Vyacheslav Fetisov born in Moscow in 1958 in full Cold War. His father told him stories of the war while demonstrating his sporting skills as a child. He trained as an ice hockey player, was a three-time Olympic medalist and took the step of playing in U.S. A challenge, a “betrayal”, deterred two years later with the fall of the wall of Berlin. Now he is a congressman and worries about solving the world’s conflicts for his country after solving his own in a life of a movie.
What do you remember about that USSR in 1960?
I grew up without electricity. I remember being cold when sleeping, but I was happy, the country was being restored. My father participated in World War II and my sister cooked.
Did sport make you happy?
The sport was very popular at school. I played soccer, basketball, table tennis, volleyball … Until I came across ice hockey and they selected me for school.
Was there pressure to specialize in one sport?
No, I played everyone because I liked it. There were no tensions, the efforts were for us to do sports.
What do you remember from those first trips?
My first tournament, at just 15 years old, was in Europe. Conditions were very bad and people did not like us because we represented the Soviet Union. I wondered why those people were unfriendly if this is sport. I had to be strong.
It would not be the only one.
In my life I would resolve one conflict and another would come out. Our best years were in the middle of the Cold War and we noticed that in competitions. The referees, the organization or the fans … We had to prepare more than the others. Before, the Games were a political war, now everything is different. The mentality has been changed and they are thinking about progress and the future.
You were the scourge of the United States. Was it a matter of state that they won?
The politicians helped us, they were friends and there was no pressure. Our team consisted of 20 brothers who played ice hockey.
You were the first Soviet to play in the American league. How did you take that step?
It was a difficult period in my life because I was one of the most famous and popular players. I had privileges and they knew my family. But I took that step, the Soviet system was already being destroyed. But everything was also changing in the United States.
Did you find many differences in the way of life?
In the US each player played for him, in Russia everyone played for his team. In the US, players or coaches were changed every year. In Russia there is more spirit. It was difficult for me to adapt, and at the beginning it also generated animosity. I used to prepare myself for the game, I cooked … Over time I made friends and now I have them in almost all parts of the world.
You were very critical of the Russian doping scandal recently. Did something like this exist in your time?
I played 23 years and passed a lot of controls. Everything went well, the Germans (Oriental) had an advantage at that time. We had no problems. I think the punishment for doping is fair now.
How does your generation live now?
There are support programs for veterans, we have pensions. Ice hockey is still very popular, the infrastructure is new.
What do you do now?
I am an ambassador and a congressman. I am with ecological issues, of the problems of the planet. I travel to Africa, Israel, Singapore … I fight to resolve conflicts.