69 years since the birth of Nikolai Drozdetsky

Nikolai Drozdetsky, a successful ice hockey player who notably became an Olympic champion, would have today turned 69.

He initially made his SKA debut in the 1974/1975 campaign, becoming an U18 European champion in the same season. Next year, he won the U20 World Championship with the USSR.

Drozdetsky moved to CSKA Moscow in 1979, going on to win the USSR Championship seven times and being named the country's best ice hockey player in 1984. At senior international level, he twice became a world champion, won the 1981 Canada Cup and the 1984 Olympic Games.