter, Begonita, was born.

On May 26, 1976, Kharlamov and his wife were in a car accident on the Leningrad Highway in Moscow. The hockey player received a comminuted fracture of the right shin, a fracture of two ribs, a concussion and many bruises. His wife was not hurt. Doctors recommended Kharlamov to end his sports career, but two months later Valery took his first steps in the ward, and in the fall he began training. His return to the ice took place on November 16, 1976, the player entered the match against Wings of the Soviets, in which he scored one goal.

Kharlamov returned to the USSR national team in December 1976 at the tournament for the prize of the Izvestia newspaper and scored a hat-trick in the very first match against the Swedes. At the 1978 and 1979 World Championships, when the USSR national team began to play under the leadership of Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Kharlamov demonstrated a confident game and helped the team win gold medals. However, the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid were not so successful for the USSR team, losing in one of the decisive matches to the US team. After the Olympics, accusations of a weak game and proposals to end their careers quickly rained down on the Mikhailov-Petrov-Kharlamov troika. The 1980/81 season was the last in hockey for the legendary player. Due to injury, he missed half of the season and did not qualify for the World Cup. Valery Kharlamov scored his last goal in the USSR championship on May 14, 1981 against Dynamo Moscow.

On August 27, 1981, Valery Kharlamov and his wife Irina were killed in a car accident on the 74th kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway near Moscow. On August 31, 1981, the funeral of the dead took place at the Kuntsevo cemetery. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to the hockey player.

The players of the USSR national team, who at that moment were in Winnipeg at the Canada Cup, could not attend the funeral. They held a meeting at which it was decided to continue participating in the tournament and win it. The Soviet hockey players fulfilled their promise by beating the Canadians in the final with a score of 8:1.

After the accident, the children of Valery and Irina Kharlamov were raised by their grandmother Nina Vasilievna Smirnova. Having matured, Alexander became a hockey player, played in the lower North American leagues, was a player in the capital's Dynamo, CSKA, Novokuznetsk Metallurg, tried his hand at coaching, then went into business. Begonita was engaged in rhythmic gymnastics, became a master of sports.

Over a 15-year career, Kharlamov played 438 matches for CSKA, scored 293 goals, played 123 matches as a member of the USSR national team at the Olympic Games and World Championships. The striker became a multiple champion of the Soviet Union, a five-time winner of the USSR Cup. Kharlamov - twice Olympic champion, eight-time world champion, top scorer of the USSR Championship in 1971 and the Olympic Games in 1972, the best hockey player of the USSR in 1972 and 1973, the best striker in the world in 1976.

Kharlamov is a holder of two orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Badge of Honor, and the medal "For Labor Valour". In recognition of Kharlamov's services to the club, he is assigned the 17th number in CSKA, his name is immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

One of the divisions of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) and the main trophy of the Youth Hockey League (MHL) are named after Kharlamov. The Kharlamov Cup is made of precious materials by the famous sculptor Frank Meisler. For the first time the Kharlamov Cup was awarded to the champion of Russia in hockey among youth teams in 2010 - the Magnitogorsk team "Steel Foxes".

On May 18, 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named the symbolic six of the best hockey players for the centenary existence of the federation. .

On October 30, 2009, the Central Bank of Russia announced the issuance of a commemorative silver coin with a portrait of Kharlamov.

On September 14, 2012, participants in the legendary first Super Series of the USSR - Canada in 1972 were awarded commemorative rings. Valery Kharlamov 's ring was handed over to his relatives .

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Biography and episodes of life Valery Kharlamov. When born and died Valery Kharlamov, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. hockey player quotes, Photo and video.

Years of life of Valery Kharlamov:

born January 14, 1948, died August 27, 1981

Epitaph

"Not.
Life doesn't end
black frame,
And you are infinitely alive!
See you,
Valera.
And remember that in the team
number seventeen,
He is yours!"
From a poem by Mikhail Tanich dedicated to the memory of Kharlamov

And no matter how you choose, the words all fade,
They are weak against the background of his name ...
He was Great, was a Legend... and was overthrown...
But not a rival, but by the will of fate ... "
From a poem by Elena Lyakhova dedicated to the memory of Kharlamov

Biography

One of the highlights in the career of Valery Kharlamov was the Super Series-74. At the end of eight games, Kharlamov scored only two goals, but they were so beautiful that the Canadian press called them "gourmet goals." Canadian defender Tremblay recalled one of these cases: “When Stapleton and I rolled back, I was calm: not a single WHA or NHL forward would risk wedging between us. Without false modesty I will say that it is less dangerous to find yourself between two millstones. However, this Russian striker rushed right at us ... ". As a result, it seemed to Tremblay that Kharlamov was trying to get around him from the outside, and Stapleton seemed to be the exact opposite. The defenders parted to the sides, and Kharlamov slipped past them like a bullet. “And to this day I don’t understand how he left us in the cold. But one thing I know for sure: there is no other player like him,” Tremblay stated.

Valery Kharlamov's mother was from Bilbao, but for political reasons she was forced to migrate to the USSR during the Spanish Civil War. In Moscow, she met her future husband, who also turned out to be her colleague: together they worked at the same factory. When their first son, Valery, was born, the couple had not yet been officially married, and meanwhile a boy was born on the significant night of January 13-14.

From childhood, Valery was not distinguished by good health, and in terms of his constitution he did not at all resemble a hockey player. Moreover, at an early age, doctors discovered heart rheumatism in the boy, so sports turned out to be completely contraindicated for him. But secretly from his parents, young Kharlamov enrolled in the CSKA hockey school, lying a little about his age for this. The fact is that only thirteen-year-olds were accepted into the team, and Valery was already fourteen. But since the boy was frail and undersized, he was willingly believed. When the father found out about this adventure, he first of all took his son for a medical examination and, to his great joy, found out that everything was in order with the guy and the disease had completely receded. Thus began the sports path of the legendary hockey player of all time.

Valery Kharlamov (right) in a match with the Canadians

Frankly, at first Kharlamov did not show great promise and for a long time remained almost invisible. Three years later, the hockey player made his debut as part of CSKA, and after that he was redirected to the Zvezda team along with defender Gusev. According to the results of the season, the guys showed excellent results, and Kharlamov distinguished himself as the top scorer. Actually, this title did not leave him until his death. His incomparable technique terrified his rivals and was an unprecedented reason for the pride of the Soviet team - the multiple champion of world tournaments. And it is obvious that the amazing success of the Soviet hockey team was largely due to the talent of the legendary No. 17.

On a rainy August morning, a terrible accident happened on the 74th kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway in the Moscow region. The hockey player's car crashed into a heavy truck at high speed. The death of Kharlamov and his wife, who was driving, came instantly. Kharlamov's funeral took place at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow. Kharlamov's grave is located on the 10th section of the cemetery. Now, at the site of the death of a hockey player, a 500-kilogram marble puck and a stick with an engraved inscription have been installed: “The star of Russian hockey went out here. Valery Kharlamov".

life line

January 14, 1948 Date of birth of Valery Borisovich Kharlamov.
1964 Young Kharlamov enters the CSKA hockey school.
1968 Valery receives the first title of champion of the USSR. The famous attacking link Kharlamov - Mikhailov - Petrov is being formed.
1969 Kharlamov was awarded the highest sports title - Honored Master of Sports.
1971 At the end of the season, Valery Kharlamov was recognized as the best sniper of the USSR championship and the best player in the country.
1972 The hockey player successfully debuts at the Olympic Games in Japan.
1976 Kharlamov is recognized as the best striker of the World Cup.
1981 The great scorer receives the eleventh USSR championship title.
August 27, 1981 Date of Kharlamov's death.
August 30, 1981 Date of Kharlamov's funeral.

Memorable places

1. The city of Moscow, where Valery Kharlamov was born and lived.
2. The city of Bilbao is the birthplace of Kharlamov's mother, where Valery lived for some time.
3. Prospect Mira in Moscow, where the house of Kharlamov and his wife was located.
4. Leningrad highway (74th kilometer, near the village of Pokrovka), where Valery Kharlamov died. There is also a monument to Kharlamov.
5. Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow, where Kharlamov is buried.
6. Klinsk Ice Palace named after Valery Kharlamov, where a monument to Kharlamov is erected.
7. Alley of sports glory of CSKA, where the bust of the great hockey player is installed.
8. Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where the name of Valery Kharlamov is immortalized.

Episodes of life

In 2013, in memory of Valery Kharlamov, the film "Legend No. 17" directed by Nikolai Lebedev was released, which tells about the life and sports career of the great striker. The film is based on real events and focuses on the hottest match in the history of hockey - the Super Series of the USSR - Canada in 1974. The film received high marks from Russian critics and was awarded many awards.

At the height of his sports career, Valery Kharlamov was in a car accident on the ill-fated Leningrad Highway and was seriously injured. Doctors doubted the possibility of Kharlamov returning to big sport, but coach Tarasov offered the hockey player his own method of recovery. In order not to lose his skills, Valery began to train with the children's team and in less than six months he regained his former form.

Covenant

"I like to play beautifully."

The famous goal of Kharlamov at the match Canada - USSR (1974)

condolences

“I don’t know what else Valery would have been able to do, but I believe that he would have reached new heights even after he stopped playing. He wanted to study further, to teach others, and he had every moral right to do so.”
Anatoly Tarasov, head coach of CSKA and the USSR national team

“Fate more than once suspended his purposeful movement. Perhaps this prompted Valera to draw and draw on the resources of his talent, resources that sometimes neither specialists nor he himself suspected.
Vladimir Bogomolov, Kharlamov's partner in the CSKA youth team

“Someone said that Socrates created philosophy. Aristotle - science. Undoubtedly, Kharlamov is one of the creators of hockey.
Stanislav Shatalin, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences

The plot about Valery Kharlamov from the series of programs "How the idols left"

The best scorer of the Soviet Union Valery Kharlamov died in a banal car accident on August 27, 1981. The hockey team dedicated his victory in the match with the Canadians to him. Kharlamov left two children, who also became athletes.

Hockey fans around the world remember Valery Kharlamov, one of the most prominent strikers of the CSKA team, whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 33. The number of awards received by the team during matches with the participation of a hockey player is amazing. The USSR national team with the participation of a hockey player twice became the gold medalist of the Olympic Games and won the world championship eight times.

The cause of Kharlamov's death was a banal accident: the car skidded on the road. The life path and career of the hockey player was so impressive that the film “Legend No. 17” was made about him with Danila Kozlovsky in the title role.

Events the day before

The accident that claimed the life of a Soviet sports star happened on the morning of August 27, 1981. The day before, the national team coach Viktor Tikhonov, having called Kharlamov aside, said that he had decided not to take the striker to Canada. A sporting event was to be held in Winnipeg: the Canada Cup match. According to the athlete's colleagues, this series was supposed to be the final one in the hockey player's career, so he trained a lot to be in shape. The news of the expulsion from the composition greatly shocked Valery. Perhaps Tikhonov punished the hockey player for past violations. He himself explained the exclusion of Kharlamov by the fact that the hockey player had health problems: he lost the ability to quickly maneuver due to the poor condition of the ankle, aggravated by the accident. In the national team, Kharlamov's place was taken by a young striker Krutov.

The frustrated athlete went to the airport, where he met his wife Irina, who had arrived from the south, and a little son, after which the family went to the country house to his mother-in-law, who was in the Moscow region.

An accident that claimed lives

According to the recollections of Irina's mother, Valery was very tense, he went to bed early with his son, because in the morning it was necessary to return to Moscow. However, after waking up, Irina noticed that her husband hardly slept - he looked so tired. Then the woman invited him to take a nap in the car, so that she herself sat behind the wheel.

However, the mother-in-law insisted that it was Valery who drove the car - Irina did not have a license, although she came to the village alone several times. The weather was not good: it was overcast and drizzling. Therefore, when the car drove away from the parental dacha, everyone was sure that the Volga was controlled by Kharlamov.

The tragedy unfolded on the 72nd kilometer of the Leningrad highway. Another participant in the incident, Viktor Krylov, said that he was driving a truck loaded with metal parts slowly, because he was afraid that the car might skid on slippery asphalt. The roadbed was recently changed on this section, and it also rained. Suddenly, a passenger car drove out towards the ZIL. Trying to turn away, the car turned sideways, which took the hit of the truck.

A few seconds later, the police arrived - ironically, they were driving right behind the Volga of the Kharlamovs. Employees pulled two dead men out of the car and tried to help the woman who flew out through the windshield, but did not have time: she died a few minutes later. After identification, the identities of the dead were established. They became:

• Valery Kharlamov;
• his wife Irina;
• her cousin Sergei Ivanov.

The materials of the criminal case mention that the car was driven by Irina. At what stage of the journey Kharlamov allowed her to drive, and for what reason - is unknown. The investigation explains the accident precisely by the inexperience of the driver - on a slippery road, the Volga ran into a bump, which caused the car to be thrown into the oncoming lane under the wheels of the ZIL. The speedometer needle froze at 110 km / h, but the police concluded that the device was faulty, and the actual speed at which the car was moving did not exceed 60 km.

News of the death of Kharlamov

Just an hour after the incident, the press announced the death of the people's favorite.

Members of the team who were in Canada learned about the incident only from the TV news. For friends and colleagues of Kharlamov, his unexpected death was a big blow: many even asked to be released to say goodbye to Kharlamov in Moscow. Valery's close friend, hockey player Alexander Maltsev, took the news especially hard. In his interviews, he mentioned that the sudden death of Kharlamov greatly influenced his fate, and for a long time the athlete could not recover. “Life took my closest friend away from me. If not for this event, everything could have turned out differently,” said Maltsev.

The national team promised to defeat the Canadians in memory of Kharlamov - and they kept their word: a stunning victory was won with a crushing score of 8: 1.

A monument in the form of a marble puck was erected at the site of the collision. Flowers are often brought here.

Parting

The legend of Soviet sports was buried on the last day of summer - August 31 at the Kuntsevo cemetery.

It is known that Kharlamov was originally supposed to be buried at Vagankovsky, one of the largest cemeteries in Moscow, famous for the many graves of famous people. However, the allocated area was unsuitable for a funeral: it was located in an abandoned part of the cemetery.

A memorial service was organized at the CSKA Ice Palace. Thousands of people came to see the hockey player for the last time: the queue was so long that the farewell was extended for two hours, although after this time people kept walking. According to eyewitnesses, the athlete’s mother, Begonia, was so heartbroken that she needed medical help. She survived her son by only five years - she could not come to terms with the loss.

The day of the funeral was very cloudy, with only a minute of sunshine. “All Moscow is crying for you,” said Anatoly Tarasov in his farewell speech.

Children of Valery Kharlamov

The death of the Kharlamov spouses left two of their small children orphaned: six-year-old son Sasha and a four-year-old girl Begonita, named after her grandmother, Kharlamov's mother. Grief did not unite the families of Kharlamovkh and Smirnov: for many years they shared the right to custody of children. Nevertheless, it was determined that the kids would stay with their maternal grandmother.

Alexander, remembering how his father wanted his son to play hockey, began training as a child: Vyacheslav Fetisov and other hockey players from CSKA helped him in his development. Therefore, the boy first played for his native team, and then for American clubs. Married, has a son, whom he named after his father - Valery.

Sport entered the life of Begonita: she became a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics. Has two daughters.

short biography

Valery Kharlamov was born on January 14, 1948 in an international family. His parents were factory workers: his father, Boris Sergeevich, worked as a mechanic, and his mother, Begonia, a refugee from Spain, worked on a lathe.

At the time of the birth of their first child, Begonia and Boris were not yet married due to problems in obtaining citizenship for a girl. The real name of Begonia is Carmen Orive-Abad. The marriage was concluded only three years after the appearance of her son: it was then that Begonia was able to get her Soviet passport. Soon the daughter Tatyana was born.

The boy had an interest in sports from an early age; Boris Sergeevich was fond of hockey and took his seven-year-old son with him to training sessions organized by the plant. It was the father who taught the child how to handle the stick and how to skate. For some time the family lived in the homeland of Begonia in Spain, where Valery attended a local school and played football.

First steps in sports

After returning to the USSR, the boy fell ill with a sore throat. The disease gave serious complications: doctors diagnosed a heart disease, after which, it would seem, it was necessary to forget about sports forever. It was impossible to attend even ordinary physical education.

Then Boris Sergeevich took a desperate step: he enrolled his son in the hockey section, and hiding it from the rest of the family. Perhaps the terrible diagnosis was false, or it was the love of sports that conquered all ailments, but after some time visiting the section, the doctors shrugged their shoulders: the boy was absolutely healthy.

Tarasov's refusal

The talent of young Kharlamov became obvious to all the coaches who worked with him, so the question soon arose of enrolling the guy in the main team of CSKA. Valery was short: his height was only 173 centimeters, and some believe that this circumstance helped him in sports. However, Anatoly Tarasov, being the head coach of the team at that time, considered short stature a serious drawback. Tarasov always compared the players with Canadian athletes, who were like a match: large and massive.

The opinion of an experienced coach changed after Kharlamov played in the junior tournament in Minsk. After a brilliant match in his own style, the hockey player was finally enrolled in CSKA, and by the 68th year he occasionally participated in matches in the first team.

Arrival at CSKA

The young athlete, it seemed, was doomed to success: almost immediately after he was enrolled in the main team, the team won the USSR championship. Gold went to CSKA not without the participation of the later famous trio of Boris Mikhailov, Vladimir Petrov and Valery Kharlamov.

At the age of 21, the hockey player became the world champion as part of the USSR national team. This was an unprecedented event: no player, being so young, received such an honorary title. In addition to the medal, Kharlamov earned the title of Honored Master of Sports.

Top scorer

The 70s were truly triumphant for the hockey player: all-Union fame and fame abroad came to him. Many times he proved his professionalism: at the allied championship 70/71 he received the title of top scorer, having thrown about 40 goals into the opponent's goal.

After he confirmed his status in the Olympic Games, where he scored a hat-trick twice, bringing gold to his team. Shortly before participating in the Olympiad, by the decision of Tarasov, the team was castling: Kharlamov began to play as part of another trio along with Vladimir Vikulov and Anatoly Firsov.

Canadian Super Series

In 72-74, two series of games were held with Canadian athletes, in which Kharlamov showed himself as a world-class player. Maneuverability, speed, sharp throws helped the hockey player score goals over and over again.

During one of the games, Bobby Clark hit Kharlamov in the leg, convincing the judges that the Russian striker hit him first with a stick. Later, Clark admitted that he received from his coach the task of taking the athlete out of the game and thereby saving the position of his team.

Valery Kharlamov twice became the Olympic champion and eight times the World Champion. It is difficult to describe his services to Soviet sports: for two years in a row he became the best hockey player in the USSR and received recognition not only from domestic players, but also from rivals.

Personal life

1976 was marked for the athlete by two events: his marriage to Irina Smirnova and an injury sustained in a car accident.

Kharlamov met his future wife in one of the restaurants where Irina came to celebrate her friend's birthday. Valery invited her to a dance, and then took her home - and so began the love story of the future spouses. The girl's mother was categorically against Irina's marriage, because the difference in the couple's age was significant - 8 years. However, it was not possible to prevent the young people: they applied to the registry office as soon as they found out about Irina's pregnancy.

In less than two weeks from the date of the wedding, the couple got into an accident: losing control, Valery crashed into a pole. His wife received only minor bruises, while Kharlamov himself broke his leg, two ribs and received a concussion. The hockey player recovered from the injury for a long time, but it was even harder for him to come to terms with the fact that he could not continue training. Therefore, an impromptu gym was created especially for the hockey player in the hospital, where Valery could restore his physical form. Fortitude helped Valery not only cope with illnesses, but also return to the ice, successfully continuing his career.

Mikhail Tanich, after the death of a hockey player, wrote a poem “In Memory of an Artist”, in which the bitterness from the loss of a sports star of such magnitude is expressed in the lines: “The ATES buzzer rings in the morning, But the heart knows, but the heart hurts! He lived at speed and died at speed! - What a merciless bullet! ...

Name: Valery Kharlamov

Date of Birth: 14.01.1948

Age: 72 years old

Date of death: 27.08.1981.

Place of Birth: Moscow city, Russia

Activity: hockey player

Family status: married

The biography of the famous Soviet hockey player, who died with his wife, Valery Kharlamov is still interested today. His best qualities, such as determination and the desire to win, were passed on to children. Photos from the competition are the best proof of this.

early years

Kharlamov Valery Borisovich was born on January 14, 1948 in Moscow. Father Boris Sergeevich is Russian, and mother Carmen Orive-Abad had Spanish roots. She was evacuated to the USSR during the Spanish Civil War.

Valery's parents worked together at the Kommunar plant. They were able to sign only 3 months after the birth of the boy, due to the fact that Carmen did not have a Soviet passport. Having received the document, she married Boris Sergeevich. Later, a girl was born in the young Kharlamov family. They named her Tatyana.

Valery Kharlamov in childhood

Valery has been passionate about hockey since childhood. All thanks to my father. He was engaged in this sport outside of working hours, participated in competitions, representing his plant. The boy enjoyed watching his dad play, and Boris Sergeevich, in turn, taught him to skate and use a stick.

Hockey classes had to be suspended, the parents of the future star of this sport decided to move to Spain, the city of Bilbao, where my maternal grandparents once lived. Then Valery became interested in football, but not so much as to completely forget about his native skates.

Upon returning back to the Soviet Union, Kharlamov enrolled in the hockey school of the capital's CSKA.

Carier start

After the hockey school, nineteen-year-old Kharlamov managed to get into the main team. He had a wonderful quality - determination, in every training session or game he worked to the maximum, never lowered his head. Thanks to this, in a few years he became a real star, the leader of his team, although some circumstances prevented this.

Tarasov, the then coach of the young team, did not see any special talent in the young man, and at any opportunity reminded him of his short stature. But Valery is not used to defeat. In 1966, the team went with him to the Chebarkul Zvezda. During the game, Kharlamov scored 34 goals in just one season.

The low growth of the athlete did not become an obstacle to sports glory

After such a resounding success, the coach changed his mind about the guy, began to talk about his achievements to his colleagues in the capital. A year later, in the spring, another game was held in the city of Kalinin, to which Kulagin came. Despite his short stature, Valery Kharlamov perfectly felt the court, and skillfully controlled the stick, which attracted attention. The only thing left was to convince the coach to take the athlete to the main team of CSKA.

But still, it was not easy because Tarasov, despite his successes, still doubted the young man. In 1967, in the summer, the team, together with a star from Moscow, was sent to a base in the city of Kudepsta.

Young Valery Kharlamov, whose biography and photos are now admired, at that time thought only about sports. Thoughts to find a good wife who will give birth to beautiful children visited him later.

The Magnificent Three

In the early spring of 1968, Valery Kharlamov made his real debut. April 23, he scores the first goal with the army club. It was during that period that the Kharlamov-Petrov-Mikhailov team was formed.

The legendary trio

Thanks to this trio, Valery was able to achieve high results. Soviet athletes played at full strength, showing the spectators, judges and opponents their skills. The team won again.

Best time

Valery's dreams began to become reality in 1969, when he was 21 years old. For the first time he performed at the World Championships, and also received awards of the highest standard along with the national team.

In the USSR championship, the judges recognized him as the most successful scorer. On account of the athlete was 40 goals. In 1972, the composition of the team changed, Vikulov and Firsov were already partners with Valery. But the cardinal changes did not prevent him from winning the Olympic Games once again.

At 24, Kharlamov achieved incredible heights. But it turned out that this was not enough for him. Another dream of a young man was to play with Canadian athletes. Then they were leaders in hockey.

Kharlamov in the Union team

World victory

In the same 1972, the officials of the rival countries agreed to hold eight matches. This event went down in history, because this has never happened before. The Canadian team included world famous athletes. Montreal opened the season.

Valery Kharlamov player of the CSKA team

During this competition, Canadians began to look at the Soviet team in a different way. Although at the very beginning they were 100% sure of their own victory. At 6 minutes they scored 2 goals. Everything changed in the 17th minute. Zimin and Petrov contributed to this. After such serious turns, only one team remained.

At the 22nd minute, Valery was able to put the team ahead, and after another 5 minutes he doubled the result. Total score 7:3 in favor of CSKA.

Difficult period

In the life of a man, a turning point comes in 1976. The athlete again became the Olympic champion, European and World champion. And also for the first time, Valery Kharlamov managed to achieve success in his personal life. In May of the same year, he married his beloved Irina Smirnova. Happiness did not last long, after 12 days the young couple had an accident.

Valery received many serious injuries, doctors claimed that now the road to hockey was closed to him forever. He had to endure more than one operation, but nevertheless, after a few months, Kharlamov began to walk again.

Rehabilitation after the first accident

He could not imagine his life without his favorite sport, so he did everything possible to get back into the team's ranks. At first he was entrusted to train children, and at the end of the year he again joined the national team.

Wife and kids

Little is known about his personal life in the biography of Valery Kharlamov, he devoted all his time to sports, which is confirmed by numerous photos from the competition. The man did not plan to look for a wife and have children. But fate decided otherwise. In 1975, a true athlete met Irina Smirnova. Both of them, one might say, fell in love with each other at first sight, after a short period they began to live together. There was an 8 year age difference between them, but their love is definitely not a hindrance.

Kharlamov with his wife

They signed after the birth of their son, who was named Alexander. And in May 1976, a girl, Begonita, appeared in a young family. Valery and Irina Kharlamov, after a few years of happy family life, were given an apartment located next to the Alekseevskaya metro station.

Death

In August 1981, an extremely unpleasant situation occurred for the famous hockey player. CSKA went to the Canada Cup for the first time without Valery, despite the fact that he did not officially resign. The man so hoped to play his last competition abroad with full force, but the authorities considered that they could do without him. The last conversation with Tikhonov was, to put it mildly, very tense. The family spent the day at the cottage.

On August 27, 1981, early in the morning, Valery, his wife and her cousin drove their Volga back from their dacha to the capital. Irina was still bad at driving, but she really wanted a net for the driver's seat. In the end, it did. On the way there was a small emergency situation, with which the girl, due to inexperience, could not cope. The car drove into the oncoming lane and collided with a truck. Due to numerous injuries, all passengers died on the spot.

Hockey player with his children

All the world's media talked about what happened. A civil memorial service was held at the CSKA Palace, the dead were buried in the cemetery in Kuntsevo. Due to the fact that the team was abroad on the day of the funeral, the hockey players promised to win the Cup in memory of their comrade. And they fulfilled their promise, winning back with a score of 8:1.

Irina's mother issued guardianship for Alexander and Begonita. Colleagues of the deceased Valery tried to provide any support in the upbringing of children who became orphans. The boy, like his father, was professionally involved in hockey, later he began to teach children this sport. After that he started his own business. And the girl liked rhythmic gymnastics, for which she received the title of master of sports.

The children of the late Valery Kharlamov, whose biography is the best motivation, and his wife, were able to achieve not only heights in their sports career, but also build a personal life. Family photos can be found on social networks. Alexander and his wife have a son, and Begonia has two daughters.