MOSCOW – The legendary Russian hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov, whose teams won three Olympic gold medals, has died after an undisclosed long illness. He was 84.
Russia's Kontinental Hockey League said early Monday that Tikhonov died overnight. He had been receiving treatment at home for an illness that had left him unable to walk in recent weeks.
Under Tikhonov's leadership, the Soviet "Big Red Machine" was overwhelmingly dominant, although at the 1980 Olympics it could manage only silver after the "Miracle on Ice" defeat to the United States.
Tikhonov's Soviets won 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 gold medals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has "expressed condolences" to Tikhonov's family, the Kremlin said.
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