“You may choose anything in this world, my son. The one thing you cannot choose is your Motherland”... Have Vladislav Tretiak—or all those who have “dared” to betray their ancestral homeland, their parents’ land, their native Ukraine—ever heard or remembered these words by Vasyl Symonenko?
Unfortunately, sports have no shortage of “turncoats” who have forgotten their Ukrainian roots and support yet another war waged by the rashists against Ukraine. I will not write about all of them now, but instead mention the “famous,” “legendary” hockey player Vladislav Tretiak, who piss…ed away his greatness (add your own letter. What do you get?) through his silence and support for the attack by Russian terrorists on the homeland of the parents who brought him into this world.
He once had achievements such as these:
- three-time Olympic champion: 1972, 1976, 1984; silver medalist at the 1980 Winter Olympics;
- 10-time world champion: 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983; silver medalist at the World Championships in 1972 and 1976; bronze medalist in 1977;
- nine-time European champion: 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983; silver medalist at the European Championships in 1971, 1972 and 1976; bronze medalist in 1977;
- winner of the 1981 Canada Cup and participant in the 1976 Canada Cup;
- participant in the 1972 Summit Series, the 1974 Summit Series, and the 1976 Super Series;
- winner of the 1979 Challenge Cup;
- the first European hockey player inducted into the National Hockey League’s Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto;
- named the best hockey player of the 20th century by the International Ice Hockey Federation;
- Honored Master of Sport of the USSR;
- Vladislav Tretiak was named the USSR’s best hockey player five times, Europe’s best hockey player three times, and the best goaltender at the World Championships four times;
- 13-time USSR champion: 1970–1973, 1975, 1977–1984; silver medalist in the USSR championships in 1974 and 1976 with CSKA;
- winner of the USSR Cup in 1969 and 1973 and finalist in 1976;
- among the first inductees into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997;
- selected for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Centennial All-Star Team;
- member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Today, however, his “achievements” look like this:
- under sanctions imposed by all countries of the European Union since February 23, 2022;
- under UK sanctions since March 11, 2022;
- under United States sanctions since March 24, 2022;
- under Swiss sanctions since February 25, 2022;
- under Australian sanctions since May 4, 2022;
- under Japanese sanctions since April 12, 2022;
- under Ukrainian sanctions since September 7, 2022;
- under New Zealand sanctions since May 3, 2022;
- added to Canada’s sanctions list on February 24, 2023, as an “elite and close associate of the regime.”
The Chronology of Tretiak’s Transformation in Relation to Ukraine
1982. Sportyvna Hazeta published an interview with Vladislav Tretiak, an excerpt from which was reprinted in the newspaper Svoboda in the United States. Here is the passage about Ukraine: “Greetings...! I sincerely greet my fellow hockey players and athletes of brotherly Ukraine...! Over the course of my long sporting life, I have been fortunate enough to travel across... Siberia, the Far East, Central Asia. And everywhere I felt the warmth and goodwill of new friends, their passionate affection for us athletes. But I have a special attitude toward Ukraine. My parents come from Hlukhiv in the Sumy region, where my uncle Volodymyr Tretiak, an instructor at Rural Vocational School No. 1, still lives. Naturally, every meeting with my fellow countrymen becomes a celebration for me. It makes me want to play as well as possible, even though every season Kyiv’s Sokol causes us more and more trouble... I follow the successes of Ukrainian hockey with particular interest, I am proud of Sokol’s rise, and I believe that other strong and promising clubs from Kharkiv, Sievierodonetsk, and other Ukrainian cities will follow it onto the all-Union stage. Once again, greetings to my fellow countrymen... I wish you success and good health. Yours, Vladislav Tretiak.”
What a conscious embrace of his Ukrainian roots! In other words, 30 years after his birth—he was born in 1952—he clearly understood who he was and where he came from. So why, another 40 years later, in 2022, did Tretiak renounce Ukraine?
1990. In the newspaper Svoboda in the United States, I found the following piece: “Vladislav Tretiak—a ‘Little Russian’?”: “Recently, the famous goaltender of USSR hockey clubs and the Soviet national team Vladislav Tretiak visited Chicago, where he took part in training sessions for the goaltenders of the local Blackhawks club. As is known, Tretiak’s ancestors come from Ukraine, and Vladislav has always mentioned this. Unfortunately, as became clear during a conversation at the home of a sports-minded family, where Tretiak and his wife had been invited as guests, this famous hockey player firmly advocates for preserving the unity of sport in this last empire in the world. Over the years, the political instructors of the ‘elder brother’ managed to ‘brainwash’ this descendant of Cossack stock, cultivating in him the worldview of a loyal ‘Little Russian.’”
So this is how it turns out: Ukrainians invite him in, treat Tretiak with respect and hospitality, while he openly demonstrates contempt for his Ukrainian roots. Even then, we should have clearly understood that there are no “good Russians” and never will be. This remains important to understand today. Certain political opposition movements within the Russian diaspora are perceived by some Ukrainians as though Russians support us. But that is not true. No Russian is on Ukraine’s side.
This is how centuries of oppression of the Ukrainian people lead to unprecedented changes and transformations in self-identification. Incidentally, the Ukrainian family that hosted Tretiak in the United States was the Dakhnevsky family. I had the opportunity to interview Yar Dakhnevsky, a well-known athlete, for the Sporting Lineage project, where he spoke said about this meeting.
I quote an excerpt from Yar’s interview about his meeting with Tretiak: “We had the opportunity, through the Chicago hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks, to help him with the language, translating from Ukrainian—or at the time, from Russian—into English. My brother had studied Russian in the U.S. military. So he understood Russian perfectly well, as did I. The Blackhawks asked us to help for two weeks, not only with the language. He and his wife had come to America, and for two weeks we accompanied them to different events: sporting events, restaurants, sightseeing trips, and so on. So we invited him to dinner at our home. I thought it would be a nice dinner. We would talk about hockey. But my father had been against the Communists his entire life. Tretiak was an officer in the Russian army. So it became very heated—the discussion was more political than sporting. But it was very interesting. It was interesting walking around the city with him. We have a large Ukrainian community in Chicago. And we all live together in that Ukrainian neighborhood called Ukrainian Village. So we walked around with him and saw that people recognized him, spoke with him, and asked for autographs. It was therefore very interesting to host such a great athlete in our home.”
This is yet another confirmation that Ukrainians always treat a guest with respect. And if that guest also has Ukrainian roots, then they are practically family. In Tretiak’s case, however, everything turned against the trusting and courteous Ukrainians in the United States. The Dakhnevsky family helped Tretiak and his family in America, while he and his wife, I am convinced, repaid them in the way described above. It is regrettable, of course. But fate sometimes really does “joke” with us—or test us. Because when Tretiak returned to the USSR, an unexpected surprise awaited him.
2010. Here and below, the quotations were originally in Russian. But I do not want to write in that language, so I will translate them into our own dear, melodious Ukrainian. In the article “I Myself Am Half Khokhol, So I Always Worry About What Is Happening Between Our Countries,” changes are already visible, although they have not yet reached the point of complete absurdity. I quote: “Unfortunately, a moment came when different headlines began appearing in the Ukrainian press—for example, ‘Will War Break Out Between Russia and Ukraine?’ Ukrainian media began claiming that Russians saw the people of the neighboring country as enemies... Now the situation has changed for the better—and thank God. We are ready to be friends and always extend a helping hand. Everything should be done properly, on an equal basis—after all, I myself am half khokhol, so I always worry about what is happening between our two countries. My grandmother and grandfather are buried in Hlukhiv in the Sumy region—not far from the village where the current Ukrainian president was born and raised—and I have relatives there, so I have a personal interest in the matter and, I would add, I am a peace-loving person.”
2012. Another article about Tretiak, “My Grandfather and Grandmother Are Buried in Ukraine,” suggests that he had not yet been completely “zombified”: “It is a great pleasure for me to be here because I have Ukrainian roots. My grandfather and grandmother are buried in the city of Hlukhiv in the Sumy region. I am very happy that today I can convey greetings from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and all its fans. We have close friendly relations with the Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation, we cooperate well, and we will do everything possible to help Ukrainian hockey move forward.” Another interview was published under the headline “My Father Is from Ukraine.” At that point, he still remembered his Ukrainian lineage, Ukrainian hockey, and Ukraine itself. But very soon, everything would change.
Then came 2022, and everything changed dramatically. Tretiak completely forgot his Ukrainian roots. For him, only Russian sport and Putin’s regime exist. He is completely blind, mute, and deaf to the fact that in Ukraine, the rashists he supports are killing people!
Here are several examples of Tretiak’s cynicism: “‘They are bombing Ukraine—can you even comprehend that?’ ‘The operation that is currently under way will eventually end, and afterward ties will need to be restored. Today, unfortunately, I simply cannot comprehend what is happening. Politics has been mixed with sport. They took away both the World Junior Championship and the World Championship in St. Petersburg from us. I want to continue the work entrusted to me by Vladimir Putin.’” In other words, he understands and knows that Russia has once again attacked Ukraine, yet what concerns him is that Russia has been suspended from hockey. Not a single word of sympathy or protest against the aggressor’s actions. Putin’s clown.
Another blasphemous example of sycophancy toward Russia’s bloodthirsty regime: “Putin taught Russians how to do push-ups.” “In the 1990s, all our sports facilities were shut down. Young men came into the army and could not do push-ups... Thanks to Putin, everything came back. Today we have restored sport. And today we truly are a genuine sporting power! Yes, today we are going through a difficult path, but we will get through it and, I think, emerge even stronger.”
So there are Ukrainian sons who, when choosing their path, chose another homeland. In other words, they betrayed themselves, as Vladislav Tretiak did. “You may choose anything in this world, my son. The one thing you cannot choose is your Motherland.” Of course, this feeling is unknown to him. Respect to the Ukrainian community in the United States for its support of Ukraine, hospitality, and courtesy. But always remain vigilant: there are no “good Russians.” Explain this to other nations, because many people still do not understand and continue to engage with terrorists. For example, on July 1, 2026, hockey players from the United States traveled to Russia. They played a friendly—or rather, an exhibition—match there. The traitor Tretiak was there as well.
That is why it is very important for us Ukrainians to understand: if you know your history, you win!
Author: Oleksii Lyakh-Porodko
