Valery Kharlamov autobiography. Valery Kharlamov - biography, information, personal life

On August 27, 1981, the famous Soviet hockey player Valery Kharlamov died. Despite the fact that many years have passed since his death, there are still several versions of why a star actually set. Soviet hockey.

In 1981, Kharlamov announced that he was ending his sports career, and the only goal he had left was to win the first Canada Cup. The tournament was to be held in Winnipeg at the end of August. But at the last training session, the team coach Tikhonov said that Kharlamov was not going to Canada. This news was like a thunderbolt for Valery. clear sky. As his teammates recall, Kharlamov tried his best, trained beyond the norm. After talking with the coach, Kharlamov wished victory to the guys on the team, shook hands with everyone and left. As it turned out later, Tikhonov punished Kharlamov for some of the past violations of the regime. According to some hockey players, if Tikhonov had not acted this way towards Valery, he would not have gone to the dacha, and would have remained alive. Tikhonov insisted that he did not take Kharlamov to the national team due to poor functional training. [С-BLOCK]

On August 26, Kharlamov met his wife and son from the airport and took them to a dacha in the village of Pokrovka near Klin, where their four-year-old daughter and mother-in-law were waiting for them. Kharlamov did not sleep all night, as he was very worried about the fact that he was not taken to the national team. In the morning it was necessary to go to Moscow, so Kharlamov's wife, Irina, worrying about his physical and moral condition, offered to drive.

The tragedy happened on the Leningrad highway (74 km). The road surface that day was wet due to rain, and this, according to one version, was the cause of the tragedy. [C-BLOCK] Irina just couldn't handle the controls. In addition, she learned to drive in another car - Moskvich, and her driving experience was not great. Their Volga drove into the oncoming lane and crashed into a truck. Everything happened very quickly, and the truck driver did not have time to react in time, and the fact that he was also loaded did not allow the driver to quickly maneuver and move into a ditch. [С-BLOCK]

Sergei (Irina's cousin) and Valery died instantly from their injuries, and Irina flew onto the road through the windshield and died a few minutes after her husband and brother. The arriving policemen recognized Valery Kharlamov in the deceased. The news of the tragedy spread throughout Moscow in just a few hours. [С-BLOCK]

The cause of the accident could also be the recently laid asphalt, on which a small oil film remains for some time. Combined with the rain, the asphalt became slippery and driving was difficult. At the time of the accident, the car's speedometer was jammed at 110 km, but the official record says 60 km. Kharlamov's friends also agree with this figure, because Irina was an inexperienced driver and did not drive fast. [С-BLOCK]

By coincidence, the asphalt was being changed near the accident site, and one of the Volga wheels ended up on the new protruding asphalt, and the second on the old surface, which was 7 cm lower than the new surface, due to which a skid occurred and the car drove onto the lane oncoming traffic.[FROM-BLOCK]

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 - the best of that proof.

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 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 in full force, showing the audience, judges and the opponent 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 in no way prevented us from winning again in Olympic Games Oh.

At 24, Kharlamov achieved incredible heights. But it turned out that this was not enough for him. Another dream young man there was a game 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 is back 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 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 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 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 sports career but also to build a personal life. Family photos can be found on social networks. Alexander and his wife have a son, and Begonia has two daughters.

The world-famous hockey player, eight-time USSR champion Valery Kharlamov, whose biography is still of interest to thousands of people, was born in Moscow in 1948, on the night of January 13-14, right in the car carrying his mother to the hospital.

Childhood, family

Father Kharlamov Boris Sergeevich worked at the Kommunar plant as a mechanic. Mother Carmen Orive-Abad, a Spaniard by nationality, who arrived in the USSR at the age of twelve, among other refugees, worked at the same enterprise as a revolver turner. At the time of the birth of their son, Boris and Carmen were not yet married and signed only three months later. Valery Kharlamov, whose biography is full of unexpected events, had a younger sister, Tatyana.

Having escorted his wife and just-born son Valery to the hospital, Boris Sergeevich set off with the things of the woman in labor on foot home. At that distant time, police patrols often bypassed the reporting territories to maintain order and peace on the streets of the city. A young man with a bundle in his hand, walking down the street at night, seemed suspicious to the policemen, and they asked him to go to the police station. Valery's father was even happy about this - at night in mid-January there was a big frost. And the office is warm. Having told the police officers on duty the good news that his son Valery was born, after treating everyone with shag and warming up, Boris Sergeevich went home.

Weak child

The biography of hockey player Valery Kharlamov, a world-famous athlete, is amazing, because he was born a weak child with low weight. This is understandable: with poor card nutrition, with virtually no vitamins, it was difficult to count on good health. At first, his family lived in a hostel: three families lived in a large room, divided into four parts by plywood partitions. There were Spartan conditions, but they lived together and cheerfully.

Serious diagnosis

Due to insufficient and monotonous nutrition, not very favorable living conditions and a far from mild climate, Valery Kharlamov, whose biography surprises with the number of ups and downs, was often sick. After another sore throat, which occurred in March 1961 and gave complications to other organs, the doctors discovered he had a heart defect and forbade the boy any physical activity, including any sports, attending physical education classes at school, and in the summer - a pioneer camp. Even swimming was banned.

Introduction to hockey

Despite doctors' warnings that physical activity Valery Kharlamov, whose biography is closely connected with sports, may die, in the summer of 1962 his father, who himself was fond of playing hockey, took him to a summer skating rink that had just opened on Leningradsky Prospekt. At that time, there was a set of boys (a year younger than Valery) in the hockey section. Valery was also naturally frail, so no one thought that he could be a year older than the guys who were then accepted. He, like several other boys, was accepted by the second coach of CSKA Boris Pavlovich Kulagin. And when it turned out that Valery had the wrong age, it was already too late to expel him, because with his perseverance and hard work he managed to win the sympathy and trust of the coaches. Since then, hockey has firmly entered the life of Valery, and his whole other life was subject to a training regimen.

School of CSKA

From the age of fourteen, Valery began to successfully engage in the CSKA hockey school, and from the age of nineteen - in the main team of the club. Kharlamov was distinguished by perseverance, stubborn character, and the will to win. He always tried to achieve high results, never complained or whimpered. And he could burst into tears not when he was physically hurt, but when the referee first removed him from the field for two minutes, and he had to leave the team in the minority to fight with rivals.

Chebarkul "Star"

In a fairly short period of time, Kharlamov became one of the best players in the youth sports school CSKA. But the chief Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov did not have high hopes for Valery. Mostly because of his small stature. After all, at that time all the famous world hockey champions, including the legendary Canadian athletes, were much taller and more powerful. Because of this, the hockey player Kharlamov was sent to the second league in 1966, to the army team of the Sverdlovsk military district - the Chebarkul Zvezda. But as you know, talent will find its way everywhere. Being in Chebarkuli and playing there in the team, first-class Kharlamov managed to score 34 goals against opponents in one season.

Through the coach of the team, the Moscow coaches also learned about his success. In the spring, Kulagin went to the city of Kalinin, where the Kharlamov team played, and personally witnessed the success of the young athlete. It only remained to convince the great Tarasov to transfer the talented athlete to the main team of CSKA, since he continued to doubt the advisability of such a step. In the summer of 1967, he succeeded, and the 19-year-old hockey player Valery Kharlamov again ended up in Moscow, from where he and his team were sent to a training base in the city of Kudeptsta.

The birth of the legendary trio

The consequence of this was that the CSKA team, for which the hockey player Valery Kharlamov played, became the champion at the national championship of 1967-1968. At the same time, the famous hockey trio Mikhailov-Petrov-Kharlamov appeared, in which Valery achieved the highest results. The trio used a power style and knew how to interact in the game in such a way that the team achieved the highest results. Kharlamov himself in 1969, at the age of twenty, became the youngest world champion in the Soviet Union. Valery knew how to play beautifully, which won and fascinated millions of fans. Goalkeepers trembled when he went on the ice, and the audience enthusiastically admired his game.

The best team player

In 1971, Kharlamov became the top scorer, scoring 40 goals against opponents, and in 1972 - best player tournament as part of the USSR national team, scoring 9 goals. In the same year it was won Olympic gold. Since that time, Valery was considered the best hockey player in all of Europe, becoming the champion of the USSR four times, three times world champion and twice European champion. In the fall, he went to conquer North America as part of a team.

"Invincible" Canadians

At this time, in September 1972, a series of matches between the national teams of the USSR and Canada began on the ice of the Montreal Forum. The inhabitants of the North American continent did not doubt for a single moment that their compatriots would win all eight games, and by a huge gap. And what a surprise it was when in the very first match the Soviet hockey players won with a crushing score of 7:3. It was a shock to Canadian hockey players. Kharlamov distinguished himself here with his unique style of play and scored two goals, later called masterpieces. After that, he was unconditionally recognized as the best player in the Soviet team. Valery became one of the key players in the USSR team. This led to the fact that after the match he was offered to move to the Canadian team, promising a million dollars for this. Kharlamov tried to laugh it off, saying that he would not go anywhere without his troika. The Canadians did not understand the joke and agreed to accept all three players, including Petrov and Mikhailov. But that was not the time - the players remained in their former team.

Recognition of professionals

Canadian large and powerful players were especially angry and surprised by Valery, as he was much smaller than their height and more frail. They called him "Baby" among themselves and were sincerely surprised at his resourcefulness and perseverance. But they also recognized his skill and talent - of all European hockey players, he became the first and only one whose portrait hangs on the stand of the Museum of Hockey Glory in Toronto.

Of course, Kharlamov was the most beloved hockey player in his native country - even fans of other teams admired him.

Fateful meeting

One evening the guys from hockey team, including Valery Kharlamov, went to a local restaurant to celebrate another victory. In the next hall of the same restaurant, a company of young people was walking - they were celebrating the birthday of one of the girls. When the music began to play, hockey players began to invite the girls from this company to dance. And Kharlamov invited a girl whose name was Irina. She mistook a young, short, black-haired guy in a cap for a car driver, a taxi driver, but nevertheless agreed to dance. Valery did not leave Irina all evening, and at the end he offered to take her home by car. Irina confirmed her assumption about Valery's profession, getting into the new "Volga" with the number 00-17 MMB.

At home, as befits a decent girl, she told her mother Nina Vasilievna everything. Nina Vasilievna was skeptical and distrustful of her daughter's new acquaintance and wanted to follow him to find out what he was like. Irina had already met Kharlamov for several weeks when her mother persuaded her to show him at least from afar. But this time we didn't get to know each other. And when Nina Vasilievna found out who her daughter's beau was, she calmed down a little - after all, not some kind of driver, but a famous athlete.

Birth of the first child

In 1976, the son of Valery Kharlamov and Irina was born. He was named Alexander, in the future he will follow in the footsteps of his father. And a little later, the couple had a daughter, Begonita. During the same period, Valery became a six-time world champion and a two-time Olympic champion.

It is surprising that the parents of a celebrity have never met their daughter-in-law and have not seen their grandson, and he was not officially introduced to Irina's mother, despite the fact that young people have lived together for so long. The friends of the couple intervened in this, and one day on March 8, the son of Valery Kharlamov and Irina got by their efforts to Valery's parents to get acquainted. And after that, Valery went to Irina's mother for an official presentation.

Accident

In the spring of the same year, Valery Kharlamov and his wife were in a car accident. The accident happened in May. The day before, Irina called Nina Vasilyevna and asked her to sit with the baby while they went to visit. But when, at the agreed hour, Nina Vasilievna did not wait for the call, she thought that someone else would be the nanny. And only after some time she learned from mutual friends that Valery and Irina had crashed in a car. They were driving home late in the evening, and Valery lost control of the car. The car was shattered and beyond repair. Valery received numerous broken legs, ribs and a concussion. Valery Kharlamov's wife was also injured. But it helped that witnesses to the accident immediately called " ambulance and the victims were immediately taken to the hospital.

The athlete spent two months in the hospital before taking the first independent step after the illness. The children of Valery Kharlamov at that moment were under the supervision of his mother. Teammates brought a simulator to the ward so that he could train and keep his muscles in good shape. Doctors gave disappointing forecasts and doubted whether he would be able to walk normally, not to mention the game. It was in August. late autumn the same year, Kharlamov again went on the ice. And six months after the accident, he began to fully train.

To spite all predictions

There were many skeptics as to whether Kharlamov could become a player of the previous level. But, despite the disappointing forecasts of doctors and their recommendations to forget about hockey, Valery did the impossible - he already showed his high class in the first game with Wings of the Soviets. And in 1977, as part of the CSKA team, hockey player Kharlamov became the seven-time champion of the USSR and still remained one of top scorers. Throughout his fifteen-year sports career, he played in 438 matches for the CSKA club and scored 293 goals. 123 matches were played for the USSR national team at the World Championships and the Olympic Games, and 89 goals were scored.

At that time, there were rumors about the strict nature of the team's coach Anatoly Tarasov and about the iron discipline in the training of the famous club. But new coach who came to the club in 1977, dispelled them, saying that there was no discipline there, even the most elementary in terms of the requirements adopted in sports. Just all conscientiously and responsibly treated their duties and training. And if necessary, they knew how to show heroism.

Untimely loss

On August 26, 1981, Valery Kharlamov died on the Leningrad Highway. The accident occurred when his wife Irina was driving the car. She also died a few hours later in the hospital. The death of Valery Kharlamov was a tragedy for millions of his fans. Together with family and friends, millions of admirers of his talent all over the world mourned. And the children of Valery Kharlamov from that moment were brought up by his parents. Until now, they are actively invited to various programs - to talk about their legendary father.

The funeral of Valery Kharlamov took place a few days later. Ten years later, a monument was erected at the site of his death.

The star legend of domestic and world hockey is Valery Kharlamov. A film about his life, successes and fame was released in 2013. Many sports facilities are named after him.

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 fate famous sportsman turned out tragically. 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 the successes of Kharlamov in sports, at first Main coach CSKA Anatoly Tarasov did not place any 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 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 sustained 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 tournament, because 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 didn't have great experience driving, 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.

Children of the legendary athlete

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

Valery Kharlamov in childhood

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.

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

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

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

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

Valery Kharlamov player of the CSKA team

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.

Rehabilitation after the first accident

Wife and kids

Kharlamov with his wife

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.

Hockey player with his children

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.