Red Army Page #5

People who we know stopped

talking to us.

The sports facilities in the country,

nobody let me in.

You come there, the people know you,

they admire you.

They put their head down and said,

"No, Slava.

You cannot come and skate here.

"No, if we let you skate,

they are going to kill me."

Agents were placed

in their social circle

so we could know

the situation from within.

These people were just

pawns on a chess board.

When you sit at home and you know

some car is sitting down

near your entrance,

and they're going to follow you,

and they're going to try to listen. If you

meet someone, what do you talk about?

What's the worst they could do?

Anything.

Anything. If they try to put Slava

in prison, what do you think?

Did they do anything?

In Kiev.

In Kiev.

What happened?

What happened...

They tried to put Slava in a car

and take him to the police station.

They put the cuffs on him,

and cuffed him to the battery.

And they just beat him up

until four o'clock in the morning.

When they called Tikhonov,

and Tikhonov came and picked him up.

That's when we heard

when Tikhonov was screaming,

"Do anything, just put him in prison.

"Just don't let him out of the country."

If Slava will not be included on the team,

what will be your next move?

Most likely, we'll all refuse to participate

in the world championship.

You are three. Who else will join you?

There are others who will support us.

Krutov stood up for me,

with my teammates Makarov and Larionov.

Krutov has always been quiet.

When you see the situation get crucial,

he steps up.

And from him, when he said something,

it sounds different when you're not

talking all the time. It's very powerful.

Do you mind, kind of,

just telling the story?

It's very important

because it's a very personal...

It was that.

Slava was leaving.

I stayed to play.

It was a big surprise for me that

Alex Kasatonov didn't go

with the boys on TV.

You know, my best friend

said, "No, I'm not going."

So it was a big surprise.

It's a very long story.

Yeah, but you know...

It's the story of our country, I think.

He said publicly I wasn't

right to leave the team.

He took the position of

Coach Tikhonov in this situation.

That's the funniest part.

You were best friends. I mean,

I want to know, kind of... You know...

It's not the time.

Sorry.

To be continued.

Next question.

A special department was

created in the KGB.

Do you want to say anything?

Take your glasses off.

You can't even see me in dark glasses.

Come on, they are transparent.

I can see you well.

Look at the sun.

I just did. I looked.

I have sunglasses, too.

They are white.

Like this color white.

Continue.

Continue.

When did things start to go wrong?

Maybe it was

the incident with Mogilny.

Number 14 is Alexander Mogilny.

Many NHL scouts say

he is the best 19-year-old hockey player

in the world.

I asked Mogilny if he would consider

playing in the National Hockey League.

I'd like, but I suppose

that it's more interesting

to play in the Soviet Union.

All right, what if we offer you

a million dollars cash?

Then would you come and play in the NHL?

The Soviet team was over there

playing a tournament,

and they wake up one morning,

and Mogilny was gone.

His defection began with a phone call

to the managers

of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.

Were you in Sweden to bring him out?

No. What do you mean, was I

in Sweden to bring him out?

I was in Sweden to meet him,

at his request.

Mogilny was considered a traitor,

especially because he was

in the Soviet Army.

He escaped, as they say.

But it was kind of...

How do you say... Illegal.

Here, people enjoy life.

Everyone has their own home,

their own cars.

But that's not the point.

Here, people live for themselves.

And there, I lived like a homeless dog.

Why did the government care so much

if the hockey players defected?

Well...

It's difficult to speak

about hockey separately.

It wouldn't be like,

"Oh my God! Hockey players are leaving!"

The regime wouldn't put it like that.

One defection could lead to a wave.

This was a big threat to Soviet power.

Politically, every time

something like that happened,

it was used in the media,

so it was a victory for the West

and a loss for the Soviet Union.

Authorities in Soviet sports

and hockey authorities,

they realized that it's much better

for themselves, for the system,

to allow the players to go to the NHL

without the opportunity to escape,

just because it's damaged

the image of the country.

Then they start to negotiate.

They said, "Okay, it looks like the

high authority agreed to let you go.

"But you have to understand.

You'll make $1000 a month.

"Doesn't matter how much

is your contract.

"You're gonna bring money

back to the embassy."

I said, "No way. I'm not going.

"I mean, are you crazy?"

They said, "You crazy."

I said, "Okay."

They called me in a couple days

and said, "Slava,

"you got special permission

from the Politburo.

"Because you were so good for

hockey, for the national team,

"and you were captain,

we'll give you 10% of your salary.

"This is a special offer

made especially for you.

"Nobody has to know about the 10%."

I said, "No."

Then it was 20%.

Then it was 25%.

They called my mom. They called my wife.

They tried to scare them.

Momma said, "Son, the people called me.

They explained you got no chance.

"They'll not let you go.

They'll make something bad for you.

"You should not fight anymore."

And Igor Larionov signed

a deal and left.

The Russians are here.

Igor Larionov, center,

Vancouver, a playmaker.

The NHL is paying

the Soviet Union to allow Igor

and other Soviet veterans to play here.

Soviet players in the NHL

have to turn a large chunk

of their contract

over to their cash-starved country.

But to the Larionovs, it's worth it.

In Moscow, things were

completely different.

If they lost, he would not

be allowed to come home.

He was happy with a 50/50

split with the system.

Who, Igor?

Igor, and Sergei and Vladimir.

They was happy to split 50/50.

I said, "No."

And I was alone.

They said, "What do you want?"

I said, "I want my contract."

The problem is

that this defenseman's life

is controlled

by the Soviet Defense Ministry.

Fetisov is an officer in the army

and plays for its top team.

The team is cleared.

Tikhonov has cleared it.

And all they're waiting for

is the Minister of Defense.

Yazov. Dmitry Yazov.

The Minister of Defense.

The second most powerful man

in the country.

They called me

to the Ministry of Defense.

Tried to straighten me out.

They put my uniform on me.

It was a huge, huge office.

He said, "America? This is my enemy.

"No way you're going to America."

He said, "You don't wanna play?

"You're not gonna play

anymore, anywhere, anyhow."

Something clicked inside of me.

I have to do something.

I have to provoke some result

out of this visit.

Because I knew I'd never get back here.

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