Director: Gabe Polsky
By Alex Watson
One of the most dominant forces ever to grace the game of Hockey, the Red Army Hockey Team were known for their precise tactics and devastating scoring ability. Behind the scenes though the story was far from a happy one. Through the excellent direction of Gabe Polsky, his documentary Red Army is an eye opening and meaningful account of the extreme lengths that a coach is prepared to take to be successful! A closely guarded secret weapon back in the day, Polsky succeeds in not only lifting the veil but also injecting a sense of bittersweet victory for the price each paid for freedom.
The Red Army team proved an unbeatable team from 1945-91 which provided no less than seven Olympic Gold Medals! But after their failure at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, long time coach Anatoly Tarasov was given the boot and replaced by KGB favourite, Viktor Tikhonov. What would follow was one of the most brutal regimes which all but alienated his star players! Desperate to get out, the Soviet players began to defect into the USA but found that the American Dream was far from what they imagined!
Gabe Polsky focuses carefully on the rigid yet carefully planned methods to which the Soviets approached the game. Tarasov in particular believed that hockey should be played like a game of chess. The tipping point of the story is undoubtedly the hiring of Tikhonov who after their loss to the US in 1980, completely overhauled the team. Next he set about a rigorous and harsh training method behind a guarded compound that slowly but surely disillusioned his players. Through the recounts of players such as Slava Fetisov (who became the youngest ever captain) their animosity towards this man still burns brightly to this day! A staunch disciplinarian, Tikhonov believed in controlling his players or suffer the consequences.
Breaking free of this was the hardest task of all, adored by the foreign scouts and lured with expensive incentives to leave their country- the players had a way out before them. The Red Army wasn't prepared to let them go quietly and the dirty tricks campaign is one that truly shocks us! Fetisov in particular was ostracized by all sport in the USSR (including Kasatonov) when he finally quit playing for Tikhonov! Families are harassed, sometimes even brutalized by authorities and officials stand firm never to let them leave. Some such as former Buffalo and Vancouver player, Alexander Moligny had to resort to having NHL officials sneak them out of tournaments to avoid the authorities.
Fetisov proves to be an engaging and funny commentator throughout Red Army, particularly during his recollection of his formidable former line mates who became known as 'The Russian Five'. This included right-winger Sergei Makarov, forceful left-winger Vladimir Krutov, tough but thin looking center Igor Larionov, known as 'The Professor' for his smart play and defenseman Alexei Kasatonov. Brothers on the ice and off it, these select few were the key force of the team. Western audiences were awed by their play and even the strongest Canadian and American teams fell like domino's. But as time wore on, they became tired of Tikhonov's bullying tactics and strived to get out of the USSR. There is an immense sense of regret among men that this close bond was broken.
Perhaps the most potent spell of Red Army is the period when the Soviets finally achieved their goals escaping into the NHL, but the rude awakening that they received is truly earth shattering. Treated with hostility and scorn by US fans, the players found the style of hockey to be less regimented than before and some struggled to adapt! Fetisov however, during this period emerges a real hero and went on to experience great success with New Jersey Devils and thanks to the ideas of legendary coach Scotty Bowman (who provided an influx of great Russian players) he finally won two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings!
This is one documentary that will not only please fans of this game but film fans everywhere. Gabe Polsky has developed a film that is not only emotionally real but also a magnificent tale of survival against the odds. Fetisov and co make for a fascinating subject but their tale is one that doesn't always happy outcomes. Viktor Tikhonov died in 2014, though a successful coach his glory was a painful sacrifice for all!
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