Anatoly Tarasov
Father of Russian ice hockey, built Soviet program from scratch.
Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov was born on 10 December 1918 and died on 23 June 1995. A Russian who played and coached both ice hockey and football, he is best remembered for building the USSR’s ice hockey program. Often called “the father of Russian ice hockey,” he turned the Soviet national team into a global powerhouse. In 1974, he became one of the first Russians inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category, and he was part of the IIHF Hall of Fame’s first class in 1997.
After World War II, the Soviet Ministry of Sports tasked Tarasov with creating a hockey program from nothing. He started a hockey department at CSKA Moscow, the army’s sports club, using little more than a few old rule books. Before this, bandy—a sport like field hockey played on ice—was the most popular ice sport in Russia. The Russian style of hockey, with its focus on skating, offense, and passing, still shows bandy’s influence.
Tarasov coached or co-coached CSKA Moscow from 1946 to 1975, with three short breaks in 1960, 1964, and 1972. He led the Soviet national team as head coach from 1958 to 1960, then served as assistant to Arkady Chernyshev from 1963 to 1972. He fell in love with hockey when it arrived in the USSR, and his ideals shaped the game into something fast, graceful, and team-oriented. He believed real teamwork came from a shared purpose and care for each member, so he made the team approve every player before they could make the lineup.
Tarasov created many new training methods, most centered on passing. He argued that if his team made 270 passes to an opponent’s 150, they had 120 more chances to create a free player. His practices used pylons and simple drills that might have seemed odd to North Americans, but he saw them as ways to perfect skills. He kept players moving constantly, calling this the assembly method.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Tarasov was a player-coach for CSKA Moscow. He coached early stars like Boris Afanasiev, Aleksandr Komarov, Grigory Mkrtychan, Nikolai Sologubov, Andrey Starovoytov, and Dmitry Ukolov. In the 1960s, his system produced players such as Vitaly Davydov, Anatoli Firsov, Vyacheslav Starshinov, Veniamin Alexandrov, Alexander Ragulin, Alexander Yakushev, Konstantin Loktev, and goalie Viktor Konovalenko.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov
- Birth Date
- 1918-12-10
- Birth Place
- Moscow, Russian SFSR
- Death Date
- 1995-06-23
- Death Place
- Moscow, Russia
- Occupation
- Ice hockey player and coach
- Years Active
- 1945–1974
- Spouse
- Nina Tarasova
- Awards
- Merited Master of Sport of the USSR · Merited Coach of the USSR · Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame · Hockey Hall of Fame · IIHF Hall of Fame
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
After World War II, Tarasov was asked by the Ministry of Sports of the USSR to put together a hockey program from scratch. He helped found a hockey department at the Soviet Army's sports club, CSKA Moscow with little more than several old hockey rule books. Before then, the most popular ice sport in Russia and the Soviet Union was bandy, a sport similar to field hockey, but played on ice. The Russian style of hockey, with its emphasis on skating skill, offense and passing, is still heavily influenced by bandy.
Tarasov served either as coach or co-coach of CSKA Moscow from 1946 to 1975, except for three short breaks in 1960, 1964 and 1972. He was named coach of the Soviet national team in 1958, a post he held until 1960. He was then an assistant coach of Soviet national team to Arkady Chernyshev from 1963 until 1972. He devised many new training methods, most centered on passing, and introduced a rule that, in order to make the line-up, the team had to approve of each player. His practices included the use of pylons and simple drills, keeping players in constant motion, which he called the assembly method.
Tarasov was a player-coach for HC CSKA Moscow in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and coached notable players including Boris Afanasiev, Aleksandr Komarov, Grigory Mkrtychan, Nikolai Sologubov, Andrey Starovoytov, and Dmitry Ukolov. Many great players developed under his system in the 1960s, such as Vitaly Davydov, Anatoli Firsov, Vyacheslav Starshinov, Veniamin Alexandrov, Alexander Ragulin, Alexander Yakushev, Konstantin Loktev, and goalie Viktor Konovalenko. They were followed by players who would represent the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series against Canada, including Boris Mikhailov, Vladimir Petrov, Valeri Vasiliev, Alexander Maltsev, Valeri Kharlamov, Viacheslav Fetisov, and Vladislav Tretiak.
Reader's Guide
Tarasov's legacy is defined by building the Soviet hockey program from nothing into a global powerhouse. At CSKA Moscow, he won 19 Soviet titles, including all but five from 1955 to 1975 and three instances of winning four titles in a row. He helped lead the Soviet national team to 9 straight world championships, including 3 Olympic gold medals. After the 1972 Winter Olympics, Tarasov was fired. He was known for his ruthless training methods, tough discipline, and innovative, instinctive decisions. Many of his methods are continued by his daughter Tatiana Tarasova. He posthumously received the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2008. U.S. coach Lou Vairo attended a clinic by Tarasov in 1972 and stated, 'He told me you don't coach with your feet, you coach with your heart and your brain, and you have to have leadership qualities, drive the boys, work them hard, but do everything you can to support them.' Today, the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League has a division bearing his name. When referencing Canada, Tarasov famously said 'the Canadians battled with the ferocity and intensity of a cornered animal' and 'Our players were better conditioned physically and stronger in skills than the Canadian professionals. But we could not match them in heart and desire, always the strongest part of the Canadian game.' On 10 December 2019, Google celebrated his 101st birthday with a Google Doodle.
Did You Know?
- He was a big factor in the development of goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, having him do three practices a day using maximum consumption of oxygen.
- He is the father of figure skating coach Tatiana Tarasova.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Builders and Executives, Part 3 1-24
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