Sergei Mylnikov, the Soviet goalie who took to the crease soon after the retirement of Vladislav Tretiak, passed away in Moscow June 20. He was only 58 years of age. Cause of death was not immediately announced.

Mylnikov played on the Soviet U20 team that won back-to-back gold medals at the first two IIHF World Junior Championships, in 1977 and 1978. It was at this time he also started professional hockey with Chelyabinsk Traktor in the Soviet league, the team for which he played the majority of his career.

But it would be several years before he would play in a World Championship because of Tretiak’s dominance and the fine play of his apparent successor, Vladimir Myshkin.

Mylnikov played in his first Worlds in 1985 in Prague, winning bronze. He appeared in only one game, and three more at the golden 1986 World Championship, but by the start of the 1987 Canada Cup, he had become the CCCP’s number-one goalie, ahead of Yevgeni Belosheikin.

Mylnikov played in six games of the historic ’87 Canada Cup and was in goal when Mario Lemieux scored the series-winning goal late in game three of a best-of-three in which all games were won by a 6-5 score. His coach, Viktor Tikhonov, later called these three games the greatest international contests ever played.

Buoyed by his play, Mylnikov played every minute for the Soviets at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada, leading his team to an undefeated run to the gold medal.

In 1989, his third year as the top goalie, he carried the Soviets to gold at the World Championship in Stockholm, and in 1990, he helped the country win another gold.

In all, Mylnikov played in four World Championships (three gold, one bronze), the 1988 Olympics, ’87 Canada Cup, and two early U20 tournaments. He also fathered a son, Sergei, who also played for the Russians as a goalie a generation later.

As the Soviets loosened their grip on players’ movement, Mylnikov was allowed to join the NHL later in his career. He had been drafted 127th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the spring of 1989 and joined the team that fall. He made his debut on October 26, 1989, a 4-2 loss to Boston. He played only ten games, winning just once. From there, Mylnikov moved to Sweden to finish his career.

After hanging up his pads, Mylnikov stayed in the game as a coach, first in Sweden, where he had played his final seasons, and later in Russia. A major heart attack in 2010 curtailed much of his activity.

ANDREW PODNIEKS