Tretiak
has been considered one of the greatest players of all time, and many
believe he's the best player to never play in the NHL.
He
rose to prominence in 1972 in the 8-game Super Series against Canada,
and made a name for himself. He led the USSR to countless World
Championships and other tournament wins throughout the 1970s, and up
to the Lake Placid Olympic Games in 1980.
Unfortunately,
Tretiak gave up two goals in the first period, and his coach pulled
him. Many people, including Tretiak himself, believe that if he'd
stayed in the game, the Soviets could still have won the gold medal.
He
was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1983, on the belief that
they'd eventually be able to get him over to North America. That
never came to fruition, and so it is left to speculation as to
whether he would have been able to keep up with the NHL. None other
than Wayne Gretzky has said that Tretiak would have been just fine.
This
book is a look at a humble person who just happened to become a
superstar goalie. Along the way, he shows us his teammates, his
coaches, and some of the methods that the Soviets used to become
world-class champions.
It's
an amazing book. I would encourage any hockey fan to find this book
and read it. You don't have to know anything about the Soviet system;
that is all explained in great detail. Just remember that most of the
book took place during the Cold War, so politics played a part in
much of what was going on, and the thinking of many people.
All
in all, definitely worth your time.
Link
to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tretiak-Legend-Vladislav/dp/0140109188/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371773815&sr=1-1&keywords=tretiak
Note:
At this time, I can only come up with an Amazon link.
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