"Legend №15" Alexander Yakushev: biography, sports and coaching career of a hockey player

It is possible to enumerate titles and awards for long, which in his long playing career was won by the legendary Soviet hockey player Alexander Yakushev, whose biography is presented in this article. In addition to two gold medals of the Olympic Games, the striker of the capital's Spartak and the USSR team won the World Championship seven times.

First Sports Steps

Yakushev Alexander Sergeevich was born in 1947 in the town of Balashikha outside Moscow. Since the early childhood, the future star of Soviet hockey has been drawn to sports. But first, Alexander decided to play football at the school "Spartacus". But after a while, Yakushev decided to try himself in a relatively new kind of sport for the USSR - ice hockey.

The first year the young sportsman trained with a team of the metallurgical plant "Hammer and Sickle", at which time his parents worked. But at the age of 13, Alexander Yakushev decided to move to the youth school of Spartak to coach Alexander Igumnov. When he asked the young man to bring an absentee ballot from the former team, Sasha thought that he simply did not want to take on the team, and stayed in his.

However, soon the future famous player and coach again met. During the game for the children's Cup of Moscow Igumnov saw Alexander in the game, and soon took him to his hockey school. It was then, in 1961, that the brilliant sports career of Legends No. 15 began.

Club career of the striker

When the 14-year-old striker was in the youth of "Spartacus", he was the youngest in the team. But Yakushev from the first season of his remarkable game firmly reserves a place in the starting lineup. He helped the "red and white" two consecutive seasons to win the youth championship of the USSR.

In 1964, 17-year-old Yakushev was summoned to the adult team of Spartak to play with the Wings of the Soviets. And he had to play in the top three, along with the famous Mayor brothers. Despite the great excitement, Alexander Yakushev made his debut just fine, scoring the puck into the gates of the Samara club.
After such a triumphant start, the attacker began to gradually allow for games for the adult team. As he grew up and gained experience, Yakushev became a player of the main line-up.

1967 was a memorable year for Alexander. In this season, under the guidance of the legendary coach Bobrov, "Spartacus" became the champion of the USSR. Two years later, the Moscow team repeated this achievement, and Alexander Yakushev repeated the record of effectiveness set by Alexandrov - he scored 50 goals in a season.

The next champion title "Spartacus" won in the season 1975/76. Yakushev at that time was considered the unconditional leader of the team, and the attacking link with him, Shadrin and Shalimov was considered the best in the USSR.

Next year, Alexander tries on a captain's armband "Spartacus." Unfortunately, this season the striker was injured, because of which he missed most of the championship.

Career of the legendary hockey player ended in 1980. Statistics of his performances are impressive - in 568 matches in the USSR championship he scored 339 goals, three times becoming the best scorer of the Union.

Games for the "Red Machine"

Since 1967, the newly-made champion of the USSR in the "Spartak" Alexander Yakushev - hockey player of the national team. Then he made his debut at the World Cup. In the match against the GDR Yakushev came on as a substitute and immediately scored. As a result, the USSR national team became the champion.

Having missed one World Cup, in 1969 the striker again goes to the world championship in Sweden, and in his collection of awards appears one more gold medal. A year later, the USSR team again wins a similar tournament.

In 1972, Yakushev became Olympic champion. For this achievement he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.

But the real world fame came to the legendary hockey player after the famous "Series-72", in which the USSR national team met with Canadian professionals, who were considered the best hockey players on the planet. Yakushev took part in all eight fights, in which he scored seven goals.

Two years later, he again showed his outstanding skills in the repeated series of games against the Canadians, and in 1975 at the World Championship, which was victorious for the USSR, became the best striker, for which he received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

The 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck again became triumphant for Yakushev and the Soviet national team. Three years later, the legendary athlete wins the seventh world title.

Alexander Yakushev wrote his name in the history of Soviet hockey as one of the most productive players. In all for the USSR national team "Legend number 15" or "Yak-15", as they called the attacker for his game number, scored 146 goals.

Coach career

After leaving "Spartacus" Yakushev three more seasons was a playing coach in the Austrian club "Kapfenberg", where he also hit the fans with his productive game.

Returning home, Alexander began to work as a coach in his native "Spartacus." First he passed his experience to young hockey players, then became the second coach of the adult team, and in 1989 he became the main mentor of the Moscow club.

In the mid-1990s, Yakushev decided to work abroad. He goes to Switzerland, where he leads the team "Ambri-Piota", but in 1998 he returns to "Spartak", with which he works two full seasons. In parallel with the coaching of the "red-white" Alexander Yakushev headed the Russian team.

At the moment, the legendary hockey player is engaged in the popularization of a favorite sport for himself. He is the coach of the club "Legends of USSR Hockey", and sometimes leads the team on the All-Star Match. In addition, Yakushev was elected as president of the Night Hockey League.

In 2003 the International Ice Hockey Federation, taking into account all the services of the legendary player, introduced his name to the Hall of Fame.