Alexander Ragulin, 63, Dominant Russian Hockey Defenseman
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Legendary hockey defenseman Alexander Ragulin, who played for the dominant Soviet teams of the 1960s and 1970s and was a three-time member of Olympic champion teams, died last Wednesday, the Moscow sports club CSKA reported. No cause was given.
Ragulin played for CSKA Moscow for 11 years, starting in 1962,scoring 63 goals in 427 games and leading the club to nine Soviet national championships.
Nicknamed “Rags” by Canadians who played against him, Ragulin also won Olympic gold medals in 1964, 1968 and 1972.
“Aleksander Ragulin personified the Russian bear,” said Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said in a statement. “Ragulin was probably the most dominating international defenseman in the 60s.”