MOSCOW – Thirty years ago, to this day, was a black day for Swedish ice hockey. In their penultimate game at the 1981 IIHF World Championship in Gothenburg the hosts were on the receiving end of a 13-1 demolition by the Soviet Union.

Momentarily tarnished Swedish national pride aside, this emphatic result marked the dawn of a new era of hockey superiority from the Soviet Union under the guidance of disciplinarian Viktor Tikhonov. The now 80-year old coaching legend takes a stroll down memory lane to speak to IIHF.com about the World Championship and Canada Cup winning year of 1981, and his methods for achieving his phenomenal success as a coach.

Soviet Union had lost the gold to Herb Brooks' Team USA at the Olympics in Lake Placid 1980. With no other major tournament played that Olympic year, the opportunity for payback at the 1981 IIHF World Championships must have been long awaited?

Suffice to say, it was a huge disappointment for all of us involved with the Soviet Union national team to be unable to win the Olympic Gold in 1980. But looking back, a lot of our players had been too confident ahead of the game against USA in Lake Placid, believing that it had already been won before it was played.

But with hindsight and having done a lot of thinking I felt that although we weren't able to win the Olympic gold medal, we were in an interesting position, where we could approach things differently which also gave us the opportunity to powerfully start the rebuilding process of the Soviet national team.

What methods did you use for the reconstruction of the Soviet national team ahead of the 1981 IIHF World Championships?

Crucial for this rebuilding process was to find suitable players with strong character and good leadership qualities that would be prepared to work, work, work very hard under a very strict but fair discipline. Post Lake Placid I deliberately dropped players that I felt needed a wake-up call in order to understand what was expected from them. They were later included into the roster for the 1981 World Championships in Sweden.

But another year working with the team had also given me the opportunity to more thoroughly integrate many younger players into the team, such as Fetisov, Kasatonov, Makarov, Larionov and Krutov, as well as other players such as Kapustin, Balderis and Shepelev. These would then play an integral part in the Red Machine over the years and would replace former Soviet greats such as Vasiliev, Gusev, Mikhailov, Petrov and Kharlamov.

Come the World Championships in Gothenburg 1981 where the Soviet Union strolled through the tournament undefeated but also bulldozed eventual silver medallists Sweden, 13-1 on their home ice. Is there something in particular you remember from this game?

I certainly remember the match and the final score, but nothing specific from what had happened out on the ice. A representative from the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation later asked me what could be done in order to lessen the gap between the two teams. I replied that Sweden had lost a step because they favour a transatlantic style of hockey instead of their own. I then remember how Sweden went back to their original way of playing hockey again around 1985.

Peter Lindmark, Sweden’s all-star team goalie at the 1981 IIHF World Championship recently told me that "when you were up against the Soviet Union in those days, you were lucky to keep the goals against you down to single digits". Was the difference between Soviet Union and your opponents really as big as the results often suggested?

Although we most often won, the difference wasn't really that big. One of the major contributing reasons to how we were able to perform at such a high level year after year was down to the fact that, no matter what your name was, the same level of discipline and the same set of rules were to be followed by everyone.

I remember once a theatre chief asking me how I was able to keep such a well-working discipline both on and off the ice with a full set of players, while she had difficulties doing the same with only four-five big name actors/actresses. My reply was that we in theory had the same problem, but that you could act until you die, while your time as a hockey player is considerably more limited.

If a player didn't do as he was told, I only had two alternatives. Either to bench him or take him off the team altogether. These days there is also a third alternative as you can fine a player on his salary.

Later that year in September 1981, Soviet Union also won the Canada Cup, beating the hosts 8-1 in a one-legged final played in the Montreal Forum. Was the 1981 roster the best Soviet Union team you ever coached?

No, I don't think so as many of our future stars had by then just started to play continuously together in the national team. I find it hard to point out when we did have the best Soviet Union national team ever. During many years, I had chosen to prioritize different blocks of players from a few selected clubs.

Tretyak, from CSKA was given in goal, I also had two blocks from CSKA of around ten players, one block of players from Spartak, as well as a mixed line, and that's how the team looked for a number of years. I am convinced that this continuity of very gifted players together with stringent discipline and hard work was the key for our success during those years.

Would you be willing to reveal any secrets for the success you had in your prolific career as head coach?

I found my inspiration from many other fields outside of hockey. I've read books and also sought knowledge from other sports and from show business. For example, I was greatly inspired by soccer tactics, the gracious balance and coordination of ballet and dance, the body language from theatre and the explosiveness and of speed skaters.

I also prepared myself meticulously, not only ahead of a season but also before a single practice. On large organization schemes I had the whole set-up of the season well planned and ahead of each practice I've spent around two hours to prepare myself which I don't believe is very common these days.

What are you doing today?

I feel fine and still watch a great deal of hockey. I am honorary president of CSKA and my hockey-life has no end as it goes on and on because of my love for this game.

HENRIK MANNINEN

A big thank you to CSKA goalie coach Stefan Lunner for all his invaluable assistance.