Alexander Yakushev

Alexander Sergeyevich Yakushev (; born January 2, 1947) is a Russian former ice hockey player and coach. As a member of the Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team, he played in the Summit Series, the Ice Hockey World Championships, and the Olympic Games. He later coached HC Spartak Moscow and the Russian national team. He is inducted into both the IIHF Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Playing career

Born in Moscow, Alexander Yakushev is best known as one of the stars for the Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series. His style of play was atypical of his colleagues who were fast and skilled; he was often described as the equivalent of Canada's Phil Esposito. Although often overshadowed by his famous teammate Valeri Kharlamov, by the end of the Summit Series, Yakushev led the Soviets in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists for 11 points. He has also played in numerous Olympic and World Championship tournaments, winning Olympic gold in 1972 and 1976 and having been crowned World Champion seven times.

Coaching career After retiring from hockey, Yakushev coached HC Spartak Moscow for several years and between 1998 and 2000 he led the Russia men's national ice hockey team. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, joining fellow Summit Series teammates Vladislav Tretiak and Valeri Kharlamov.

International statistics Year Team Comp GP G A Pts PIM 1967 Soviet Union WC 2 1 0 1 0 1969 Soviet Union WC 6 1 1 2 2 1970 Soviet Union WC 6 3 3 6 8 1972 Soviet Union SS 8 7 4 11 4 1972 Soviet Union OG 5 0 3 3 2 1972 Soviet Union WC 10 11 4 15 0 1973 Soviet Union WC 10 9 6 15 2 1974 Soviet Union SS 7 6 2 8 2 1974 Soviet Union WC 10 7 7 14 2 1975 Soviet Union WC 8 11 5 16 2 1976 Soviet Union OG 6 4 9 13 2 1976 Soviet Union WC 10 6 1 7 0 1977 Soviet Union WC 10 7 4 11 0 1979 Soviet Union WC 8 4 2 6 8 World Championship totals 80 60 33 93 23 Olympic totals 11 4 12 16 4