Tretiak: The Legend

If you're an "Old School" hockey fan you know the name Vladislav Tretiak. For those who don't, he was arguably the greatest goalie to ever play the game. During the Cold War years of the mid-twentieth century Russia was the personification of evil to those in the Western World and their domination of world hockey was both a visceral and symbolic image of what their intentions were off the ice as well. The West was fascinated by this team, both hating and admiring them at the same time and no player epitomized this fascinating dichotomy more than the near mythic persona of their impenetrable goalie, Tretiak. In `Tretiak: The Legend' Vladislav provides an illuminating glimpse of those years from the Russian perspective and examines the volatile games that took place when the "Eastern Block" collided with the "Powers of the West." This was truly a time when sport and philosophy were inseparable and the final score indicated the strength or weakness of one's political system. This hardcover, 262 page book contains an introduction by Wayne Gretzky, 18 chapters and epilogue. My personal favorite chapters are: 5- Shattered Myth - The '72 Canada/USSR Series 6- Vladislav Tretiak vs. Bobby Hull 13- The Challenge Cup 14- Lake Placid, February 22, 1980 Here's your chance to have a personal guided tour inside the Soviet sports machine and learn about the philosophy that demanded excellence and victory at all costs. If you're old enough to remember the glory and the disappointment of those great international matches you'll certainly enjoy the insights of the greatest Russian player of that generation.