"There is so much talent on Team Canada. I hear it asked whether Bobby Hull will play. I hear it asked whether Bobby Orr will play. When you have so many players, I wonder whether it matters."

Arkady Chernyshev, 1972



Impressions
Chernyshev  

PROFILE:
Arkady Chernyshev (03.16.1914 - 04.17.1992)
USSR Merited Sports Master (1948),
USSR Merited Sports Coach (ZTR SSSR, 1957)
IIHF Hall of Fame (builder, 1999).
Player's Career:
- In hockey, played as Forward with the Dynamo Moscow; scored 4 goals in 11 games in the USSR Elite Hockey League in 1946-1948
- USSR Gold 1947
- Played bandy (USSR Cup 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941) and soccer (USSR Gold 1937, 1940)
Coaching Career:
- Dynamo Moscow Player/Coach in 1946-1948
- Dynamo Moscow Head Coach in 1948-1975
- USSR Gold 1947, 1954
- Team USSR Head Coach in 1954-1957, 1961-1972
- WC Gold in 1954, 1956, 1963-1971
- Olympics Gold in 1956, 1964, 1968, 1972

 

CHERNYSHEV

Personalities ARKADY CHERNYSHEV:
Historical Milestones
of Russian Hockey

USSRDecember 22, 1946
Scored the 1st goal ever of the national championships
January 26, 1947
Dynamo Moscow (head coach: Chernyshev) wins the 1st USSR Elite League Championship
January 29, 1954
USSR 8, Finland 1
USSR (head coach: Chernyshev) wins its 1st official game
February 26, 1954
USSR 7, Finland 1
USSR (head coach: Chernyshev) wins in its 1st game at the WCs
USSRMarch 7, 1954
USSR 7, Canada 1
USSR (head coach: Chernyshev) wins its 1st WC title.
January 19, 1956
USSR 5, Sweden 1
USSR (head coach: Chernyshev) wins its 1st game at the Olympics.
February 4, 1956
USSR 2, Canada 0
USSR (head coach: Chernyshev) wins its 1st Olympic gold medal.

   Top World Tournaments:
   All-Time Most Successful
   Russian Coaches

   Coaches

WC

OG

CC

Total

Chernyshev

 11

 4

 -

  15

Tarasov

 9

 3

 -

  12

Tikhonov

 8

 3

 1

  12

Yurzinov

 7

 3

 1

  11

Notes:
WC - WC gold medals
OG - Olympics gold medals
CC - World Cup (Canada Cup)

The 1972 Summit Series was a major break-through for the Russian hockey school on the international arena. The first face-to-face encounter with the elite NHL talent showed the world the strength and mastery of the game that the Soviets were able to achieve through a relatively short period of time. Although 1972 Team USSR was prepared for the Series by Bobrov, most of innovations and hockey achievements that the Soviets demonstrated in September 1972 still reflected the results of successful work by Bobrov's predecessors, Tarasov and Chernyshev.

Arkady CHERNYSHEV is a legend of Soviet hockey and one of the founders of the Russian hockey school. Most of the time, his name is mentioned in association with the other Russian legend, Anatoly Tarasov. Tarasov and Chernyshev coached the Soviet squad to the 9 consecutive world titles in 1963-1971. In North America, Chernyshev's coaching successes are quiet often overshadowed in favor of his partner of many years, Hall-of-Famer Anatoly Tarasov.

Needless to say, it was Chernyshev who was the "official" head coach of the Soviet national team during the Tarasov-Chernyshev's era. If the gold medal count can become any measurement of coaches' success, Chrenyshev should be called the all-time most successful Soviet coach on the international arena. With 4 gold Olympic medals and 11 world titles, Chernyshev leads the list leaving behind such coaching legends as Tarasov and Tikhonov.

Being two completely different personalities, Chernyshev and Tarasov created one of the most successful and well-ballanced coaching combinations in the history of hockey. Tarasov was emotional and explosive, prone to lose his temper in many situations. On the contrary, Chernyshev impressed people with his diplomatic skills, superb communications and rationalism.

Tarasov was at his best on the ice rink, working face-to-face with the players, guiding the team directly from the bench during the game. Chernyshev very seldom spent time with the national team players on the ice, mostly overseeing the practice or game in the stands. Due to Chernyshev's obvious educational and motivational talent, the Soviet players preferred to have one-on-one conversations with Chernyshev than with Tarasov.

The list of legendary personalities graduated from Chernyshev's hockey university includes the Team USSR 1972 members, Valery Vasiliev and Alexander Maltsev, Viktor Tikhonov and Vladimir Yurzinov.

After the Olympics in Sapporo, Tarasov and Chernyshev made an announcement about their official retirement from coaching Team USSR. Due to the history of complicated relationship with their successor, Vsevolod Bobrov, Tarasov was distanced from coaching or consulting the national team. On the other hand, Chernyshev was still involved in preparing Team USSR for the Summit 1972. It was Chernyshev and Kulagin that prepared the scouting report on Team Canada in 1972.