Nikolai Puchkov would have turned 86 years old today

Today, legendary SKA coach and goaltender Nikolai Puchkov would have turned 86 years old. He became an Olympic champion of 1956, and as a coach in 1971 he took SKA to the bronze medals of the USSR championship for the first time ever. With Nikolai, SKA made the USSR Cup final and twice won the Spengler Cup. He died in August 2005 in Saint Petersburg.

Every year a special memorial tournament is held in Nikolai's honour in Saint Petersburg, and there is a special hockey goaltender school named after him.