Die Macht » cial growth, there has been speculatio

MOSCOW - Viktor Tikhonov, the Soviet hockey coach whose teams won three Olympic gold medals but fell to the United States in the Miracle on Ice, died after a long illness. He was 84.Russias Kontinental Hockey League said early Monday that Tikhonov died during the night. He had been receiving treatment at home for an undisclosed illness that had left him unable to walk in recent weeks.The entire global hockey community has lost a great coach, Vladislav Tretiak, who played goalie for Tikhonovs Soviet team and now heads the Russian Hockey Federation, told Russias R-Sport news agency.He devoted his entire life to hockey until the last second. Even when I was with him in hospital, we were discussing what needed to be done and how, in order to raise the Russian national team to the very highest level.Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Tikhonovs family, the Kremlin said. The Russian Sports Ministry called his death an irreplaceable loss for hockey fans worldwide.While a successful player, winning four Soviet titles as a defenceman, Tikhonov came into his own during 14 years in charge of the Soviet national team.Under Tikhonov, the Soviet Big Red Machine was a powerhouse, although it had to settle for the silver medal at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid after the stunning defeat to the United States.Tikhonovs teams went on to win Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988, and he took the post-Soviet Unified Team to another gold at the 1992 Games. He also led the Soviet team to eight world championship titles.An authoritarian leader with a taste for intense training sessions, Tikhonov used the Soviet political system to control his players and was known to cut star players from the team for international tournaments if he feared they might defect to the West.Tikhonovs funeral will take place Thursday with a memorial service at CSKA Moscow, the club he coached to 14 national championships, Russian media reported.Tikhonov remained an active coach until 2004, when he stepped down from the Russian national team aged 73 after an unsuccessful comeback. He continued to shape Russian hockey as part of the management of CSKA and the Russian Hockey Federation until this year.In recent years, Tikhonov provided guidance to his grandson, also named Viktor Tikhonov, a former player for the Phoenix Coyotes.On Monday, Viktor Tikhonov Jr. scored two goals and had an assist as his KHL team SKA St. Petersburg lost 5-3 to CSKA.Were in mourning, weve lost a great man, CSKA coach Dmitry Kvartalnov told local media.Tikhonovs only son Vasily, who spent three years as assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks, died last year in a fall at his Moscow apartment. Cleveland Browns Jerseys .FIFA said its appeals panel ruled the case not admissible.The former U.S. Attorney had objected to ethics judge Joachim Eckerts summary of the World Cup bid investigation, claiming numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of his work. Sione Takitaki Jersey . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. http://www.footballbrownsnflprostore.com/Youth-Greedy-Williams-Elite-Jersey/ . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Ozzie Newsome Youth Jersey . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. Austin Seibert Youth Jersey . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend.Last in the NBA in assists, the 4-7 Raptors are still searching for their offensive identity. With two high-volume scorers in Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan both struggling with their shots early in the season, Dwane Casey hopes to diversify his offence and find a way to movve the ball with more consistency.dddddddddddd In this weeks Raptors Report podcast, TSN 1050s Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson weigh in on the teams ailing offence and debate potential areas of improvement. Raptors Report: Ailing offence, ball movement concerns. ' ' '