The Legend of Anatoli Tarasov

Anatoli Tarasov was a coaching legend in Russia and is still known for the single most influential coach in Russian hockey. Anatoli was the mastermind behind the Russian hockey team and created a more competitive, and exciting nature to the game that was never there before. Anatoli was an avid chess player, and he used the strategic mentality gained from chess to influence his coaching methods for the Russian hockey team. The USSR entered in its first league in 1954 and proceeded to win the world championships. The team defeated Canada 7-2 for the gold medal game. In fact, under Anatoli Tarasov, the Russian hockey team won the next 9 consecutive world championships through 1971. The USSR also won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympics with the influence of Anatoli Tarasov. Like the world championships, the USSR went on to win the next 3 consecutive olympic gold medals (1964, 1968, 1972). Anatoli Tarasov and the Russian hockey team were unstoppable, and they were coined the nickname “The Big Red Machine.” The stent of the Big Red Machine ended after the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian hockey was still a top team but it did not get the gold medal in any game again until 1993.