Swedish philosophy: former SKA stars work in Sweden as ordinary workers

All three – in one country

Together, the “cornflower blue” hockey players, as they were called for the colors of the jerseys in which they trained, spent seven seasons. We were friends. But in the midst of perestroika, the iron curtain opened, and the players of Soviet clubs began to disperse around the world. The path to the West lay with our heroes – and, ironically, they all settled in Sweden. Then they thought that they were going for a short time. But, as it turned out, forever.

Igor Vlasov was the first to go to Carlson’s homeland in 1990, followed by his link partners: first Sergey Teplyakov, and then Sergey Tsvetkov. They say that they did not agree, everything happened by chance.

During this period they had to go through a lot. At first, I was waiting for a “piece of glory” – we came to the foreign championship as stars, but big hockey ended anyway. And now they live a normal life, work in production. Former SKA stars told MK in St. Petersburg why they are not ashamed to be ordinary workers and what the Swedish philosophy is.

“We would like a president like Putin!”

“When I left Leningrad for Sweden in 1990, of course, there were no plans to stay there forever,” explains Igor Vlasov. – How was it with us then? If 30 fits, it’s time to skate on the nail. Promising young people are supporting us, we need to slowly change the line-up. And then the borders started to open up. A team from Sweden, “Kiruna”, visited the city on the Neva. They needed a striker, and they laid eyes on me. I thought then: I’ll go, I’ll earn a little – after all, it was the 1990s, no one had money. Buy a car, all that, and back! And after the first season, I was close to returning – I didn’t want to stay.

– What stopped?

– We went to the shops in the Union, there is nothing – you can’t even buy bread. The wife says: “Well, let’s go back. Play some more!” And then he traveled from one club to another. Somehow it all dragged on.

He tells how he survived at the end of his sports career. Then his wife shouldered the financial burden. He taught himself and became a private entrepreneur. Now Igor Vlasov has a small construction company. It is recognized that due to regular internal shocks in the country, it was difficult at first to do business.

– The parties in power were constantly changing: sometimes socialist, sometimes bourgeois. At one time no one could understand anything. Either they help the business, then they impose mad taxes on it, says the former hockey player.

At the same time, he clarifies that this is how the authorities behaved with those who, in fact, feed the whole of Sweden – small entrepreneurs. But this is the Swedish philosophy… According to Igor, the phrase that characterizes it is difficult to translate into Russian literally. Here in the Americans, when they say that they need to complete a difficult task, they say: “Do or die.” The Russians: “Die, but do it.” The Swedes are somehow in the middle. The general meaning of their philosophy can be reduced to advice: you should not grumble and complain about a difficult situation, but adapt to it and look for a way out of it. In the current realities, this expression, as Igor admits, has become his guide to life.

As for Swedish socialism, which you may have read or heard about somewhere, it, as it becomes clear from Igor’s words, does not exist. Yes, as in many countries, a person who finds himself in a difficult life situation will be helped. But you have to be careful not to fall into it.

Almost everything here is in private hands. Except for alcoholic products. Taxes here are rather big, although in the same Denmark and Norway – even more, – says Igor Vlasov.

From open sources, you can find out that Sweden is considered the country with the highest level of income tax. Here they even pay to the treasury for the purchase of real estate. It is unprofitable to buy an apartment in order to rent it out – the tax on this type of income is 30%. In addition to taxes familiar to us like VAT, income tax, and so on, there are also fees unusual for Russians – for a TV set (2,000 kroons per year, which is 11,280 rubles), dogs (the fee depends on the height of the pet, an average of 6,000 rubles), names (if the name of the child creates discomfort for other citizens, the parents must pay the tax). There is also a church tax – everyone who has anything to do with religion pays it. It is 1-2% of income.

Some of the highest taxes in the world are due to child care here. It looks like the funds go to education. That is, this is a contribution to the future of the country. It is possible that it is precisely the high exactions from the population and business that explain the reluctance of the Swedes to demonstrate their financial well-being. Like, being rich here is indecent. But again, it’s all relative.

– About seven years ago we lived in a city where the production of mink fur products is developed. I have never seen so many cool cars anywhere else – it is clear that rich people live there. We have friends who are very high in society and even date the king. And according to them, in Sweden there is still a certain category of citizens who care about their position, status, – says Igor Vlasov.

According to the former SKA player, and now a citizen of Sweden, there is no condescending attitude towards Russians in this country.

– After Oliver Stone’s film about Putin, on the contrary, a kind of respect arose for Russia. From my entourage I often heard: “We would have such a president as Putin”, Vlasov says.

Igor himself does not exclude that someday he will return to Russia with his family. Assures: the bridges are not burned.

“I collect windows on the conveyor”

But if Vlasov has his own business, albeit a small one, then Sergey Tsvetkov and Sergey Teplyakov are now working in production. Sergey Tsvetkov admits that there was not much chance to return to Russia.

– No, no one particularly called to the Motherland, – says Sergey Tsvetkov. – Once there was a conversation that I could become a coach at SKA, an assistant to Boris Petrovich Mikhailov. It was already in the early 2000s, when I came with my son Anton, who also played hockey professionally, to watch the army club. I have a good relationship with Mikhailov, one might say, like a father was. But then everything faded. And so … First, he played for seven years in Sweden, then he was a coach for a short time. Everything turned around and around. My son went to school here. My wife and I made the decision to stay.

– Are you no longer connected with hockey?

Yes, life is completely different, without hockey. My last team was sponsored by a large pipe factory. There he found a job. I don’t know how to call my specialty in Russian, but I assemble windows on an assembly line. Compared to sports, everything is calm. You can put a cot and sleep! Completely different beat! In hockey, he just played – already training. Head scored next match, what points, what place! When I first started working, many journalists from newspapers came, did interviews, filmed. Yesterday I was a hockey player, and today I’m just a worker! You feel embarrassed! Although, while I was playing, only legionnaires, including me, could concentrate only on hockey, while the rest worked hard on the ice after work. In the elite series (the Swedish elite series is the strongest local hockey league. – Ed.), maybe there are completely professionals. And in the first division, everyone works. He came, took off his working overalls, practiced! By the way, when I first came to Sweden, I thought that there were only “fishermen” in the teams, people would be laughed at and left the ice. It turned out that everyone knows how to play perfectly, even combining it with another job.

Electrician by day, hockey player by night

Sergei Teplyakov also works in production.

“Although I have lived in this country for 30 years, I can hardly call myself a 100% Swede,” Sergey Teplyakov admits. — I think and perceive the world around me as a Russian. All my relatives and friends live in Russia. But my children already consider themselves Swedes. As Sergei said, while he was playing, he, as a professional, had two training sessions a day. There was only enough time to help train the children. But all the local players along the way with the game for the club worked. In his team, for example, there were a firefighter, a locksmith, a teacher, an orderly, a banker, a miner.

– Here the hockey player is an ordinary profession. The same as an electrician, gas welder and others. Yes, playing for the club, people receive some kind of salary and at the same time they can work in some company, – says Sergei Teplyakov.

And yet you need to understand (or you can assume – as you prefer) that with a normal salary, people, as a rule, do not look for a second job. From this perspective, hockey in Sweden looks like a paid (and, apparently, not very good for the locals) hobby.

Sergey himself became a worker after he ended his sports career in 1998. Then he got a job in a company, and with it, according to local laws, a residence permit. And so he began to work in a company that produces floor coverings. He tells how he was responsible for all the countries of the former USSR, processing and receiving goods.

He, like Igor Vlasov, mentioned the special attitude of the Swedes towards children. Apparently, in this country, the younger generation is trying in every way to protect them from the stresses associated with competition, the “battle for a place in the sun,” and so on. This is explained by the fact that the country is a small one – only 10 million people live in it. If you combine St. Petersburg and the Krasnodar Territory, then it will be more.

Children in Sweden play in sports clubs not for results, but for fun. Without any championships, tournaments and tables. Up to 14 years old. It’s hard to imagine what happens to a young man or a girl when, as a teenager, they learn that there is competition, leaders and outsiders … But what can I say, even if an adult has made a mistake, they will only gently point out the mistake. Here they are, the descendants of the proud Viking conquerors.

Sergei Teplyakov admits: when he was visiting his homeland, in Izhevsk, he saw a completely different picture: “Everything is very serious and strict.”