Anatoli Firsov

Early life

Firsov was born and raised in Moscow on February 1, 1941, one of three children. His father was killed in action during World War II when Firsov was only one month old, and he was raised by a single mother. The family experienced economic hardship; his mother worked at a kindergarten, which was not a well-paying job. Initially, Firsov did not play ice hockey but instead played bandy, which was more popular in the Soviet Union at the time. He first played bandy as a member of his backyard team, initially slotted as a defenceman, a position usually reserved for undersized kids or those without equipment. During the summer, he played football to stay in shape year-round. Due to the family's lack of money, Firsov made his own stick and skates. His stick was carved from a cherry tree shaft, with a blade made from shaft bows he stole from horse yards at night; the sticks broke easily and required frequent replacement. His skates consisted of a boot with a blade laced at the bottom with string. Despite these setbacks, he quickly became considered one of the best young talents. At around 11 years old, he played against 16-year-olds, and at around 12, he played against men who had served in the Army. It was not until he was about 15 that he learned about ice hockey. He had some difficulty with the different equipment at first; bandy sticks had a smaller blade, and he felt the larger hockey blade interfered a little. However, he credited the larger bandy fields—approximately 100 meters in length compared to hockey's 60 meters—for strengthening his endurance, as he had to skate longer distances.