Russian Ice Hockey Idol Tretjak in the German Goal on Red Square

Ice hockey fans in Russia still idolise him as the “man with 1000 hands”.
Wladislaw Tretjak, ten-time world champion and best goalie of all time, returned to the ice during International Paralympic Winter Day (IPWD) on Red Square in Moscow (on December 12, 2009) and guarded the goal of the German sledge hockey team for 15 minutes for a 10:1 win against the Netherlands. 

This unusual “comeback” by the 57-year-old illustrates the main objective of the match: To focus public attention on a fascinating sport for people with disabilities.

Leading up to Sochi 2014, the Russian organising committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) organised the first IPWD at Red Square based on the 2009 summer event in Berlin.

Just how determined the hosts are to make the Paralympics a success following the 2014 Olympic Games was emphasised by the evening reception with Russian President Dimitrij Medwedew. This show of support even made the press conference a special media event, sharing the Paralympic concept with a large audience in Russia.

Willi Lemke, the UN Special Emissary for Sports, Development and Peace recalled the long-term impact of the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, which caused a highly positive change in the way living with a disability is viewed in China. The number of people with physical disabilities in Russia is reported at 13 million. But IPC President Sir Philip Craven emphasised that the Paralympics are a breathtaking spectacle not only for them.

How the Paralympics are able to inspire spectators with and without disabilities as an elite sports event, thereby breaking down conceptual barriers, is best demonstrated by the sport itself. This is why the medical technology company Otto Bock, as a cooperation partner of the IPC, brought the all-star-team from Germany and the Netherlands along to Red Square. Each team included two Russian players in their rotation in order to make a statement in favour of the still recent development of this sport in Russia. Wladislav Tretjak, who has been President of the Russian Ice Hockey Association since 2006, probably appreciated that.

Other sports were showcased in the exhibition pavilion. For example, visitors could try the laser guns equipped with audible signals for blind biathletes for themselves. Otto Bock had the new ArcticFlash ice hockey sledge on display and welcomed the two vice prime ministers Alexander Zhukov and Dmitry Kozak as well as Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee. Dr. Helmut Pfuhl, Strategy and Marketing Director at Otto Bock HealthCare, indicated the willingness of Otto Bock to provide technical service in Sochi with an international team of experts as the company has done at all summer and winter Paralympics since Seoul in 1988.