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Kharlamov Valery. Sports biography. Star Tragedies: Riddles, Fate and Death Vyacheslav Kharlamov biography

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 club. 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 merits 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! ...

Kharlamov swept over the planet Hockey like a blazing meteor. His short, but such a bright path is the subject of hundreds and thousands of studies. Books have been written about Kharlamov, documentaries and feature films have been shot, his name is immortalized in monuments and street names, poems and songs are dedicated to him...

Start

The future hockey genius was born on the night of January 13-14, 1948 in Moscow in a working-class family. Father, Boris Sergeevich, worked as a test fitter at the Kommunar plant, like my mother, Carmen Orive-Abad, or simply Begonita, a Spaniard by nationality, who arrived at the age of twelve in the USSR in the late thirties of the last century.

The process of the birth of a genius began ... in the car: while my mother was being taken to the hospital, contractions began. Boris Sergeevich left his wife in the maternity hospital, and he himself went on foot to the hostel. On the way, a patrol stopped him, and the young father gladly agreed to the offer to “go where he should go”: the frost that night was bitter.

In the department, Boris Sergeevich warmed up, treated the policemen to shag and shared his joy:

“My son was born today. called Valery, in honor of Chkalova.

“Valerik was very weak,” Boris Sergeevich later recalled. - Weighed less than three kilograms, and where was the bogatyr expected from at that time card nutrition? We lived at that time with Begonita in a quarter of a large room, fenced off from other families by a plywood partition.

At the age of seven, Valera was put on skates. My father played for the factory Russian hockey team, but ice hockey had already gained such popularity that only football could compete with it. The boys of that time dreamed of being like Vsevolod Bobrov.

Valera was no exception.

Forgery

In the summer of 1962, a summer skating rink was opened on Leningradsky Prospekt, and boys born in 1949 became the first enrollment in the section. By age, Valera no longer passed, but by physique - completely. Therefore, it is difficult to mislead the coach Boris Kulagin he did not. I threw off a year, they took it. When the deception was revealed, it was already too late to punish the kid with expulsion: his abilities were too obvious.

In a short time, Kharlamov turned into one of the best players in the children's and youth school of CSKA, but the head coach of the adult team Anatoly Tarasov was skeptical of him: too small. Tarasov was then obsessed with the idea of slapping Canadians and relied on physically powerful players: “All outstanding Canadian hockey players are giants compared to ours. How can we defeat them if we are dwarfs, a meter with a cap?

Tormented by these contradictions, Tarasov in 1966 sent the eighteen-year-old Kharlamov to the “farm club”: the Chebarkul Zvezda, which played in the second league. The young did not disappoint: he scored 34 goals in 40 matches and in the summer of 1967 he was called to the CSKA training camp in Kudepsta.

Kharlamov's partner in the youth team of CSKA Vladimir Bogomolov recalled: “When Valera just started to try in the team of masters, it was hard for him: neither physical data, nor a sonorous name even at the junior level. He left for a training camp in Kudepsta, and when we saw each other again, I no longer recognized my friend. Muscles played all over the body. The athlete returned home, at least sculpt an ancient hero from him.

Health

Indeed, those who saw Kharlamov on the ice (and even more so - opposed him) noted his outstanding physical qualities. Fast legs, strong arms, incredible speed, endurance: Kharlamov seemed to be made of steel and alloys.

This is actually a completely amazing fact, because he was closely “friends” with doctors from birth. In infancy, he suffered from dyspepsia (failure to assimilate food), easily, at the first request, he caught dysentery or scarlet fever. Angina - endlessly, in a chronic mode, and with complications up to paralysis of the right arm and left leg. At the age of 13 - the final diagnosis: heart disease. Physical education and sports, respectively, are completely banned ...

But it was the mother's version. The father, who himself was not alien to sports passion, thought otherwise, and when the chronically ill, but nimble and agile Valera dreamed of signing up "in hockey", he fully supported him.

Surprisingly, a year later Kharlamov's electrocardiogram looked perfect, and in the future he had no health problems at all.

Career

Kharlamov's career in the "big" CSKA went off the rails. The army team won the 1967/68 USSR championship, and this was Kharlamov’s first allied gold out of 11 that he collected during his career (it was in that year, by the way, that the famous army trio was born Mikhailov — Petrov- Kharlamov).

In 1969, twenty-year-old Kharlamov became the world champion, setting an age record: before him, not a single hockey player in the Soviet Union knew such success at such a young age. By the beginning of the seventies, he was considered the best hockey player not only in the Soviet Union, but also in Europe, in 1972 he won Olympic gold.

Boris Mikhailov, Vladimir Petrov and Valery Kharlamov. Photo: RIA Novosti

Nature

One of Kharlamov's biographers tells Maxim Makarychev:

“He was a great hockey player, because the human being was powerful,” Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov once dropped a brilliant phrase about Valery Kharlamov. “Kharlamov is not only an outstanding hockey player, but also a great guy,” confirms the legendary Vitaly Davydov. — There are many good players, but not every one of them turns out to be a decent person. I see the greatness of Valery Kharlamov in his devotion to the country, hockey, friends. He was one of those people who are ready to give away their last shirt. His life was filled not only with serious trials, but also with joys, work, love for parents, wife, children.

While working on the biography of Kharlamov, I was amazed when I learned about the origin of the name of our hero. How can one not believe in "destiny from above"? So: Kharlamov is a Russian surname, comes from an abbreviated form of the name Kharlampy. And in Greek, this name means "glowing with joy." Hitting the bull's-eye. This is exactly the same about Valery Kharlamov.

The famous Soviet footballer knew Kharlamov well Mikhail Gershkovich, who now heads the "Association of Domestic Trainers".

“It cannot be said that Valera and I were very close friends,” says Gershkovich. - It's simply impossible due to completely different life schedules. But at the training camp they often crossed paths, often called up, there were many informal meetings.

- How do you remember Kharlamov?

- He was a great hockey player, that's the main memory. No controversy, no discussion. All his colleagues, from Petrov and Mikhailov to Lutchenko and Vasiliev, recognized Valera number one. And in communication he was very simple, he never boasted of his greatness: rather, he was embarrassed by everyone's attention.

- They say he looked very decent on the football field.

- I know for sure that I played well Sasha Maltsev but Valera was fine. We, the players, in the winter, hockey was always listed in the training program, and at that time it was impossible to buy or get good skates - the ones in which the masters played. Somehow, Valerka and I agreed to change, since the size of the legs is the same: he gave me his skates, and I gave him my boots. Later we met, I said: “Well, now I’m the best in the team in your skates!” “Your Adidas help too,” he replies.

Do you have these skates?

- Of course. They lie at home.

Mode

Kharlamov, they say, loved to "buzz." No, God forbid, dependence, but it was not difficult to persuade him to a good feast.

Appointed in 1977 as head coach of CSKA Viktor Tikhonov was, as you know, a man with a strong character and did not do concessions to anyone. Especially in terms of compliance. So, the new coach was struck by the freemen reigning in CSKA: “Like all people associated with hockey, I heard a lot about the “iron” Tarasov and the “iron” discipline in the army club. But none of this was in that CSKA, which I got into.

The singers in the "choir" were Alexander Gusev, Vladimir Petrov and Boris Alexandrov. Kharlamov, on the other hand, was classified as “not objecting,” and Tikhonov did not refuse this mark until the very end of his career. In the end, she played a fatal role: Kharlamov did not get into the final application for the Canada Cup in 1981 precisely in connection with the violation of the regime, which Tikhonov became aware of ...

However, there was a case when even the unshakable Tikhonov himself almost betrayed his principles. It so happened that during one of the tournaments, two Valery, players of the USSR national team Kharlamov and Vasilyev, were caught red-handed: on the eve of the match they drank heavily and got caught. There were no sanctions just because there was simply no one to replace the violators.

The match with the Czechs, the most important rivals, went crookedly, they quickly scored two goals and were not going to give up the initiative. Kharlamov and Vasiliev looked weak, Tikhonov, pale with anger, loitering along the side, called the hockey players enemies and promised the most terrible punishments. But he didn’t have time to send them: Kharlamov “woke up” in time and scored two goals, and one from Vasilyev’s pass. The USSR national team won, and both Valeriy were named the best players of the match.

“I have an idea: maybe let these two drink as an exception?” - then consulted with Tikhonov's entourage. BUT Chairman of the State Committee for Sports Sergey Pavlov went even further: “Guys, if you really feel like it, take the keys to my dacha, drink there. But it's still not worth the fees. Others will see and start too.”

Catastrophe

The 1981 season was supposed to be for Kharlamov, by his own decision, the last in his career. In hockey, he achieved everything he dreamed of, and 33 years old at that time was almost the limit for an athlete.

Hockey 1981 began with a team trip to the Canada Cup, but the head coach of the team Viktor Tikhonov from Winnipeg Kharlamov unexpectedly “unhooked” for everyone.

“Valera trained furiously,” recalls Vyacheslav Fetisov, who made the most mature Kharlamov years in CSKA. - He got into great shape, and it was felt that he was waiting for a tournament of such a rank in order to leave beautifully. We were already packing our bags, when suddenly Tikhonov called Kharlamov. Half an hour later, Valera left the coaching room not himself. Without explaining anything, he shook hands with the guys, mumbled something about the need for victory, turned around and left. As it turned out later, Tikhonov punished him for violating the regime. I don't know what that violation was...

The team flew to Canada, Kharlamov stayed in Moscow. Early morning on August 27 with his wife Irina he was returning from a dacha located in the Klin district of the Moscow region. Irina was driving the Volga, in the cabin, in addition to Kharlamov, her cousin Sergey.

It rained heavily at night, the track "led". At the 74th kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway, the car ran into an oncoming lane, along which a truck was driving. The driver did not really have time to react: he turned the steering wheel to the right and framed the side of the Volga. The collision was terrible, with no chance of a more or less favorable outcome. Valery and Sergey died on the spot, Irina - a few minutes later ...

The first collective reaction of the hockey team, who learned about the tragedy, was the desire to interrupt the performance at the Canada Cup and fly to Moscow. But then another decision was born: to win the tournament at all costs, dedicating the victory to Valery Kharlamov.

In the final, the Canadian team was defeated with a crushing score of 8: 1.

Monument to the Soviet hockey player, two-time Olympic champion Valery Kharlamov, on the territory of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexey Filippov

Memory

On the same 74th kilometer of the Leningradskoye Highway, a memorial sign was installed, a marble puck with the inscription: "The star of Russian hockey rolled up here."

Content

The future hockey star - Valery Kharlamov was born on January 14, 1948 in Moscow. He was born in a family that was very non-standard for the Soviet era - his father, Boris Sergeevich, decided to connect his fate with a native of the Basque people, Carmen Orive-Abad. It is known that at one time she, along with her relatives, emigrated to the Soviet Union due to the fact that civil war was gaining momentum in her native Spain. war. The girl went to work at the same factory where Boris worked, and there their paths crossed. Having passed all the tests, they gave the world one of the greatest hockey players.

Little Valera grew up not alone, a little later a younger sister, Tanya, was born.

Road to glory

All the boys in the USSR dreamed of being like Vsevolod Bobrov or Ivan Tregubov at that time, and Valera also dreamed about it. But on the way to this great dream there was a big obstacle - health. In March of the 61st, thirteen-year-old Kharlamov fell ill with a sore throat, which turned into numerous complications. The worst of them was heart disease. From that moment on, Valera was banned from attending physical education classes at school. In the summer of 1962, an artificial ice rink opened, and his father took Valera to sign up for the hockey section. Then the doctors reported that the heart was restored and you can play sports at full capacity.

Already in 1968, the young hockey player began to be admitted to the main games of CSKA. From a certain moment, he began to actively score against the enemy, things went up.

Personal life

Little is known about Kharlamov's personal life, only that in May 1976 he married Irina Smirnova. The girl was nine years younger than the athlete. Their acquaintance took place in the restaurant "Russia". The couple had two children - Alexander and Begonita. It is known that the heir of the couple was born six months before they were painted.

It is noteworthy that just a couple of days after the wedding, the newlyweds had an accident that resembled the one that turned out to be a tragedy for them a few years later. But in the first accident, the athlete had multiple injuries that did not bring much damage to health (Ira did not suffer), and already in the fatal second, the spouses failed to escape.

After the tragedy, the children were taken into care by CSKA players. They helped children in every possible way to develop in sports, so the daughter chose rhythmic gymnastics, and the son, Alexander Kharlamov, became the same popular and successful hockey player, following the path of his father.

How later Sasha will remember his dad: “What was unique about him on the ice was that he was technical in the first place, he was fast with an out-of-the-box thinking. When you can go straight, it will go right or left. He calculated combinations in advance. This is such a gift - the foresight of the game.

Sports ups and downs

Kharlamov twice became the world and European champion. More than one street was named in his honor, a film was also made about Valery, the main role in which was entrusted to the young and promising Danila Kozlovsky.

However, just a couple of years before the tragedy, Viktor Tikhonov began to manage the main team of the Union. The already “experienced” team players, including Kharlamov, immediately did not want to accept him. This situation escalated to the limit when in 1980 the Soviet Union team failed the Olympics in America. Tikhonov believed that just the same veterans of CSKA were hindering victories, considering themselves already stars. Then the dismissals of those who just brought the national team to the main stage began.

In 1981, two days before his death, Valera packs a bag to go to the next game. When he arrived at the airport, he was informed that his services were no longer needed. If then “legend No. 17” had been given another chance to win back, would they have saved his life and his wife? This question will forever remain unanswered...

Why did the hockey player die?

How Valery Kharlamov died ? On August 27, 1981, a man and his wife Irina died on the Leningradskoye Highway, and her cousin was also in the cabin. They were driving on a rather slippery road. My wife was driving that day. Having lost control of the car, they flew into the oncoming lane, where they crashed into a truck at full speed. Death of Valery Kharlamov and his wife came as a blow to many.

After autopsy, multiple fractures and ruptures were found. The injuries that were received are incompatible with life, which became cause of death of hockey player Valery Kharlamov after autopsy, there were multiple fractures and ruptures.

On August 26, Kharlamov went to the airport to meet his wife and young son, who were returning from a vacation in the south. A few hours later, he brought them to a dacha in the village of Pokrovka near Klin, where his mother-in-law and four-year-old daughter Begonita lived then.

I. V. Smirnova says: “Ira came from the south with a little cold and went to bed early. At that time, my older sister’s family lived in the country, so we had to stay in another room all together. But Valera didn’t go to bed right away, something else then he fiddled with the guys, and then settled down next to Sasha on the bed. I offered to take my grandson to my sofa, but he did not agree. He slept badly, got up several times, but did not drink, did not smoke. will lie down again.
In the morning we got up early, had breakfast. Ira and Valera were going to Moscow. Ira says: "Valera, you didn't get enough sleep; let me drive the car." Then I heard, protested: "Don't give her the steering wheel, she has no license, and the weather is so gloomy." Valera reassured me: “I won’t let you, I have to hurry, I want to be in time for training by eleven, so I’ll take it myself. And I also need to bring Seryozha home.” Sergei went with them - my nephew, he was already a family man, he had recently returned from the army. In short, Valera got behind the wheel, and they left.
I soon went to the store for fresh bread. I also had my sister with her grandson. We were walking down the street, when a police car suddenly drove up, and they asked my sister where, they say, Kharlamov's mother-in-law lives. I realized that something happened."

The tragedy occurred at seven o'clock in the morning on the 74th kilometer of the Leningrad highway. Today it is already difficult to establish why, having barely left the village, Kharlamov suddenly allowed his wife to drive the Volga, but the fact remains: Irina was driving in the fateful minutes. The road was wet, and the woman apparently lost control. The car swerved into the oncoming lane, along which a truck raced at high speed. Everything happened so unexpectedly that his driver was unable to really react, just turned the steering wheel to the right. And the Volga crashed into his side. The blow was so strong that Valery and Sergey died almost instantly. Irina was still alive for some time, and when the drivers who came to the rescue carried her out of the car and laid her on the grass, she moved her lips. However, she died a few minutes later. Ten minutes later, the police arrived at the scene of the tragedy, who identified the man sitting in the front seat of the Volga as Valery Kharlamov. Within an hour after that, the news of the death of the famous hockey player spread throughout Moscow. And in the evening of the same day, world agencies reported: "According to a TASS correspondent, the famous hockey player Valery Kharlamov, thirty-three years old, and his wife died in a car accident near Moscow this morning. They left two small children - a son and a daughter ..."

Hockey players of the USSR national team learned about this tragedy in Winnipeg.

V. Fetisov recalls: “In the morning they turned on the TVs, and there were portraits of Valerka. But then none of us really understood English. and to say something about Kharlamov, we understood: trouble had happened to Valera. In the evening, our hockey boss Valentin Sych flew in and said that Kharlamov had died. We were in shock. Everyone gathered and at first wanted to throw this tournament to hell and go to the funeral. But then somehow it happened that they decided to stay, by all means win the Cup and dedicate the victory to Kharlamov. And so it happened in the end. "

The funeral of those killed in a car accident took place a few days later at the Kuntsevo cemetery. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to the great hockey player. Soon after, Kharlamov's mother passed away, unable to bear the death of her beloved son and daughter-in-law.

R. S. On August 26, 1991, on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, a commemorative sign was erected at the 74th kilometer of the Leningradskoye Shosse: a 500-kilogram marble puck, on which the inscription was engraved: "Here the Russian hockey star rolled. VALERY KHARLAMOV." The most surprising thing is that this sign was put not by the state, but by a private person: a certain Mikhail, who is a passionate fan of hockey and the talent of V. Kharlamov.

On August 27, 1981, Valery Kharlamov tragically died. At that time he was only 33 years old, he was already a hockey legend, an Olympic champion...

Valery Kharlamov is called one of the six best players in the history of world hockey, his name has become a true legend of Soviet sports. Unfortunately, the fate of the famous athlete was tragic. He died in an accident, but his loved ones spoke of a non-random chain of events that made this death inevitable ...

Valery Kharlamov with his parents and sister

The biographers of the athlete claim that he inherited his strong-willed character from his father, and his explosive temperament from his mother, who was Spanish. As a child, she was taken to the USSR among the refugees from Spain, and since then she has lived in Moscow. She met her future husband, Boris Kharlamov, at the Kommunar plant, where both worked, and in 1948 the couple had their first child, Valery. He was born in a car while his mother was being taken to the hospital. The newborn was very weak and weighed less than 3 kg. He was named after the pilot Valery Chkalov.

Valery Kharlamov in his youth

Valery's father was fond of hockey, and therefore the son first skated at the age of 7. True, his sports career might not have taken place: a sore throat transferred at the age of 13 gave complications, doctors discovered a heart defect in the boy and forbade him from any physical activity. The father did not accept this diagnosis and enrolled the child in the hockey section. Soon Valery Kharlamov was already one of the best players in the children's and youth sports school of CSKA.

Despite Kharlamov's success in sports, at first CSKA head coach Anatoly Tarasov did not place bets on him and even sent the player to the second league - the Chebarkul Zvezda. The coach was embarrassed by the short height of the hockey player (176 cm) - he was worried that the Soviet attackers simply could not cope with the Canadian tall and powerful players. However, as part of Zvezda, Kharlamov scored 34 goals in just one season and convinced Tarasov that he was worthy of the main team of CSKA.

In the late 1960s the famous trio of CSKA hockey players was born - Mikhailov, Petrov and Kharlamov. Together they terrified opponents and turned hockey into a real art. At the age of 20, Valery became the world champion, setting a record (before him, no young hockey player had achieved such results).

The famous trio of CSKA players Mikhailov-Petrov-Kharlamov

After a series of matches in Canada in 1972, where the Soviet team won with a crushing score, Valery Kharlamov was recognized as the best player. But the Canadians did not doubt their superiority and were shocked by the score 7:3. Canadian goalkeeper Ken Dryden admitted:

I have never seen such a striker game

After that, one of the Canadian coaches offered the athlete a million dollars to play in the NHL. The hockey player said that he would not go without Petrov and Mikhailov. Then they told him:

We take all your three

Kharlamov joked:

We are Soviet millionaires, we feel good at home

In fact, he could only be called a millionaire by the number of his fans. Everyone loved him, even fans of other teams, he was the soul of the company, was friends with the actors of the Taganka Theater Valery Zolotukhin and Boris Khmelnitsky.

Once in a restaurant, the athlete met 19-year-old Irina Smirnova. Then she thought that he was a taxi driver, as he was wearing a leather jacket and a cap. The fact that her chosen one is actually a legendary hockey player, the girl learned from friends. In the spring of 1976 they got married. In the same spring, an incident occurred that many later regarded as a sign of fate or a warning - Valery and his wife had an accident. Returning home at night, the hockey player lost control and crashed into a pole. Both received complex fractures, and doctors for a long time doubted whether Kharlamov could return to the ice. But in the fall, he was again "in the ranks."

Hockey player after an injury received in an accident in 1976.

One of the best hockey players in the world Valery Kharlamov. Photo by Valery Zufarov

During his 15-year sports career, the hockey player scored 293 goals, became a two-time Olympic champion, a six-time USSR champion and a seven-time world champion. He was considered the fastest and most technical striker in the world, he reacted with lightning speed to all the situations that happened on the ice, which Anatoly Tarasov called "the speed of technical thinking."

Soviet hockey legend Valery Kharlamov

In 1976, Viktor Tikhonov became the coach of CSKA. In 1981, the legendary hockey player thought about ending his sports career. He wanted to say goodbye to the fans after the Canada Cup. A few days before the departure, it became known that Kharlamov was not on the lists. Tikhonov considered that the athlete, who was already over 30, should remain in Moscow due to insufficient physical condition. This decision of the coach unsettled the hockey player. Kharlamov's friend and partner in the USSR national team Alexander Maltsev said:

Without hockey, he could not, he believed that he should be in the ranks

Soviet hockey legend

Later, the hockey player's son Alexander recalled:

My sister, mother and grandmother were in the country. Dad came to us after the team flew to Canada, but he was not included in the squad. This was a big blow for him, because just the day before he was recognized as the best striker in Europe, and besides, he wanted to participate in this particular tournament, as he liked to play against Canadians, who were strong opponents. My father was very worried, he did not sleep almost all night. And in the morning she and her mother left for Moscow. Dad was supposed to have a workout. And then the accident happened

One of the best hockey players in the world Valery Kharlamov

On the morning of August 27, 1981, after a sleepless night, Kharlamov got behind the wheel, but immediately after leaving, his wife asked him to change places with him. She did not have much driving experience, and on a slippery road after rain, she ran into a bump, lost control, drove into the oncoming lane and crashed into a truck. They died on the spot. The hockey players of the USSR national team dedicated their victory at the Canada Cup with a crushing score of 8: 1 to the memory of Valery Kharlamov.

Already after his death, many acquaintances recalled that Kharlamov seemed to have a premonition of an early death. Vladimir Lutchenko recalled:

Valerka often uttered phrases that seemed to revolve around the number 30.

Once he said:

“Okay, why be sad. Everything is fine. We'll live to thirty, and then come what may." He said it with a sigh. As if measured out these thirty years, as some kind of milestone. I later recalled these words many times after the tragedy. Like he knew something. As if he wanted to take everything from life. And hockey and everything else. All Spanish was. And in the game. And in life

Kharlamov once said to his father:

It is strange that none of our hockey players have ever been in car accidents.

They also saw a mystical coincidence in the fact that the athlete was born in the car and died in the car. Many said that the tragedy would not have happened if he had then left for Canada. However, it was not the fault of the coach, nor the fault of the wife, nor the fault of the truck driver in what happened - a fatal combination of circumstances led to this. Ironically, Kharlamov passed away when he was about to leave hockey, without which he could not imagine life.