Soviet Union National Hockey Team, the 1950 Airplane Disaster, the Great Bobrov and Stalin's Secret: Aviation and Hockey-Part 4

The Airplane Crash:  Strong winds and heavy snow created a blinding snowstorm at the Koltsovo airport at Sverdlovsk, Russia on January 5^th, 1950.  The Soviet Air Force National Hockey team was on board a twin-engine airplane flying in for a game against the  Moscow Dynamo hockey club. On the approach to the runway the plane crashed killing all on board, including 11 players from the team.  Three players from the team were not on the flight. 

Vasiliy Stalin's National Secret:  The elite hockey team was directed by Vasiliy Stalin who was Joseph Stalin`s son. Vasiliy was Commander of the Air Force in the Moscow Military District in 1948.  It is reported that  the crash occurred just two and a half weeks after Joseph Stalin`s 70th birthday and that Vasiliy feared both his fathers reaction to the loss of their elite hockey team and a crash investigation. Presumably as the club director he had authorized the flight and feared the investigation of the plane flying in inclement weather. In an interesting footnote it is reported that Vasiliy was later dismissed  as Commander just two years after the 1950 aviation accident for allowing planes to fly in bad weather during a military parade he organized.  As a result, two Tupolev-4 bombers crashed. 

The Great Bobrov: Immediately after the tragedy, a new team was quickly assembled around star Vsevolod Bobrov and this replacement club simply carried on and was introduced as the Soviet Union Hockey team in the very next scheduled game.

Photo: IIHF Archives

Rather than publicize the disaster and honor the deceased pioneers of Soviet hockey, however, Kremlin officials merely assembled a replacement team built around survivor Vsevolod Bobrov, the legendary Soviet soccer and hockey player who had overslept and missed the ill-fated flight. *

The air disaster was not mentioned in the state-controlled media, the soviet government did not officially acknowledge the event and Joseph Stalin never knew it had happened. Bobrov went on to be one of the greatest Soviet hockey stars and pioneers of the game.


The photo shows Captain Vsevolod Bobrov (left) and Penticton Vee`s  George McAvoy  shaking hands after Canada won the championship 5-0 five years laer  in 1950. Centre: IIHF President Bunny Ahearne.

In memory of the crash victims a memorial was erected by family and friends near the common grave in Koltsovo, Russia.  Those who died in the accident truly were the pioneers of Soviet Ice Hockey and included: Ivan Novikov, Zdenek Zigmund, Yuri Tarasov, Garry Melups — goalkeeper, Robert Shulmanis, Yuri Zhiburtovich, Victor Isaev — second goalkeeper, Alexander Moiseev — forward, Galperin - team doctor, Galkin - team's masseur and Boris Bocharnikov - team's coach

We would like to add a picture of the team and the memorial.  If you know where we can get these pictures please contact us  at   justcdgroup@gmail.com  thanks!

Thanks to Franco at International Hockey Forums for these references:

*Soares, John (2007) Cold War, Hot Ice: International Ice Hockey, 1947-1980 in
Journal of Sport History, Vol 34, No. 2 Summer 2007 p. 210
To read click here:   Cold War, Hot Ice: International Ice Hockey, 1947-1980

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Sv...k_air_disaster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harijs_Mellups
http://russkiyhockey.wordpress.com/2...history-part1/