The Sakhalin Lion Cubs met hockey legend Vladislav Tretyak

The President of the All-Russian Hockey Federation, a legend of national sports, Vladislav Tretyak, attended a training session of the Sakhalin Lion Cubs children’s sledge hockey team. The residents of South Sakhalin met the famous athlete, played a small friendly match, and also received a puck and autographed photographs, the press service of the Ministry of Sports of the Sakhalin Region reported.

“My son loves hockey and has been playing for our island team with great pleasure for almost four years. He has not yet seen matches with the participation of Vladislav Alexandrovich, but he knows about the legend of world hockey and received great pleasure from meeting him. Such meetings give great incentive to children and I am happy that they were given such an opportunity,” said Olga, mother of Sakhalin Lions striker Vladimir Malyshev.

The best goalkeeper, three-time Olympic champion Vladislav Tretyak arrived in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with the aim of popularizing sports in the Sakhalin region, including children’s hockey.

“Sakhalin Lion Cubs” is a children’s sledge hockey team from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It is the first ever sledge hockey team in the Far East. This sport is an analogue of ice hockey and is included in the program of the Winter Paralympic Games.

In May 2023, Sakhalin residents took first place in Division II of the V All-Russian adaptive hockey festival “Hockey Family Fest” in Sochi, where 63 youth teams from 39 regions of the country competed for victory.