Tough guys "Knight" Jablonsky and Mirasty: We want to be tough guys on the ice. Mikhail Strelkov: After the first fight in America, I realized that I don’t know how to fight

Mikhail Strelkov, a formidable Russian tough guy from the 1990s, about American "birdies", competent fights and races, from which even athletes' eyes widened.

His fists are smaller than Valuev's, but a lot of faces have been spoiled over the years of his professional career. In the late 1980s, Strelkov chose a hockey role that was atypical for Soviet Leningrad - tough guys. At that time, few even knew such a word, and Mikhail immediately got down to business. Even at youth tournaments, he organized fights “one against all”.

At first, the father was indignant: “What are you doing ?!” he recalls. - And when I saw how the audience greeted me, I no longer had any complaints.

The concept of "tough guy" came from overseas hockey. Their original function is like orderlies of ice: to clean it from meanness and dirt. Tough guys don't score 50 goals a season, but they are adored by the audience and respected by their partners. For seemingly easy work is a huge health risk.

In view of its traumatic nature, the pronounced role of the tough guy has been leveled in recent years. Former hockey romanticism dissolves into universalism and pragmatism. Today's coaches, if they want to see a fighter among their wards, often prefer performers like Evgeny Artyukhin, Alexander Svitov and Evgeny Timkin, who supplement the functions of power forwards with the ability to throw off gloves if necessary.

Strelkov ended his career at the age of 32. The legs did not allow to play further - the destruction of the joints began. Nevertheless, he recalls the military past with humor. Tufgai are generally cheerful people. Others are unlikely to agree to this ...

When 20 people in the locker room call you a weirdo with a cute letter, it's not pleasant

- Mikhail, did it happen that before the game you were in a bad mood and you started to drive the people?

No. In adult hockey, everything comes from the coach. Let's say a person got a hand. Freaked out - threw off his gloves, stuffed someone's face, let off steam. Handsome, of course, but the team, because of your temper, five minutes in the minority to fight back. They can fight back, or they can miss two goals ...

- Quite.

And then you go into the locker room, and 20 people call you an eccentric with a cute letter. Not pleasant, agree?

- We won't argue.

You need to dislike a person very much in order to run to beat him with such a prospect. Hockey is not an individual sport. You should fight only when the interests of the team require it. And it must be done correctly. At the right moment.

- To start a team?

As an option. Or if victory is in your pocket. Or vice versa - when the match can no longer be saved.

- Have some last fun.

Anyway, the coach usually gives the go-ahead. Because in the KHL, even with two goals of advantage, it is risky to raise a storm. You can skip twice in a minute. Is that in the last seconds is not scary.

- Did you always know before the match that you would beat a person?

If he saw that the opponent had a real opponent, he prepared in a special way. Looking at height / weight, you can imagine what you can expect from someone. In America, for example, you get even more detailed information: who hits with which hand, how he grabs. There fights are part of the show. They are rarely spontaneous.

- Why?

Climb, say, on a gamer - he can immediately fall, and you will drink beer for a week due to disqualification. Along with an unplanned vacation, there will be a shortage in the wallet. Money for missed matches is not paid.

- Which is always a shame.

So you have to fight smart. When I understood that there would be a fight, I also prepared the uniform differently, tuned in in a special way.

- More often thinking about how to hit the face, and not the puck?

Rather, how to properly catch on. And when thoughts are not about specific events on the ice, you can get hurt, miss a goal.

- And the coaches require concentration from the wards.

Tune in hockey and fight - two different things. I had a fight - consider that I missed most of the match due to the removal.

In Russia, Canadian fighters look handsome even at retirement age

Are there real tough guys in the current KHL?

Hardly. The Canadians who played in Vityaz were great fighters. Steve Bosse, in particular, fought in the UFC ...

- Absolute fighting championship.

He is. And at the same time, I wanted to sign a contract with Vityaz.

- But in the end I gave up hockey, having opted for mixed martial arts.

Unique athlete. Combining hockey and MMA - I can’t imagine how this is possible. Two hockey practices a day, and I also need strength for the octagon.

- Monster!

In the KHL, tough guys have a secondary role. There are people who don't like these guys. There was one team in the entire league filled with tough guys...

- We mentioned it a little higher.

They played hockey badly, but they beat everyone. And who will like it when your players are beaten up, like they are weak?

- The head-masochist, for example.

Exactly. Another thing is when each club has a fighter of a comparable level. Then the audience would have been waiting for an equivalent fight, and not beating a baby. Players with such a cover would also feel more confident.

- Our hockey officials claim that this is not our style.

Our traditions are really different. While fans love the fights, KHL clubs will never pay much for a tough guy. That's why guys with a name don't come to us.

- Wait, Chris Simon! The man scored 2000 penalty minutes in the NHL.

What about Simon? Pterodactyl. He was called to the KHL when he actually finished with hockey.

- At 36.

- Except for the same Canadians who played in other clubs.

In North America, tough guys are taught from a young age not to hit the puck, but to hit faces. There is a tough selection. To establish yourself in this role, you need to go through fire and water. We have no institute of ice fighters in principle.

- Other traditions...

That is why in the KHL Canadian fighters look handsome even at retirement age. I have always called myself a "Russian tough guy". Overseas is a completely different level.

Many in the KHL believe that it is enough just to play the first and last matches of the season well.

- But you fought there too.

Not for long. One season. It was enough for me to change my views on many things.

- For example?

I saw people fighting for a chance to stay in hockey. Those who do not have talent are taken with eggs - on character, perseverance, they make their way to the NHL. It reminded me of the USSR boxing championship.

- How?

15 republics, and each has its own representative in the ring. To win in such a mess was almost heroic.

- Won steel.

So before people were really iron. Not like now: two normal contenders and two dead ones. In the NHL, selection is comparable. It's not enough to survive in the lower leagues, you still need to catch on for the NHL. And there is a queue without you.

- And no limit on legionnaires.

KHL players have a different psychology. Many people believe that it is enough to play well the first and last matches of the season to be left for the next year. And in between, you can sip beer and a cigar. “After all, there is a limit on our side,” they think, “but with Russian players now there is a deficit.”

If you really relax - they can exchange. So it is preferable to work hard until the ban on additional applications.

So basically the slag just migrates from team to team. The human body is so arranged: if it does not need to strain, it will not. Good players can only be traded from clubs that definitely do not get into the playoffs.

You can beat each other for a long time, but the one who hits first wins

- What hurts more: when you get hit or when you get into a helmet?

Hit the beard - it doesn't hurt anymore. But if you hit - you rest. It's a shame - yes. It's a shame... But it's not so disgusting when you hit your helmet with your fist. The brush can easily be broken.

- She then heals for a long time.

More often than not, fingers break. Therefore, helmets are usually removed. Although smart people do not take off - they take care of their heads.

- And the cunning ones make serifs on it so that the enemy breaks his fist faster.

There are enough tricks. I didn't know any of this at first. Already in America, I picked up: how to grab a T-shirt correctly, how to pull it on, how to properly prepare equipment.

- American "birds" flew into your head?

Cuckoos. Used well a couple of times. Like on TV before: the program ended, only goosebumps on the screen. In my case, the "TV" was extinguished automatically - immediately black light.

So fuses can blow.

If you fight, you can't be afraid. In boxing, for example, you can evade a punch. Hockey is unrealistic. You just need to come to an understanding: there is nothing wrong with being beaten.

- Controversial statement.

If you chose the role of a tough guy, you can’t get away from him. You can beat each other for a long time, but the one who hits first successfully will win. In America, I often flew first.

- Due to lack of experience?

And with whom in Russia was it to fight? Sasha Yudin, Andrey Sryubko... Actually, all equal opponents... That's why I raked. In the first fight, some Mexican showered stars.

- It turned out that you are not such a good tough guy?

Moreover, I realized that I can’t do anything. It's like a child came to a section where peers have been studying for four years. I had to study and study. But it was uncomfortable for me to fight three times a week.

- Is it absolutely necessary?

For guys of my role - yes. At the time, at least, that was the case. I always threw off gloves without problems, but such a systematic strained. I also wanted to play hockey. North Americans have a different way of thinking. Their fighters don't think about how to accurately pass or throw hard. Their main goal, as in boxing, is the physiognomy of the opponent.

- The killer instinct should be in people of this role?

I do not think. Boxers, participants in fights without rules, in life are often very soft, good-natured people. It’s just that they chose such a sport, such a job. You don't have to be a beast in life.

I trained with a man with three deaths on his conscience

- You once said that Boris Mikhailov spoiled your career. What is his fault?

In the early 1990s, several young guys from SKA-2, including me, began to get into the first team. We trained with the “base”, but visitors played for it. With the advent of Boris Petrovich, Alexei Efimov, Vasya Kamenev, Zhenya Pavlov, Dmitry Kukushkin were removed from SKA ...

- It was the backbone of that team.

People from the regions were recruited to take their places, and our guys had to scatter around the cities and villages. Moreover, they could not arbitrarily collect things and leave.

- Why?

SKA owned the sports rights to them, and the club logically asked for compensation. And who will give money for me, a raw hockey player? Who knows me? Who needs me? It turned out a vicious circle: they don’t give money for you, but they don’t let you go without money.

- What was the way out?

Finish with hockey and go to chess. It was still possible to "kill" Boris Petrovich. Just right in the 1990s. Oh, I’m a soft person - I didn’t take a swing at the legend ...

- And by the way, seriously, were there coaches whom you wanted to kill during the “pre-season”?

I don’t even know whether to tell or not ... I, in general, worked with a man who had three deaths on his conscience.

- Wow…

In the 1990s, SKA hockey players did not show off on salaries. The young forward Sushinsky, for example, worked part-time as a private driver.

- Nicely.

Until now, we often see Yudin. Went somehow to the championship on the power of impact. Naturally, nothing was won. Some powerlifters remained out of competition.

- Summing up, are you generally satisfied with your hockey career?

And I didn't have one as such. Played mostly in the Premier League. Didn't make much money. They remembered me when fists were needed on the ice, and I knew how to fight. Due to this skill, he got accustomed. But it's more of a coincidence. And it's good that it turned out that way. Did not go down the slippery path. Saved hockey...

Private bussiness

Mikhail Strelkov

Born March 17, 1975 in Leningrad. Hockey player. Role - defender. Game numbers - 77, 36, 17, 8.

He played for the clubs SKA, SKA-2, Izhorets, Alexandria (Western Hockey League), Jonestown, Pensacola (both East Coast League), Kristall (Elektrostal), Kristall (Saratov) , Siberia (Novosibirsk), Khimik (Voskresensk), Vityaz (Chekhov), Motor (Barnaul), Lada (Tolyatti), Vityaz (Podolsk).

Not all hockey fans are familiar with the meaning of the word tough guy. At one time, every professional team had such a player. So, the tough guy is a professional hockey player who is good at fisticuffs. Such players make hockey more interesting for the viewer. Tough guys fights are spectacular and make hockey more popular.

Who are the tough guys?

Tough guys are players who are not set to score goals. Quite often, they enter the field only at the right moment, and then they are removed for the rest of the game. The presence of such players in the team makes it more secure. As soon as the moment comes when one of the opponents plays hard with the leader, the tough guy immediately comes into action. Some of them have experience in various martial arts. The team, in which the tough guy won, is energized and feels more relaxed. During fisticuffs, they sometimes receive terrible injuries, such as a broken nose and jaw, hand injuries, a broken eyebrow and bridge of the nose. This is just a small part of the damage that most of them have endured in their careers. Tough guys are real warriors who are not afraid of pain.

Classification

Each tough guy in hockey performs certain tasks. These players can be divided into the following types:

Bodyguard or "cop". His main task is to protect the leaders of his team from the opponent's power players. The policeman is looking for the player who plays the hardest against the leader and eliminates him with brute force or provokes him into a fight. Due to this, the leader of his team feels more free and confident.

Hunter. Such a player, on the contrary, must remove the opponent's leaders from the game. Such a tough guy is called the goal before the game by last name. Thus, his team will have an advantage in the game.

How do tough guys train?

As a rule, such a role in hockey is chosen by young people with a powerful physique and fighting character. Not everyone can withstand such a difficult role in the team. Tough guys must be proficient in boxing and other martial arts. The tough guy in hockey has to cripple as many people as possible during the game. This is necessary so that the opposing team is afraid to play hard hockey and the leaders can show all their skills. In addition to fighting, the tough guy must also be able to play hockey. In the history of this sport, there were cases when the “cops” played in the position of the striker and scored goals.

Required Skills

A tough guy is a hockey player who must be able to fight on the ice. If the "cop" is unsteady on the ice, then during the fight he will not have a chance. Therefore, each tough guy is initially taught specialized hockey martial arts. Each fighter must be able to:

Confidently stand on the ice.

Fight in hockey uniform.

Quickly drop a helmet from an opponent.

Deliver accurate and strong blows from an uncomfortable position.

General power player

With the advent of a financial limit and large disqualifications for fights, teams began to abandon tough guys. They have been replaced with power hockey players that will be useful in the game. Such a player should be able to carry out a high-quality power reception. It is desirable that he did not break the rules.

Conditional Rules

Each tough guy during the game must comply with the following mandatory rules:

Don't hit your opponent with a stick. Before the fight, each of the fighters must throw it on the field.

It is forbidden to attack an opponent who is initially clearly injured.

Attacking the goalkeeper is prohibited and will cause great anger from the opposing team.

You can't attack from behind.

Also, fighters on the ice must, whenever possible, observe the following unwritten rules:

Fighting technique

Fighting on ice is very different from fighting in the ring. The tough guy throws his stick and hockey gloves on the ice before the fight. At the same time, they are usually thrown aside so as not to stumble later. On skates, it is very difficult to maintain balance in a boxing stance. Tough guys, as a rule, grab the opponent's jersey with one hand. Due to this, they maintain balance and control it. A fighter on the ice must remove the helmet from the opponent. Best of all, if he manages to do it in one try. Otherwise, the fighter can damage his fist with a strong blow to the opponent's helmet or glass.

Tough guys have one very popular technique. It consists in the fact that one of the fighters, grabbing a T-shirt from behind, pulls it over the head of another. If he managed to do this, then the opponent will be completely neutralized. Because of the T-shirt pulled over his head, he will not see anything and will not be able to strike. The opponent at this moment, as a rule, continues the fight with a number of powerful blows. The judges, seeing the beating, begin to intervene and end the fight.

The difference between a tough guy and a power player

In modern hockey, there are usually no tough guys in clubs anymore. They were replaced by power players who can play hockey at a high level. Tough guys, as a rule, enter the field only before the fight and are removed until the end of the game, eliminating the target. Power players perform a large number of power moves per game, but some of them do not take part in fights. In modern hockey, tough players are valued who make legal ones, as sending off often leads to a goal conceded. If necessary, a power player can join the battle and there he will feel comfortable. But this is not their main goal. Among power hockey players, there are often attackers who have a powerful physique.

Popular tough guys of our time

In modern hockey, there are not many real tough guys who staged an ice battle. The most striking fighters on the ice include the following hockey players:

Chris Simon. Chris is from Canada. For a long time he was one of the main tough guys in the NHL. Now he has finished his professional career and is raising four children. But as a young man, he was one of the most dangerous players in the league. Simon was selected in the NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990. Already in the first season, this hockey player took part in several bloody battles. in his long career he managed to play in Russia. At the same time, several strong tough guys were gathered in the Vityaz club, who kept the entire league at bay. A couple of years later, Chris moved to Metallurg Novokuznetsk. There he ended his professional career.

This hockey player has already completed his professional career and began working as a coach. Andrei is polite and respectably dressed, but even on the coaching bridge he came into conflict with the audience. This player played as a striker. He began his performances in the Moscow Dynamo, and then went overseas to play for the San Jose Sharks team. On the hockey rink, he regularly performed power moves and fought with the strongest tough guys. Nazarov, due to his strong character and martial arts skills, played in the NHL for 12 years. He was the first Russian tough guy in the NHL.

Jeremy Jablonsky. This tough guy comes from Canada, but he is very well known to Russian hockey fans. In 2003, he was awarded the unofficial title of the NHL's most formidable tough guy. Jeremy has had many professional fights. In 2011, the NHL refused the services of ice fighters and Jablonsky came to Russia to play for the Vityaz club. In the debut meeting, he received 56 penalty minutes. In Russia, Jablonsky took part in many fights. For this, he was regularly disqualified. inflicted heavy injuries on his opponents with his power moves. In 2013, this tough guy left Russia, to the delight of many teams.

This one was a member of that very scandalous club "Vityaz". Until that moment, he played in some American teams. Mirasty gained notoriety after fighting Jablonski. These fighters had one of the brightest and longest fights in the world. After that, Mirasti went to Russia, to the Vityaz club. It was there that he played along with his main rival. Mirasti and Jablonsky instilled fear in the rivals of the Vityaz club. This Canadian hockey player managed to hold one fight in martial arts. In it, John lost in the first round.

Evgeny Artyukhin. This tough guy of the Russian national team spent a lot of fights in the KHL. His father used to be a wrestler. Eugene himself is actively engaged in martial arts. Artyukhin has excellent physical strength. That is why hockey players do not like to play against him so much. Now Evgeny Artyukhin plays for HC Siberia.

The brightest fights

Among the large number of ice battles, there are the most striking and outstanding ones. These include:

Fight Jablonski and Mirasti. The brightest duel between friends in life took place on December 19, 2008 in the AHL. These two fighters drove up to the center of the field, took off their gloves and set to work. In a few minutes they struck each other over 100 blows.

Hockey match between the teams "Vityaz" and "Avangard" will be remembered by all fans of Russia for a long time. Three minutes after the start of the fight, a mass brawl began, in which all the players of the teams participated. After that the match was interrupted.

Aaron Downey vs Brad Norton fight after a long discussion in the media. These fighters did not deliver a single blow in forty seconds. Then the judges got tired of it and they sent the players to the penalty box.

There were no tough guys left in modern hockey. What this word means, young fans of this sport no longer know. It's hard work. Tough guys received a large number of different injuries, and then again took to the field.

Who loves them? Few people, but these are those who will force themselves to be respected in any case, they are the defense of the ice, even the most hardened hockey players shudder at the pronunciation of the name of some of them. Tough guys are those who do one of the dirtiest jobs on the ice...

tough guy- is a player of the hockey team, whose main task is to intimidate the enemy. Just intimidation? Not at all, everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. The task of the tough guy is literally physical violence against the forwards of the opposing team and, of course, the protection of the most valuable players of his team.

Many men watch hockey solely in the hope of seeing a lot of power moves and fights in it. Agree, it's not very interesting to watch just skating on ice and driving a puck into the opponent's goal, but it's much more pleasant to see some kind of trash.

Where did this "barbarism" originate?
Canada gave birth to tough guys. Back in the days when hockey was taking its first steps towards global approval, rival teams came up with a universal victory tactic: putting out of action the most effective player of the opponent, and it consisted in the fact that the weak player of the team, not paying attention to the rules, “knocked out” from the opponent's team of a strong opponent. The tactic worked. This action was to the taste of the public, and, soon, tough guys became a mass "entertainment".

In the beginning there were no rules, the main thing is victory, here are two egregious cases from practice that Alex Mannanov talks about (“Ice of a thousand corpses. Profession is tough guy. Part I”)

1905, the Canadian province of Ontario, a match between the teams of Maxwell and Alexandria. There is a fierce battle on the ice, since the duel is fundamental: Anglo-Canadians and Protestants support Maxwell, while Alexandria represents the Francophone society, the vast majority of which are Catholics. 19-year-old Allan Loney (Maxwell) roughly attacks Olsey Lauren (Alexandria), delivers a direct blow to the opponent's jaw, and then finishes off with a club (not proven in court) to the temple. Lauren, bleeding, falls onto the ice and soon dies - it was the first fatality in hockey.

We didn't have to wait too long for the second one. In 1907, during a Confederate League match between the Ottawa Victorians and Cornwall, a massive brawl broke out on the ice, the reason for which lay in the fact that Cornwell announced forward Owen McCourt, who played for the Montreal Shamrocks from another, competing sports association, for the fight. Ottawa's protests did not lead to anything, and the Victorias hockey players decided to deal with the misunderstandings on their own. Charles Masson, Ottawa's winger, rolled up to Owen McCourt and hit him in the head with a club - not limited to, according to Cornwall players, one attempt.

The next day, McCourt died in the hospital, never regaining consciousness.

These cases led to the establishment of a tough guys code that restricts the rights of these fighters.

And here are the top 5 tough guys in the NHL, which arranged and arrange a spectacle for their viewers.

5. Zach Stortini

Tough guy with not very good hockey statistics. Lost a lot more fights than won. Last year, he had 23 brawls - the third result in the overall fighting standings. Although he is not a very good fighter, he managed to get audience sympathy, thanks to his unrestrained temper.

4. Raitis Ivanans

Ivanans made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in 2005. In his debut 4 games, he earned 9 penalty minutes, including for a fight in the very first match with Ottawa Senators player Zdeno Hara. As a result of this fight, he received a broken cheekbone. In all four seasons with the Kings, Ivanans led the team in penalty minutes.

On July 1, 2010, he signed a two-year contract with the Calgary Flames. On October 7 of the same year, he made his debut for the Flames in the first game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers. In the third period of the match, as a result of a fight with Steve McIntyre, he received a concussion and missed the rest of the season.

3. Derek Boogaard

The 120-pound Boogeyman was one of the best tough guys in modern NHL history. During his career, he had 61 fights on the ice, and in 2007, the NHL hockey players gave Boogaard the second place in the list of players with whom they want to fight the least. Sadly, Derek Boogaard has passed away and his brain will be donated to a group of Boston University researchers studying the effects of head injuries on the brains of athletes. Also, before his death, he and his brother opened a school where hockey players are taught hockey brawls.

2. Colton Orr (Rangers)

Fights in the last two seasons - 21 wins, 11 losses and 2 draws. Good stats, I must say. One of the league's most active fighters, he earns just $50,000 more than the NHL's minimum wage.

1. Dave Schultz. He's a Sledgehammer, he's a Tiger

David Williams holds the NHL record for the most penalty minutes in a career - almost four thousand, if you translate this into playing time - you get 66 games. The tiger benefited the team, not only smearing the opponent on the sides: four times he managed to exceed the bar of twenty goals scored in a season. After the end of his hockey career, David calmed down and even released a cookbook - "Tiger in the Kitchen."

Sledgehammer still holds the NHL record for the number of penalties scored in a single season - 472 minutes, or almost eight full games. In the seventies, Schultz inspired fear in the entire hockey league - there were no rules for him, he could spit in the face of an opponent, push an arbitrator or beat a lying player. But Kuvalda's favorite move was pulling rivals by the hair.

Tough guys KHL. Top 5

5 . Darcy Vero

Vero Darcy. Initially, he was famous for his excellent game on the “penny”. But the bias towards fights began with him upon arrival in Russia. In three incomplete seasons at Vityaz, Darcy scored over 1,000 penalty minutes. He took part in the well-known fight with Avangard, he cut himself, in particular, with Jaromir Jagr himself. He was also remembered for his rude action against CSKA player Nikita Filatov. First, Vero hit him with a club on the lower leg from behind, and then drove his fist in the face. For which he was suspended for 4 games. However, in the 11-12 season, he already ended up in the same CSKA, while having time to fight with all the famous tough guys from Russia.

4. Jeremy Jablonsky

In the KHL, Jablonski played 24 games in which he scored 0 points and earned 190 penalty minutes.

He attacked the goalkeeper of Magnitogorsk Gelashvili. Knocked out Traktor defender Ryazantsev with a blow to the head from the back. After the attack on Ryazantsev, the Canadian was even given a disqualification until the end of the season, but the Sport-Express columnist Larin composed an appeal for Yablonsky in the spirit of “I changed my mind, I’m sorry, now expect goals from me” - in the KHL they believed this and forgave Jeremy.

3. Evgeny Artyukhin

Artyukhin refuses to call himself a tough guy, agreeing to the definition of "power player"

“I have been promoting power hockey since childhood. Many coaches did not understand this. Sometimes they told me about it. But I still didn't change my style. And I still don't change it. I am always ready to stand up for myself and for my teammates, but if you notice, I never initiate fights. Now I play in attack, and my direct duty is to score goals, not to swing my fists. But when it is necessary, I will wave so much that it won’t seem enough, ”says Artyukhin.

In the KHL, Artyukhin played 255 games, in which he scored 73 points (31 + 42) and earned 814 penalty minutes.

2. Alexander Svitov

Alexander Svitov is a Russian ramming striker. It is considered one of the most powerful forwards of the last five years.

In the KHL, Svitov played 352 games, in which he scored 146 points (73+73) and earned 462 penalty minutes.

1. Damir Ryspaev

One of the most terrible tough guys of Vityaz. Damir Ryspaev was given an indefinite disqualification, which was not awarded to any player in our championship before.
The tough guy of the Kazakh team Damir Ryspaev beat three hockey players of the Chinese team and climbed onto the bench. The only Red Star player who resisted Ryspaev was Alexander Mikulovich.

Ryspaev injured forward Tomas Martsinko with a side kick when the opponent was not thinking of fighting. Marcinko was taken to the hospital.
The head coach of Kunlun Vladimir Yurzinov Jr. took the team to the locker room, the Chinese were credited with a forfeit defeat.

In the KHL, Ryspaev played 23 games in which he scored 0 points and earned 194 penalty minutes.

However, like any fighter, the tough guy has code of honor. Here are some examples from there:

• respect the opponent;
• do not touch the injured;
• do not attack the opponent from the back;
• do not refuse an opponent in a fight if you defeated him earlier in the match;
• do not start the fight until the opponent has thrown off the leggings (hockey gloves);
• don't attack completely non-fighting players.

It is difficult to disagree with the rules of the code, because hockey is just a game, and, like in any game, there must be rules in it that do not allow the ruthlessness of the players to “free up”, so many teams abandoned this idea, not wanting to cripple each other. For example, Vityaz was the epitome of tough guy until 2012, considered one of the most terrifying teams, a kind of fight club that is indifferent to the rules, and in priority is the honor of the players themselves, but in our time they have gone away from this, choosing a game, not violence. Now this is an ordinary, small club in Podolsk, maybe it's for the best.

Heroes of Chekhov. How do the former tough guys of the Vityaz live?

A donut seller, a father of five children and the slowest hockey player in the KHL, whose wife spent all his savings, the site tells where the main robbers of the hockey Vityaz have disappeared.

In the role of an evil team from a small town near Moscow, Chekhov's "Vityaz" lived from September 2005 to February 2012. During this time, there were 241 fights in matches involving Vityaz.

Then the owner changed, the team moved to Podolsk (away from the Chekhov public accustomed to fights) - and now it is an ordinary small club. Maybe it's for the best.

But Chekhov still has his heroes.

Jeremy Jablonsky, 35

Total career: 605 matches, 23 goals, 29 assists, 217 fights. In Russia: 24 matches, 0 goals, 0 assists, 5 fights.
MMA: 2 fights, 2 wins.
Boxing: champion of the amateur Golden Gloves tournament in Canada.

What I remember: He attacked the goalkeeper of Magnitogorsk Gelashvili. Together with Mirasti and Brennan, he dropped drunken and aggressive participants in wedding celebrations in Magnitogorsk (the video is easily searched for by the query "Mirasti Jablonsky's wedding"). Knocked out Traktor defender Ryazantsev with a blow to the head from the back. After the attack on Ryazantsev, the Canadian was even given a disqualification until the end of the season, but the Sport-Express columnist Larin composed an appeal for Yablonsky in the spirit of “I changed my mind, I’m sorry, now expect goals from me” - in the KHL they believed this and forgave Jeremy.

It soon became clear that the phrase "expect heads from me" meant broken heads. Yablonsky, who broke free in the fourth game after the amnesty, stuck his head into the side of Yegor Mikhailov from Spartak, and two days later he led the Vityaz attack on the Atlant players. It was the wildest episode: Jeremy drove up to the chief referee, gave him a club (the referee even stood with it for some time), and he chased Andrey Zubarev with passion. And he did catch up. After leaving the Vityaz, Jeremy skated 28 games in the East Coast League, fought 9 times there and scored 2 goals, which did not happen to him at the Vityaz.

What is doing now: Soon it will be a year since he did not play hockey. In the fall of 2015, they wanted to arrange a fight in Russia according to the rules of boxing against the former basketball player Kaspars Kambala, but something did not work out. Now Jablonski habitually swings himself and helps others to swing, goes to martial arts training and fights on Facebook with Obama and multiculturalism. The happy life of a retired soldier.

Chris Simon, 43

Total career: 1244 matches, 297 goals, 310 assists, 154 fights. In Russia: 174 games, 43 goals, 46 assists, 17 fights.

What I remember: In the NHL, Chris Simon has always played quite productively, and once scored more than 30 goals for Washington in a season. So the KHL in his person has acquired more than just a tough guy. For Vityaz, Simon scored consistently in every third match - and I must say that his reputation helped him a lot in this. The rivals treated the veteran carefully: they didn’t hit him on the hands, they didn’t push him too much - even when he was on the patch. After three seasons at Vityaz, Simon received an invitation to Dynamo Moscow for the playoffs - and scored two goals in six matches.

What is doing now: Chris Simon Inc organizes hockey training camps for both boys and girls. The cost of the five-day camp is $299 per person. There are many who wish.

Brandon Sugden, 37

Total career: 601 games, 22 goals, 69 assists, 297 fights. In Russia: 19 matches, 1 goal, 1 assist, 9 fights.

What I remember: Sugden was perhaps the slowest hockey player in the history of the KHL. He moved on the ice with the importance of a 122-kilogram person - and one could feel the discomfort that sometimes he had to hold a stick in his hands. It is all the more surprising that there were people who could not escape from him. For example, Brandon managed to catch Stepan Zakharchuk from Ak Bars in the corner of the court and won the micromatch on strikes with a score of 18:0. It's like drowning puppies.

On January 9, 2010, Sugden participated in the famous battle between Vityaz and Avangard in Chekhov: during the warm-up, he attacked Dmitry Ryabykin, and after the start of the game, Alexander Svitov. What is interesting - Ryabykin and Svitov were the only hockey players in Russia who were not afraid to beat Sugden in response. Against this background, Sagden became more and more lazy and untrained - and in the summer of 2011 in Riga at a boxing tournament among hockey players (there was one) he lost to the modest Alexei Shirokov, who is 13 centimeters lower and 30 kilograms lighter.

What is doing now: The publication syracuse.com reported that Sugden's annual salary at Vityaz was about 300 thousand dollars (remembering how he played, it's hard to believe). But after leaving Russia, Brandon discovered that his wife had spent all the family's savings. Divorce proceedings soon followed, and Sugden was unable to see his son.

Now Brandon is engaged in a family business related to the clothing industry. And, if asked, gives private lessons to young hockey players who want to learn how to fight.

Darcy Vero, 39 years old.

Total career: 1037 matches, 143 goals, 258 assists, 203 fights. In Russia: 167 matches, 10 goals, 13 assists, 57 fights.

What I remember: In Darcy Vero, there was nothing terrible in appearance, but whole fives ran from this short guy. Vero went through 57 fights in Russia. All this went on for six years: after leaving Vityaz, Darcy fought for CSKA and Rubin Tyumen. In the fall of 2013, he skated 7 games for Arizona in the minor leagues, fought there twice, and realized that at 37 it's hard to live such a life full of blows to the head.

What he does now: In Regina, Canada, he founded his own hockey school, Compete Athlete. Skating, puck handling, tactics - all of this goes to Darcy's school. But the main thing: Darcy Vero has five children. One of the three daughters is adopted.

John Mirasty, 33

Total career: 593 games, 21 goals, 41 assists, 348 fights. In Russia: 40 matches, 2 goals, 1 assist, 10 fights.
MMA: 1 fight, 1 defeat.

What I remember: For all the time that Mirasty was in hockey, more than one and a half thousand blows bounced off his head. Artemy Panarin, John's partner in Vityaz, once confided in me: "Mirasti's head is just rubber."

When you have such a head, you can even make a funny joke during a fight. Maxim Yeprev was the only Russian hockey player who himself decided to challenge Mirasti to a fight, and John, in gratitude, allowed Yeprev to hit himself in the face. One blow, two, three - Mirasti laughed. And then the smile turned into a grin - John struck back for the first time, Yeprev lost his balance and the fight ended.

After two seasons in the KHL - for the "Vityaz" and "Barys" - Mirasti returned to the terrible North American hockey league called the LNAH and fought there 35 times in 28 matches. In the last fight, he missed 24 blows to the head.

What is doing now: John is fully focused on business. In early December 2015, he opened a diner in his hometown of Meadow Lake: for 50 thousand dollars, Mirasti bought a 20-year franchise of the largest Canadian fast food chain Tim Hortons (I must say that this company was founded in 1964 by a 34-year-old hockey player " Toronto, Tim Horton). Two years in the KHL helped John to put together a start-up capital.

Mirasti did play one hockey match this fall: in a sweater with a false name, he went on the ice for the amateur team Stoney Creek. Eyewitnesses say that John immediately received a 10-minute penalty for running into the opponent's half of the court during the warm-up and provoking opponents. In general, he looked sunken and rode even more slowly than usual. In an interview with syracuse.com, Mirasti promised not to eat donuts from his diner, because he has already put on 5 kg lately.

Text: Alexander Lyutikov

The famous North American tough guys Jeremy Jablonsky and James Mirasty, playing for the “Vityaz”, once again showed their talent in Russia. This time the hockey players got into a fight at a wedding in Chekhov.

ON THIS TOPIC

A street fight involving Vityaz forwards Jeremy Jablonsky and James Mirasty was filmed on an amateur camera and posted on the Internet. Judging by the record, hockey players tried to the last to avoid a direct conflict, but were forced to start a fight with drunk residents of Chekhov, who celebrated the wedding, Interfax reports.

According to rumors, during the celebration of the wedding, the guests noticed Chekhov's tough guys on the street and immediately entered into an open conflict with them. Despite a clear quantitative advantage, the drunken residents of a town near Moscow failed to put up a worthy resistance to the Canadian "policemen". Bye Jablonski used his fighting skills to scatter a crowd of conflict-seeking wedding guests., Mirasti was attacked by about five people. However, within ten seconds, the hockey players managed to deal with the crowd and leave the place of conflict without hindrance.

It is worth noting that Jeremy Jablonsky and James Mirasty have demonstrated their fighting skills more than once this KHL season. In a recent match between Vityaz and CSKA, Chekhov's tough guy Yablonsky was on ice with his former teammate, and now a Moscow army man, Darcy Vero, and both times he came out of the bouts as a winner. Hockey players received twice five-minute penalties for fights plus a ten-minute disciplinary penalty and removal until the end of the match.

From every match in which the Chekhov club participates, fans are always waiting for a catch. It is not known what these tough guys have in mind: start a fight or play hockey. So, at the end of the match with "Metallurg" Jeremy Yablonsky out of the blue Giorgi Gelashvili and dealt him several serious blows. Already in the next match in Riga against Dynamo, the Canadian “policemen” of Vityaz arranged for the match right away, gaining 94 minutes of penalty.