Path to the Summit: Anatoli Tarasov and the History of Soviet Hockey Part 1 (1946-1956)

Book Synopsis: The story goes that the Soviet Union first took up hockey on December 22, 1946. Nine years after that inauspicious beginning, they were both World and Olympic Champions; a meteoric rise that replicated the stunning performance of their athletes at the 1952 Summer Olympics.In every other sport, success was achieved by studying the West and vastly improving Soviet sports training. But in hockey, it was allegedly engineered with no previous exposure to the game, no help from outside sources, and due to the efforts of one man - Anatoli Tarasov. It makes for a wonderful tale, but it's pure myth.This trilogy explores the untold story behind the Soviet Union's journey to the 1972 Summit Series. In Part 1 we examine the detailed history the Soviets had with hockey before 1946, the internal struggles to establish the sport, the political battles that moulded its direction, and the extraordinary contribution Canada's Lloyd Percival made. With a clear link to the very first Soviet hockey season, Percival's theories would provide Anatoli Tarasov with the blueprint he needed to create his vision of total hockey.This is the Soviet Union's Path to the Summit.