Book Feature Path to the Summit: Anatoli Tarasov and the History of Soviet Hockey, Part 1: 1946-1956 (by Jim Genac)

[Jim Genac]

One thing I want to add for prospective readers of this book: On top of covering Soviet hockey, there is also a lengthy chapter dedicated to how the rules of hockey rules (offside etc) and tactics evolved in North America. It's a good overview in its own right and the kind of thing I hope someone will one day extend into a book of its own.

Thank you for mentioning this. This particular chapter was one I ruminated over for a very long time. It is the longest chapter in Part 1 and I asked for feedback from numerous people on it. I showed it to experienced hockey people, those with a passing interest and some who have no interest in hockey at all. It's very quote heavy and I wanted to know if each group thought it was too much.

Interestingly, every person I asked agreed that it was very quote heavy but each/ But everyone told me not to change it... that they believed it was an important chapter and not to change it. I was fascinated by how many in the experienced hockey group (many of them hockey coaches, stated they had no idea that hockey was once an on-side game and how much that affected the Canadian style of play.

Keeping that chapter intact was one of the driving factors behind splitting this project into three books. Part 2 will have a chapter that continues that discussion through the 1950s, 60s and into the early 1970s.

 

[JackSlater]

I'm just reading this thread now. Looks worthwhile, I'm going to order the book for some summer reading.

 

[Jim Genac]

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask. I'll check in as often as I can to answer them. Before long I will post about some of the chapters I'm working on for Part 2. It will contain some great information not widely discussed before that will add greater depth to the story of Soviet Hockey and Anatoli Tarasov.

 

[sdf]

Anatoly is overrated, the secret of Soviet success is not personally in him. The state just took care of the selection of talented players, he encouraged creative collective play, but this is just a basic thing that any good coach could do in his place

 

[Jim Genac]

Anatoly is overrated, the secret of Soviet success is not personally in him. The state just took care of the selection of talented players, he encouraged creative collective play, but this is just a basic thing that any good coach could do in his place.

Thank you for your comment.

If you get a chance to read the book it is made clear that in the first decade of Soviet Hockey, Anatoli Tarasov is not the dominant figure that common myth has made him out to be.

I attempt to lay out all the factors that influenced Soviet hockey & Tarasov’s role within it. Part 1 concludes documenting Tarasov’s frustration with the fact that he isn’t influencing the Soviet game the way he wants to.

In Part 2, I’m working on an important chapter titled ‘Tarasov the Trotsky’.

In 1957, a culmination of a number of separate machinations came together leading to the issuance of Sports Order N2 144. This order reorganized Soviet hockey, put Tarasov back in charge of the National Team and granted him significant powers. Vsevolod Bobrov was so disgusted by the Machiavellian maneuvering he publicly branded Tarasov a ‘Trotsky’ for the removal of Arkady Chernyshev and the power grab he achieved. It’s at this point Tarasov’s reputation begins to grow.

My trilogy will, hopefully, provide a fuller understanding of the evolution of Soviet hockey beyond that which is commonly known in the West. I hope you get a chance to check it out.