He's the world leader famous for riding a horse shirtless, cuddling a polar bear and stirring up things in the Ukraine.
Now Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest exploit had him lacing up some skates and getting ice time with some of Russia's greatest hockey legends in front of thousands of apparently adoring fans Saturday.
Sporting the number 11 jersey, the 61-year-old Putin returned to the Winter Olympics host city of Sochi as a member of the "NHL Stars" team for the All-Russia Festival of Night Hockey League and finished the game with six goals with five assists.
But the Russian sportsman got a little assistance from a timid defense and his teammates — made up of former Russian NHL stars — who gave the puck a gentle nudge in the right direction if his shots didn't hit the back of the net on their own.
Joining the Stars' team, Putin took a break from crisis talks with the West about his annexing of Crimea to play alongside retired former Soviet hockey legends, including Vyacheslav Fetisov and Pavel Bure.
At least two of his team-mates were Olympic medal winners, including Aleksey Kasatonov, who won two golds for the Soviet Union in 1984 and 1988, and Valery Kamensky, who also took gold in 1988.
The Stars' lopsided 21-4 victory is unusual by normal hockey standards, but not uncommon for Putin's team, which is known for trouncing its opponents.
Those opponents, meanwhile, were reportedly amateurs who probably knew "he shoots, he scores" really means if he shoots, he better score.
You and your opponent have the same conference record will receive one share of the conference during the season, then lost ... if you get second place.
ReplyDelete