Vladislav Tretyak

Vladislav Tretyak may well be the greatest goalie to ever play ice hockey. He starred for the Soviet Union during the 1972 series against the NHL All-Stars, after first playing internationally for the USSR in 1970, and he led the Soviets to Olympic gold in 1972 and 1976. In 1980, Tretyak was pulled from the nets after the first period of their Olympic match with the United States, and the U.S. went on to defeat the Soviets in that game and win a gold medal. He eventually played goal for 10 USSR World Championship and nine European Championship teams. Tretyak was coveted by NHL teams and was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens but he was never allowed to play, as the Soviet authorities blocked the move. He became close friends with Canadien goalie, Ken Dryden, however. After glasnost and perestroika, Tretyak was hired by the Chicago Black Hawks as a goalie coach. He is the only Soviet who is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1978 he was awarded the Order of Lenin.