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Михаил Татаринов
Позиция - защитник
С 1983 по 1986 гг играл за киевский "Сокол", затем
до 1991 года выступал за московское "Динамо". Чемпион СССР 1990 года. Всего
в чемпионатах СССР провел 238 игр, 46 голов, 38 передач.
Чемпион мира среди молодёжи (до 20 лет) 1984 и
1986 годов. Лучший защитник молодёжного чемпионата мира 1986 года (7 очков,
2+5, в 7 играх). В 1985 и 1986 годах попал в первые пятёрки лучших игроков
молодёжных чемпионатов.
Чемпион мира 1990 года. Лучший защитник чемпионата
мира 1990 года - 11 очков (3+8) в 10 играх. Попал в первый состав "всех
звёзд" того чемпионата. Выступал за сборную СССР на Кубке Канады 1991 года
(0+1 в 5 матчах).
Закончил карьеру после сезона 1993-94 гг, проведя
три матча за "Бостон Брюинз" и еще две игры в АХЛ за "Провиденсе Брюинз".
Мы
знали хоккеистов, которые спивались. Пропадали из виду вовсе. Но среди
звезд первого ряда - были ли такие? Память подсказывает лишь двоих -
превратился в бомжа великий Владимир Викулов. Загремел в тюрьму за
убийство Михаил Татаринов, лучший защитник чемпионата мира 1990-го. Михаил ТАТАРИНОВ: ДВАДЦАТЬ ЛЕТ АДА Искали
мы его давно. Однажды получилось, но тогда, лет пять назад, был он в
состоянии столь печальном, что беседа не задалась. Сейчас нашли снова.
Были поражены - Татаринов в полнейшем порядке. Не пьет. Новая семья,
маленький ребенок. Не сегодня-завтра вернется в
хоккей. Собственной недавней жизни грустно усмехается: "Будто
не со мной было…" * * * - Во второй половине 80-х не было хоккеиста с броском сильнее вашего. - Вратарей калечили? - Слушаем. - Какой негр? - В "Соколе" вы и хет-триком отметились. - Заслуженно. - Почему? - Общались? - Баль месяц как умер… - С Волковым как пересеклись? - В советском футболе игроку могли переделать паспорт, скостить год-другой. А в хоккее? - ЦСКА тянул вас из "Сокола"? - Откуда? - Каким был Киев в те дни? - В сборную вас впервые пригласили еще из "Сокола"? - Чудесная подробность. - Вы Билялетдинова вспоминали. Он всегда был замкнутый? - Не исключено. - Вы же с ним в паре играли? - Взял? - А Первухин - человек удивительно скромный. - Еще уникумы были? - Вячеслав Козлов нам ярко расписал, как на молодежном чемпионате мира его склоняли к побегу в Америку. Вас тоже охмуряли? - Где? - Олимпиаду в Калгари вы пропустили из-за перелома челюсти. Кто удружил? - Обидно. - Ого. - Зачем? - Помогло? * * * - В 90-е писали, что русская мафия пытается обложить данью наших хоккеистов в НХЛ. Это правда? - С артистами в Америке встречались? С Рейганом в Белом доме в обнимку сидел. В 1990-м ходил с "Вашингтоном", фотография сохранилась. - Вас Рейган о чем-то спрашивал? - Почему в НХЛ сменили несколько клубов? - В "Квебеке", где отыграли два сезона, было лучше? - Был у вас в этом деле попутчик. Денис Червяков. - Смотрим на вас, Михаил, и думаем: сколько ж вы не доиграли? - После НХЛ играть не пробовали? - В самый раз. Когда вас посадили? - Кто-то говорил - убили вы ножом. Кто-то - кулаком. -
Ножом. Причем по-трезвому. Один раз ударил в живот, отбросил
окровавленный нож в сторону. Была ночь, вышел на улицу, тормознул
рейсовый автобус, приехал в милицию: "Я человека зарезал". Позвонили:
"Поступал такой?" - "Да". Спустя четыре часа он умер в больнице. - Карточные дела? - Действительно. Это в Москве было? - За какими деньгами? - Если б вы оказались не правы - был реальный шанс не доехать до зоны? - У Знарка прозвище Значок? - Юного Николишина в "Динамо" благодаря вам стали называть по отчеству - Васильич. - У вас прозвище было? * * * - Дрались в тюрьме?м0 - Там были в курсе, кто вы? - Как? - К чему было сложнее всего привыкнуть? - Как время проводили? - Главное правило для человека, который впервые попадает в тюрьму? - Невинных за решеткой много? - Что ж расстались? - Почти бомжевали? - И где она? - В какую сумму обошелся адвокат? - Сколько провели в тюрьме? - Обещаем. Давыдов
- изумительный человек! Как и Фетисов. Я приходил к Славе, говорил
честно: "Нужны деньги". Он передавал конверт. Надо полмиллиона рублей -
на! - Зачем вам полмиллиона? - Как с Фетисовым встретились после зоны? - С Каменским дружба сохранилась? - У вас же свой автосервис. - Кто еще помогал? - Проблемы? - До белой горячки доходило? - Ни разу соблазна не возникало? При вашем-то образе жизни… - Наркотики пробовали? - В НХЛ наркоманы были? * * * - Пить бросили? Люба
случайно столкнулась со мной на остановке. Я был в таком виде, что не
сразу признала. Подошла: "Миша, это ты?" Усадила в машину, отвезла в
госпиталь. - Книжная история. А два с половиной года назад в том же госпитале он с Андреем Яковенко оплатил мои расходы. Всего прочистили. Счастье, цирроза
не было. Цирроз - это конец. Началась другая жизнь! - Женились на Любе? Ангел-хранитель
у меня сильный, это еще сестра говорила. Но Люба совершила невозможное.
Она на маму мою, царство небесное, похожа. Вот встретил ее - и понял,
что могу вернуться к нормальной жизни. И, конечно, благодарен хоккейным
друзьям. Я
потрясен, что все настолько близко приняли мои проблемы. Иногда
задумываюсь - а со мной ли все это происходит? У меня ли сын родился?
Вижу на улице тех, с кем выпивал. Если есть деньги в кармане - достану
и
отдам. Знаю, что на водку. Все равно - дам! - Карты - тоже в прошлом? - Супер. - Под настоящего шулера попадали? - Во что играли? - Какой он, ваш новый день? - Например? - Так давно вопрос мог решиться. - Что дальше? - Значит, теперь - второй заход? - Готовы туда переехать? - Вы уверены, что к прежней жизни возврата нет? Юрий ГОЛЫШАК, Александр КРУЖКОВ Михаил ТАТАРИНОВ Родился 16 июля 1966 года в Ангарске. Защитник. Заслуженный мастер спорта. Начинал
карьеру в киевском "Соколе", где провел 3 сезона (1983/84-1985/86). Затем выступал за московское "Динамо" (1986/87-1990/91). Чемпион СССР-1989/90. В чемпионатах СССР сыграл 238 матчей, набрал 84 (46+38) очка. Двукратный чемпион мира среди молодежных команд (1984, 1986). Лучший защитник молодежного ЧМ-1986. За
первую сборную СССР провел 63 матча, набрал 25 (11+14) очков. Чемпион
мира-1990. По итогам ЧМ-1990 был признан лучшим защитником турнира, на
котором в 10 матчах набрал 11 (3+8) очков. Победитель Игр доброй воли-1990. Участник Кубка Канады-1991 (5 игр, 1 передача). На
драфте-1984 был выбран клубом НХЛ "Вашингтон Кэпиталз" под общим № 225.
Первый матч в НХЛ провел 23 октября 1990 года против "Филадельфии" (6:2
в гостях). В
регулярных чемпионатах НХЛ за "Вашингтон" (сезон-1990/91), "Квебек"
(1991/92,1992/93) и "Бостон" (1993/94) провел 161 матч и набрал 69
(21+48) очков. Завершил профессиональную карьеру в 28 лет. 15 ноября 1993 года.
Nancy L. Marrapese
His name is Mikhail Tatarinov but for the better part of a week, he's
best known as the Invisible Man.
The Bruins' defenseman was sent down to Providence for a conditioning
assignment after recovering from back problems.
Since last Wednesday, he has been AWOL from practice and even sent two
teammates to retrieve his paycheck Friday rather than pick it up himself.
Bruins management, which signed him as a free agent last summer, has
suspended him and possibly could buy him out of his contract if no deal
can be made. Assistant general manager Mike Milbury said it's likely some
conclusion will be reached this week. When asked if Tatarinov would never
play for the Bruins again, Milbury said, "It's premature, but it's unlikely."
Tatarinov's contract is in the $400,000 range.
What went wrong for the native of Angarsk in the former Soviet Union?
Providence coach Mike O'Connell said it started last Wednesday when
the 27-year-old Tatarinov said he was sick and wouldn't be attending practice.
The coach told him to come anyway so he could have his temperature taken
and receive treatment. He never showed up then or since.
"I tried my best to talk to him," said O'Connell. "I just think that
hockey isn't important to him right now. Maybe it's the money he's made.
It's substantial if you bring it over to Russia. We tried everything we
could to get him to play, I did anyway."
Also strange was that injured defenseman Denis Chervyakov was missing
for about six hours that same day. O'Connell said he still doesn't know
why Chervyakov missed his treatment or if he was with Tatarinov.
Defenseman Ken Hammond, who played for the Ottawa Senators before signing
with the Bruins' organization for the second time in his career, said it
amazed him that someone could squander an opportunity because prior to
re-signing with the Bruins, Hammond was sitting home thinking his hockey
career was over.
"There's an innocence of a guy coming over from junior or college,"
he said. "They're living and breathing Bruins hockey. They want to put
on the sweater and dive in front of shots. Sometimes that's lost on a guy
who's played on a national team for a Soviet Union or Sweden or Finland
or whatever."
Hammond, who has only been back for a short time said he's felt the
tension.
"It disrupts the whole room," he said. "He didn't come here to work
hard, he didn't go for treatment. The worst part about it is we have young
guys {from the former Soviet Union}."
Hammond isn't alone in thinking that Tatarinov is setting a bad example
for players such as Sergei Zholtok, Grigori Panteleev, Roman Gorev and
Chervyakov.
One player, when asked about Tatarinov, made a face and said, "No comment,"
his expression telling all.
Hammond said it's not that players were mad at Tatarinov personally
but that the team had to come first and Tatarinov didn't share that priority.
He said attitude is everything and cited Ottawa rookie Alexei Yashin as
an example.
"Some of those guys come over and they are given a house, a car, they
bring their parents over and initially there is that resentment {from North
American players}," Hammond said. "Yashin came in and kept his mouth shut.
He was 19 years old. He knew he needed to learn things. His work ethic
and personality put him over the hump where people were willing to help
him out."
As happened with Yashin, Hammond said he took an instant liking to the
young players from the Soviet Union, especially Zholtok and Panteleev.
"You get young kids like that who are willing to learn and are nice
guys, people go out of their way to help them," Hammond said.
When the Bruins signed Tatarinov, it was with an eye that he could help
Boston on the power play.
Bruins coach Brian Sutter, who has searched for answers to figure out
how best to motivate another struggling former Soviet -- Dmitri Kvartalnov
-- said he's amazed by what's happened.
"He didn't really apply himself," said Sutter of Tatarinov. "It doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. We gave him an opportunity here.
31 июля 1993 года.
The Bruins, looking to bolster their power play, yesterday signed free
agent defenseman Mikhail Tatarinov, who played for Quebec last season.
Tatarinov, 27, a 10th-round draft choice of Washington in 1984, played
eight seasons in Russia before signing with the Capitals for the 1990-91
season in which he had 8 goals and 15 assists in 65 games.
He went 11-27--38 in 66 games with Quebec in 1991-92, but last year
was hampered by a back problem that limited him to 2-6--8 in 28 games.
A 5-foot-10-inch, 195-pounder, Tatarinov caught the eye of Bruins assistant
general manager Mike Milbury as a rookie.
"We really liked him that first year with Washington," said Milbury.
"He has a good shot and he could see time on our power play, which could
use some more production. He's also shown some spunk in the past and he
moves the puck well."
Tatarinov, who lives in Moscow, had been offered a termination contract
by Quebec, but opted to go with the Bruins a day before the signing deadline.
Milbury said he was assured by Tatarinov's agent that there were no
significant injury problems left over from last season.
Also signed to one-year contracts were veteran defenseman Gord Roberts,
forward Brent Hughes and minor league defensemen Mark Krys and Jamie Huscroft
-- all of whom can become free agents at the close of the 1993-94 season.
10 ноября 1991 года.
Dave Sell.
John Kordic is getting another chance. Mikhail Tatarinov has gotten
a bigger apartment. And although Eric Lindros may not want to play in Quebec
City, Kordic and Tatarinov, both former Washington Capitals, are not so
averse to wearing the bleu, blanc et rouge of Les Nordiques.
The Capitals, who lost to Detroit, 5-4, Friday night at Capital Centre,
will begin a three-game road trip with a visit to Le Colisee in Quebec
City today for a 2:05 p.m. contest with the Nordiques.
Both Tatarinov and Kordic played only part of last season for the Capitals,
but their impact seemed greater than the time they spent with the team.
Tatarinov, who arrived in late October, was the first Soviet player the
Capitals drafted and put in a uniform, and cultural adjustments were part
of the season's experience.
Kordic's stay was even shorter, but was certainly more turbulent. He
played seven games, drew 101 penalty minutes and was suspended twice and
eventually released because of alcohol problems.
Kordic was acquired in January from Toronto for a fifth-round pick with
Paul Fenton, who was immediately traded to Calgary for Ken Sabourin. The
Capitals thought Kordic's alcohol problems were over. But after playing
for a bit, he had a relapse.
There was some treatment in the Washington area, but it proved to be
a patch job. Kordic failed to show up for a game and was suspended for
good. The Capitals paid for his stay at a treatment center in Minneapolis
and for after-care, although by then they had no plans to re-sign him.
If there was any doubt, it was erased when Kordic left Minneapolis.
"I didn't want to give up my whole summer," Kordic said. He said he
went to Quebec City with Bryan Foggarty, now a teammate, who also was in
Minneapolis for treatment. Press reports in Quebec City had them visiting
a bar there, but Kordic said they were not drinking.
The Nordiques needed muscle, so they signed Kordic, with lots of escape
clauses in his contract. The deal reportedly pays him $50,000 plus per-game
payments ($1,000 to $1,500) if he is able to play and then actually is
in the lineup.
"I can't complain," said Kordic, who has played in nine of 14 games
and has 68 penalty minutes. "I get a lot of ice time. I have a lot of rules,
but that can be expected."
Such as?
"I get tested every second day and I'm not allowed to go to bars," Kordic
said. "It's a lot of little things."
Tatarinov said of Kordic: "John Kordic is happy - no problem." "No problem"
is one of Tatarinov's favorite English phrases. His English has improved
but it remains sketchy and now he must adjust to a French-speaking city
and province. But in a phone interview he said he is happy.
"I like to play in Quebec," Tatarinov said. "My wife is happy too."
Tatarinov was traded to the Nordiques on draft day, June 22, for the
third pick in the second round (25th overall), which the Capitals used
to take Eric Lavigne from Hull.
The trade was a shock because the Capitals had invested so much time,
money and effort to get Tatarinov. He was drafted in 1984, long before
Soviets were routinely coming to the NHL. There were several instances
in which the Capitals created opportunities for Tatarinov to defect, although
he declined them. But when Soviet teams decided to start giving up players
for fees, the Capitals struck a deal with Moscow Dynamo.
When the 25-year-old defenseman arrived, Washington held a big news
conference during one intermission of a game, piping it to the TelScreen
at Capital Centre. They gave Tatarinov Scott Stevens' No. 3, saying it
was only a coincidence, and then talked about how Tatarinov would reshape
the defense.
But the adjustment was not smooth. Tatarinov was considered one of the
Soviet Union's best defensemen. He was proud of his reputation and sometimes
resisted changing his style. In 65 games, he had eight goals and 15 assists.
But the trade was as much about things off the ice. Players and team
officials said afterward they did not think Tatarinov made enough effort
to blend in with the team. In his defense, during the season his son, Vladimir,
had to be checked for a heart murmur and his wife, Natasha, who had never
been outside of the Soviet Union before, had homesickness problems. She
still keeps in touch by phone with Peter Bondra's wife, Luba.
"Bad apartment," he said of the dwelling paid for by the Capitals. "Small."
As for the team, Tatarinov said, "No, no, good players. Good players,
good coach, good organization."
13 ноября 1990 года.
Dave Sell.
Mikhail Tatarinov had seen the man before. He knew him only as Alex
and thought him to be a Russian emigre.
Alex had shown up a year earlier, in 1985, a continent away in Turku,
Finland, knocking on the door of Tatarinov's hotel room. Tatarinov was
in Turku as a member of a Soviet team at the World Junior Championships.
Alex was in Turku because Tatarinov was there.
"He wanted me to defect," Tatarinov said recently, through translator
John Chapin. "He showed me a contract, offered it for me to sign and go."
The contract was to play hockey with the Washington Capitals. They had
picked Tatarinov late in the 1984 entry draft, not knowing if they ever
would meet him, much less put him in one of their uniforms. Six years later,
they have done both.
Tatarinov declined Alex's offer in Turku, but the Capitals were not
deterred. They knew leaving one's country - for good, in all likelihood,
if defection was the method of departure - was not an easy step for anyone.
So a year or so later, the World Junior Championships were held in Hamilton,
Ontario. When it was over, the Soviet team spent a night at the Manoir
Le Moyne Hotel in Montreal before departing for Moscow. Their hotel was
near the fabled Forum on St. Catherine Street and half a dozen players,
Tatarinov included, went out to look for something to eat. They stopped
at a nearby grocery store. While they were in the store, wandering the
aisles, Alex appeared. As the other players watched, he walked up to Tatarinov.
"He said, `Go outside. There are some representatives of the Caps sitting
in a car,' " Tatarinov said. "But I didn't go anywhere."
Why?
"I didn't really know who this guy was," Tatarinov said. "What was the
point of doing this, of defecting? My parents would never have understood."
For years, the point in defecting was that it was the only way for many
to leave the Soviet Union, especially if he or she was a talented performer.
The particular skill didn't matter. Like any nation, the Soviet Union did
not want to give away assets for nothing.
But the world, particularly the Soviet Union, is changing. That nation
is moving - slowly and hestitantly - toward a market economy. And in a
market economy, sometimes enterprises have to sell off assets. That is
partially why Tatarinov is a Capital, but still very much a Soviet and
able to go home whenever he choses. Never before have the Soviets willingly
allowed a top player in his prime (24) to leave for the NHL.Life in a Mining
Town
"Misha," as Mikhail is known, is the youngest of Vladimir and Valentina
Tatarinov's three children. The family lives in the southern Siberian city
of Angarsk. Near the larger city of Irkutsk, Angarsk is about 50 kilometers
from Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake. It isn't much farther
to the Mongolian border.
"The winters are very long in Angarsk," Tatarinov said. "There is always
outdoor rinks and natural ice, so people play hockey and ski. People love
hockey there."
Angarsk is in a mining region and though coal is the the common commodity,
a gold mine is where Vladimir Tatarinov works. Valentina works at a hospital.
Misha's two sisters, Ira and Ludmilla, work in a factory.
Tatarinov left home when he was 15. As others from his town had, he
went to Kiev, enrolled at a sports institute and played hockey for Sokol
Kiev for two years.
Tatarinov did move to his nation's capital, but it was to play for Moscow
Dynamo and not Central Red Army, which wanted him. More than just a hockey
team, Dynamo is a huge organization, founded in 1923. On the ice, it is
Central Red Army's closest rival. Last season, Dynamo won the national
championship for the first time in 36 years, according to Tatarinov. He
relished the coaching he received in Moscow, particularly from Vladimir
Yurzinov, who later would prove instrumental in Tatarinov's move to the
West.
"He believed in me," Tatarinov said.On to Moscow
Just 18 when he arrived for the first of four years with Dynamo, Tatarinov
finished growing up in Moscow. He says he already had disposed of an inclination
toward drink. One night in a Moscow disco he met Natasha, with whom he
will celebrate a third wedding anniversary this December.
The couple, and their 2 1/2-year-old son Vladimir, had a one-bedroom
apartment in Moscow until just before they left. They had a noisy, pollution-spewing,
but difficult-to-get Lada sedan.
Misha had been to North America numerous times, but Natasha had not
left the Soviet Union until they boarded the Pan Am flight to New York
on Oct. 20. That meant more paperwork and more culture shock.
"When it came time to leave, she was a little bit reluctant," Tatarinov
said. "Her mom is there and we had been set up. She didn't think people
would receive us this well. People are very kind here."
Some in the volunteer corps are wives of Capitals players and officials.
Elizabeth Poile "is always helping out." Linda Murray, Luba Bondra - a
recent arrival herself from Czechoslovakia - and Mary-Ann Hatcher have
been tennis partners.
But that wasn't all. The Capitals are paying for help in acclimating
the Tatarinovs. Katherine Young is a consultant based in Arlington, who
has worked with the Capitals for about three years. She helped interpret
during negotiations, but as she said, "My role was centered on what happened
when they got here."
She has stayed at the apartment at times and helped with a thousand
details while also acting as chauffeur and translator.
Tatarinov had prepared his wife for the difference between the barren
shelves in Moscow stores and the brimming ones in America.
"She was a little surprised at the variety," Tatarinov said, but the
adjustment is not hard. "You can get the same vegetables and make the same
soup."
Mikhail seems to recognize some English and knows a few words. They
are trying to arrange a tutor around his schedule. Natasha knew almost
no English, but is working hard in lessons. Tatarinov's contract is for
two years plus an option. Obviously, the hope is that he will still be
helping the Capitals by the time son Vladimir is ready to go to school.
"We haven't thought about that yet," Tatarinov said, "but out of the
three of us, he will probably learn English the quickest."
When Alex knocked on Tatarinov's door in 1985, Jack Button was in a
room nearby. In 1986, when Alex suggested Tatarinov leave the Montreal
grocery, it was Jack Button in the car.
"Jack was the lead guy, he made all the trips and established all the
contacts," Capitals General Manager David Poile said of his director of
player personnel and recruitment. "He is the man responsible for this."
But Button had help. Katherine Young had been there to help in a variety
of ways for years. Pat Young, Poile's secretary, deftly handled the paper
shuffling with Dynamo and several U.S. government agencies, notably the
Immigration and Naturalization Service office in Baltimore.
There were stages to the process of getting Tatarinov here, sort of
the BP and AP: before peristroika and after peristroika.
Until about two years ago, no NHL teams were allowed to talk to Soviet
players, although that didn't mean they didn't try and, occasionally, succeed.
There were hotel lobbies to work and practices to attend, all designed
to let the players know that somebody out there - with money and a chance
to play in the NHL - was looking at them. Whenever Tatarinov played in
the West, Button tried to be there, but he also showed up in the East.
Button and his wife, Bridgett, spent the past few Christmases watching
the Izvestia Tournament in Moscow.
Button used a bit of "subterfuge" and "someone inside" to find out what
hotel, and then what room Tatarinov would be occupying in Finland. Though
Button insists it wasn't the stuff of spy novels, it was about as close
as hockey gets.
"I know a scout from another team who thought he had a chance to talk
to a Soviet player because that player moved his feet during the playing
of the Russian National Anthem as a sign," Capitals President Dick Patrick
said. "That's how hard it was. But in the past 18 months, everything has
opened up."Closing the Deal
In September 1989, the Capitals played in the Soviet Union as part of
the NHL's Friendship Tour. If the trip was a failure as a training device,
it certainly was helpful in establishing contacts.
"Abe {Pollin, team owner} and I were invited between periods to have
vodka and caviar," Patrick said. "They didn't want to talk about Tatarinov.
They were pointing to 32-year-old players who couldn't get out of their
own way. But they were looking for a transaction."
Button and Poile also held more businesslike meetings on that trip.
Yurzinov had requested that the Capitals not contact Tatarinov, but they
managed to pick up tidbits on his thoughts by "keeping our ear to the ground,"
as Katherine Young put it.
Last December, Button met with Yurzinov in Hamilton. Button and Tatarinov
bumped into each other, said hello and had a brief chat. "Very casual,"
Button said.
Alexander Steblan, the president of the Dynamo hockey club, was the
man who eventually negotiated both contracts from the Soviet side. On Jan.
6, Dynamo played the New Jersey Devils as part of the NHL Super Series.
Button, Poile and Young met with Steblan at a hotel near the Meadowlands
Arena. That meeting apparently went a long way to allowing Tatarinov to
leave. Three nights later, in Boston, Yurzinov told Tatarinov he could
be playing in the NHL by the following season.
"I was very surprised," Tatarinov said. "At that point, as I understood
it, if we won the championship of the Soviet Union, they would let me go.
So after we won the championship, about 10 players were allowed to go play
in Europe. So when this season started, I went to the coach and said, `When
am I going?' He said, `Just help us out a bit for the first 10 games.'
"
By this time, it was simply a business negotiation and not a political
one. Button and Steblan met in Moscow in February. "The money was onerous
at that time, but we kept the lines of communication open," Button said.
Tatarinov played for the Soviet national team in the World Championships
in April in Bern, Switzerland. He eventually was named the top defenseman
of the tournament, but before that, he contacted Button and they talked.
It was then that Tatarinov made it clear to Dynamo officials that he wanted
to leave without defecting.
Button stayed near, first in Finland and then in Seattle at the Goodwill
Games. In Seattle, Sergei Federov, of Central Red Army, left the team,
signed a contract with Detroit and asked for a work visa, though he did
not defect. That made the KGB and Viktor Tikhonov, the national coach,
very upset.
"I went up to Yuri Korolyov, the president of the Soviet Hockey Federation,
and told him I wasn't defecting," Tatarinov said. The federation then wanted
all players to sign contracts. But after consulting with Button, Tatarinov,
Dmitri Hristich (another Capitals draft choice playing for Sokol Kiev)
and a third player refused to sign the contracts.
By September, the Soviets were more ready to deal. Steblan and Button
(with Young alongside) met on the 22nd. Steblan wanted to meet again on
a Monday, but Button said he had to leave Sunday to go to Vienna to arrange
the deal with the Czechs for Peter Bondra. If the Soviets had anything
new, they should telex his office and he might return. They did and he
did, arriving in Moscow after he and Young got new visas in Finland.
Button met with Valery Sysoev, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet and the
President of the Central Council of Dynamo. On the afternoon of Oct. 2,
Button and Steblan signed the transfer deal between the Capitals and Dynamo.
The Capitals reportedly paid Dynamo between $200,000 and $400,000 for the
rights to Tatarinov, who played that night for Dynamo, then signed his
Capitals contract.
The Capitals and Tatarinov have refused to discuss his salary.
"This whole story," Patrick said, "is one of persistence."
31 октября 1990 года.
VANCOUVER (CP) - It's much easier to leave the Soviet Union when you
play hockey for Moscow Dynamo instead of the favored Red Army team, says
defenceman Mikhail Tatarinov of the Washington Capitals.
Tatarinov was allowed to depart for the NHL this month at the age of
24, about four years earlier than star players from Red Army coached by
national team leader Viktor Tikhonov.
"The Dynamo coach (Vladimir Yurzinov) promised me last year I could
come and play in the NHL," Tatarinov said this week through an interpreter.
"Tikhonov was completely against the whole deal.
"I was an independent player. It was my decision. I decided not to play
for the national team so I could play in the NHL."
Boyhood idol
Tatarinov was named the outstanding defenceman at the 1990 world championship
tournament in Switzerland. His Soviet blue line partner was Viacheslav
Fetisov of the New Jersey Devils, a boyhood idol. Fetisov moved to the
NHL last year from Red Army when he was 31.
The Capitals signed Tatarinov on Oct. 20 after the leg work was done
by Jack Button, director of player personnel, during Washington's pre-season
tour of the Soviet Union in 1989.
Tatarinov played four games for the Capitals before last night's game
against the Vancouver Canucks. Team officials consider him a worthy replacement
for Scott Stevens, the veteran defenceman lost through free agency to the
St. Louis Blues.
Dynamo was the Soviet national champion last season and that made it
easier to negotiate his move to the NHL, Tatarino said. Washington selected
the 5-foot-10, 194-pounder in the 11th round of the 1984 NHL entry draft.
Tatarinov received a three-year contract from the Capitals, said general
manager David Poile, and Washington paid the Soviets far less for Tatarinov's
rights than it cost New Jersey for Fetisov.
The stocky Tatarinov was with the Soviet national team last summer when
prize centre Sergei Fedorov, 20, of Red Army defected en route to the Goodwill
Games in Washington state. Fedorov then signed an NHL contract with the
Detroit Red Wings.
"Even without such a centre ice man, we played well and won without
him," said Tatarinov. "We won despite being a player short."
Junior champions
Tatarinov was a member of the Soviet team that won the world junior
championship at Hamilton in 1986.
"The NHL is a really physical game because the ice (surface) is so small,"
he said. "Everything happens so fast . . . you can't just stand around.
"The whole game is so intense. You never know what team's going to win.
In the Soviet Union, you always know which team's going to win. Either
Red Army or Dynamo."
Washington lost 9-4 to the Calgary Flames last Saturday, then blanked
the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 the next night.
"I was really upset in Calgary because it was such a big defeat," Tatarinov
said. "When we came to Edmonton, everyone listened to coach Terry Murray
and fulfilled what he said we should do."
Tatarinov has played all his NHL games on the road. Youtube Video
Brian
Mullen vs Mikhail Tatarinov
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