«We will wait for the Olympic Games in Sochi to avenge on Canada»

It was not our day. The Russian hockey players left Vancouver with tears in their eyes. But the feeling of a debt will force them to take a revenge and to show the real game in Sochi, the triple Olympic champion and the tenfold world champion, legendary Soviet goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak is optimistic.

— Vladislav Aleksandrovich, it was difficult to expect a victory from our team in a match with Canadians, enraged by sensible defeats in two last World championships, however the course of a match appeared to be a shock. What has happened to our guys? Why did we allow to break us down in a match with the equal contender?

— I can not answer this question, neither anybody from experts can. Nobody expected such result. Hockey players were upset very much, after all they wished to win against Canada and came to the match with sparkling eyes. Well, and the Canadian national team has simply surpassed itself. I talked to many experts after a match, and all have noted absolutely improbable speed of Canadians. We have a strong team and good players, but that day, in that match we could not show all the best we are capable of.

— Whether it is possible to speak about any personal responsibility for this pitiable result on the Olympic Games? Were there system errors in course of preparation, or this was just an unsuccessful coincidence of circumstances in your opinion?

— Yes, we can say — Ovechkin, Syomin, the first unit did not play, the second … But the third played! Some did it, others — not. But after all nobody played in general! The whole team. The day before training was good. Everything had been done in proper way. But there was a failure.

— In general, the public is inclined to blame officials for failures of the Russian sportsmen. Do you as the, head of domestic hockey see the misses in your work, which had affected the result?

— The most eminent experts — from Majorova to Fetisova — recognise that we gathered all the best sportsmen in our national team. Trainers did not say a bad word about the conditions created by federation. And now the wave has risen: «Let's remove Tretyaka!» For what? For the first-second places in IIHF rating? For two victories in the World championships? You see, if I did not see the results of the activity — I would ask for resignation myself. But if the system works, gives victories and light prospect, what for to break it? We have returned to people the belief in our hockey, thirst for gold medals. Is it bad?

— As a direct employer of the head coach of a Russian national team Vyacheslav Bykov, what can you tell about its work during the Games? Does contract prolongation tell about the credit of trust?

— Certainly. What resignation? We have won last two World championships. There is a result. We have gathered the best team. Perhaps there are one-two disputable figures, but not more! These are best of the best players of NHL — Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Datsyuk … And to put other trainers — would they have won in Canada? Bykov together with Zaharkin have proved themselves as good trainers.

— Whether some organizational conclusions will be made about children's and youth's hockey? Earlier we simply sank in comparison to young North American men, now they simply smash us — the class of teams of younger age is non-comparable.

— Now in Russia children's hockey is on the wave. In many respects thanks to our victories in world championships of the last two years we have recollected how tastes a champion's title. It is how to explain the considerable number of kids, whom parents send in hockey sections. But all of them are different, with different physical and family possibilities. Anyhow, from fifty persons, who have come to sports school, only a few will connect their further life with sports.

— What result can we count on in four years in Sochi?

— We have a young team, and we will keep its backbone for the Games -2014. Our main stars Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk will be in their prime form, and, believe me, they will not forget Vancouver and will consider its lessons.

When we have lost the Olympic Games-1980, I had a desire to finish with hockey. And only the feeling of duty made me stay and take gold of the Games-1984 to Sarajevo. In Vancouver I saw, that Malkin with Ovechkin were longing to lead Russia to a victory in Sochi. They will wait for this tournament to avenge on Canada and to expiate their blunder.

Russian national team hockey awards on the international tournaments:

— the world champion in 1993, 2008 and 2009;

— silver prize-winner in WC-2002, WC-2010;

— bronze prize-winner in WC-2005, WC-2007;

— the winner of Eurohockeytour in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009;

— the winner of the Cup of Germany in 1992 and 1993.

Performance of a Russian national hockey team on the winter Olympic Games:

1994 — 4th place

1998 — 2nd place

2002 — 3rd place

2006 — 4th place

2010 — 6th place

The file

Vladislav Tretyak was born on April, 25th, 1952. From 1968 to 1984 he played for CSKA team, from 1969 to 1984 played for a Soviet Union national team. In the championship of the USSR he played 482 matches, in the World championships and Olympic Games — 117, in tournaments of the Cup of Canada — 11. Since December, 2003 — the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Since 2006 — the president of hockey Federation of Russia. Colonel in the reserve of the armed forces of Russian Federation. The triple Olympic champion, the ten-times world champion, the thirteen-times champion of the USSR.