Vitaly Davydov is a famous Soviet hockey player who played in the position of defender. Throughout his career, he played in the championship of the USSR for the metropolitan Dynamo. As a member of the national team, he became the Olympic champion three times; he won the world championship nine times. In this article we will talk about his biography, sports achievements and personal life.
Childhood and youth
Vitaly Davydov was born in Moscow in 1939. His career, like that of most boys at that time, began with yard hockey. The hero of our article lived near the Dynamo stadium. Once he was noticed by Ilya Vasilyevich Bizyukov, who was passing by Nizhny Maslovka, who was training the blue and white at that time.
Vitaly Davydov with his bright and dedicated game immediately attracted the attention of an experienced coach. Bizyukov called the young man to him and invited him to come to the stadium the next day. So Vitalik became a member of the youth team, and since 1957 he played for the main team of Dynamo.
The boy grew up in the family of the driver and accountant. Father died in the war in 1942. Mother raised Vitaly with her brother alone. She had to work hard, she worked in the newspaper Pravda as an accountant. Later, his older brother Edward got settled there.
Professional career
Interestingly, the hockey player Vitaly Davydov began his career in the youth team as a striker. In the club, he played along with another legend of those years, Vladimir Yurzinov.
When he was transferred to the main team, due to a shortage of defenders, he was transferred to the back line. The game in this position greatly liked Vitaly Davydov. He did not leave her either in the club or in the national team.
Already in 1962, the hockey player Vitaliy Semenovich Davydov was recognized as the best defender of the USSR. In total, he spent 519 matches in the domestic championship, speaking until 1973, but failed to become the country's champion, although he was repeatedly recognized as the best defender of the tournament. Seven times in the biography of Vitaly Davydov there were silver medals of the Soviet championship, another five times he became a bronze medalist. At the same time, his career in the national team was much more successful.
Olympics in Innsbruck
In 1964, the hero of our article as part of the Soviet team goes to his first Olympic Games. In the team, he is already considered an experienced player who won the gold medals of the world championship in Sweden a year earlier.
The Soviet team came to Austria in the rank of one of the favorites. At the qualifying stage, the Hungarian team was defeated with a score of 19: 1. The winners of the Olympic tournament at that time were determined among the eight teams remaining after the preliminary round, who played one game each other.
With weak rivals, Soviet hockey players did not experience any difficulties, defeating 15: 0 Switzerland and 10: 0 Germany. Then followed a confident victory over the Americans - 5: 1. The most stubborn was the confrontation with the Canadians, but the USSR team also emerged victorious from it - 3: 2. Swedes (4: 2) and Czechs (7: 5) were also beaten.
Davydov took part in all seven matches, winning Olympic gold medals.
The best quarterback in the world
At the world hockey championships Vitaly Davydov won nine times in a row from 1963 to 1971 inclusive. But the most striking and successful for him is the 1967 tournament, which was held in the Austrian capital Vienna.
The Soviet team on it was simply unstoppable. The only ones who escaped a devastating defeat were Canadians and Czechs. Their Soviet hockey players beat 2: 1 and 4: 2, respectively. The rest of the teams were defeated simply with an indecent score: 16: 1 - Germany, 12: 0 - GDR, 8: 2 - Finland, 7: 2 - USA, 9: 1 - Sweden.
For Davydov, this tournament was notable for the reason that according to its results he was officially recognized as the best defender of the world. This is an outstanding achievement.
Golden Grenoble
The next year, already in the rank of the best defender of the world, the hero of our article goes to his second Olympic Games in French Grenoble. The scheme of the tournament remained unchanged, only this time the USSR team was exempted from the qualification stage, starting immediately with matches in group A.
On the very first day of the official tournament, the Finns were defeated - 8: 0. The next day, an even more convincing victory was won over the GDR team (9: 0). Then the Americans (10: 2) and the Germans (9: 1) were defeated.
The game against Sweden was stubborn. After the first period, an equal score was established on the scoreboard - 1: 1. The second period did not bring any goals to any team. Only in the decisive 20-minute period do Soviet hockey players achieve victory - 3: 2.
In the penultimate round, the Czechs were tough nuts. Already in the first period they outplayed the USSR national team, completing it with a score of 3: 1 in their favor. In the second period, the teams exchanged goals, and in the third, Soviet athletes were close to even the score, but as a result they still lost 4: 5.
Before the last round there was a unique situation when three teams scored 10 points each. These were the teams of the USSR, Canada and Czechoslovakia. The team of Vitaly Davydov, who spent the entire tournament in the first team, with honor came out of this difficult situation. In full-time confrontation with the North Americans, a 5-0 victory was won, and our main rivals, the Czechs, were unable to beat the Swedes (2: 2).
Davydov becomes a two-time Olympic champion, losing this time the title of best tournament defender to the Czech Josef Goreshkovsky.
Sapporo
Vitaliy Davydov, whose photo was regularly published in the national sports press by that time, arrived at his last Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan, already in veteran status. He was 33 years old, it became obvious to everyone that this was his last Olympic tournament.
This time the final group, which played the medals, consisted of six teams. On the first day of the tournament, the Finns were defeated (9: 3), but already in the second round the USSR national team stumbled, failing to beat the Swedes. The equal game, which continued throughout the meeting, ended in a natural draw 3: 3.
Then the Americans (7: 2) and the Poles (9: 2) were defeated. On the last day of the tournament, there was a match with the Czechs, who were our eternal rivals, who had repeatedly provided decent resistance. In addition, they were only 1 point behind the USSR national team. Eyewitnesses recall in that match the excellent game of Davydov, who simply did not allow the Czech forwards to do anything. The teams left for the first break with the score 2: 0 in favor of the Soviet hockey players, and before the last 20 minute the advantage became even more significant - 4: 1. The result - 6: 2. Davydov is a three-time Olympic champion.
With very modest physical parameters (height 173 centimeters and weight 73 kilograms) Davydov managed to demonstrate real power hockey on the court. He had proprietary tricks with which he perplexed the attacking opposing teams, leaving them out of work over and over again. Over time, his techniques have become classics of the game in defense, today they are studied in sports schools. Davydov himself, if possible, passes his experience on to the younger generation.
Coaching career
At 33, Vitaly Semenovich Davydov completed his professional career. Summing up its outcome, he noted that any athlete plays exactly as long as circumstances and forces allow him. As soon as it becomes impossible to solve the highest tasks, it is time to part with your favorite business. In such situations, an unpleasant moment comes when it remains either to leave voluntarily, or to wait for the coaches to propose it. Davydov was sure that it was better to do it yourself.
After that, he devoted himself entirely to coaching. The hero of our article led the youth teams of the USSR, which under his leadership became winners of the world championships in 1976 and 1977, respectively.
In 1979, Davydov moved to the club level, standing at the helm of his native Moscow Dynamo. Under his leadership, the “blue and white” fought for victory in the championship of the Soviet Union, but, like in his tenure as a player, gold medals never obeyed him. As a coach, Vitaliy Semenovich won silver twice and once bronze.
In 1981, the coach went to friendly Hungary to coach the Uypest Doge Club. Although it was a country of the socialist camp, at that time few specialists officially left to work abroad. With his new team, Davydov won two Hungarian championships, three times became the owner of the cup. After that, he led the national team, which he managed to withdraw from Class C to Class B, which was a major achievement for her.
Homecoming
After returning from abroad, Vitaly Davydov did not leave hockey. He worked at the Dynamo club as the team leader. In the year of the 50th anniversary of Russian hockey, he was awarded a special prize from the Russian Federation. He was named among the six best defenders in history. In 1999, awarded the honorary badge "For Merits in the Development of Sports and Physical Culture".
In 2004, an outstanding athlete was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame and the Domestic Hockey Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Currently, Davydov still lives in Moscow near the Dynamo stadium. He is 79 years old. Despite his age, he did not retire, he holds the post of vice president in the metropolitan Dynamo.
All his life, close to him was faithful girlfriend Tatyana, his wife. Together they raised two daughters. Olga graduated from the Journalism Department of Moscow State University, and now works on television. Alla is a manager at a large Irish company.