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NHL notes: Ex-Soviet star dies
By
QMI AGENCY
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Former Soviet hockey stalwart Valery Vasilyev has died at the age of 62, the Russian ice hockey federation said Thursday.
Vasilyev, one of the top defencemen of his generation, won two Olympic gold medals and eight world championships with the Soviet Union during the 1970s and '80s, and also took part in the 1972 series against Canada. He was an eight-time all-star during a 13-year career in the Soviet league, playing mainly for Moscow Dynamo.
"Our hockey has suffered an irreplaceable loss," the federation said on its website.
Vasilyev's widow, Tatyana, said he had died from heart and kidney failure.
Vasilyev was the father-in-law of former NHLer Aleksey Zhamnov.
BRIEFLY
Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Nicklas Grossman missed practice Thursday and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury -- reportedly a concussion.
