Valeri Vasilyev, two-time Soviet Olympic ice hockey gold medallist , dies at 62
Posted April 24, 2012 12:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MOSCOW – Valeri Vasilyev, a standout Soviet Union defenceman who won two Olympic gold medals, has died at age 62.
His death was announced by his longtime club Dinamo Moscow. The statement last Thursday said he died of a serious illness but did not elaborate.
Vasilyev played on the Soviet teams that won Olympic gold medals in 1972 and 1976. But he was also on the national team when it suffered two of its biggest losses — the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” match that put the United States into the final at Lake Placid, and the 1972 Summit Series against Canadian NHL players.
In 13 years on the national team, he scored 43 goals in 285 games.
