Kharlamov remembered following Ovechkin feats

Marker No. 74 on the highway between St. Petersburg and Moscow doesn't look any different from any other in Russia; the same abyss of vegetable fields, the same birch groves and the same line of dandelions on the side of the road.

The only thing that makes it stand out is a small monument in the shape of an oversized granite puck and a metal stick. It reads: "Valeri Kharlamov. Here fell the Star of the Russian hockey." It was at this spot on Aug. 27, 1981, that an automobile crash killed one of the best to ever play the game. Kharlamov was 33 years old.

Kharlamov would have turned 68 today, Jan. 14, and although he's been gone 34 years, his memory lives on in the minds of the bevy of Russian-born players who have gone on to do what was unthinkable in Kharlamov's time: play in the NHL.

On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin, the captain of the Washington Capitals, became the first Russian to score 500 goals in the League. He passed Sergei Fedorov for most NHL goals by a Russian-born player when he scored No. 484 on Nov. 19.

Ovechkin was born four years after Kharlamov's death but is well aware of what Kharlamov meant to the legions of youngsters who laced up skates and grabbed sticks in the former Soviet Union, idolizing stars like Kharlamov, Vladimir Petrov, Boris Mikhailov, Vladislav Tretiak and the legendary Soviet Red Army squad.

"He was our best player back in the USSR, so he's huge," Ovechkin said. "He means everything for the game of hockey, but especially for us. As little kids growing up, we wanted to live up to Kharlamov, Petrov, (Valeri) Vasiliev, all those names."

Kharlamov was not a big man, standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 165 pounds, but he was recognized as a brilliant playmaker, mesmerizing skater and pivotal member of the imposing Soviet teams that dominated the international hockey landscape throughout the 1970s and won Olympic gold medals in 1972 and 1976 before being stunned by the United States' "Miracle on Ice" team at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

"Everybody in Russia knows who Kharlamov is and lot of young players want to be like him," Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk said. "He wasn't big, but he skated very well. He was very feisty and led by example. Everybody wanted to follow him."

Kharlamov, mostly playing left wing on a line with Petrov at center and Mikhailov at right wing, led CSKA Moscow to 11 national titles, scoring 293 goals and 507 points in 438 games. He starred in the seminal 1972 Summit Series, which pitted the Soviet national team against the best Canadian NHL players of the time.

Kharlamov had seven points in the bitterly contested series. In Game 6, he sustained a broken ankle after a stick foul by Canada's Bobby Clarke, then the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers. Kharlamov did not play in Game 7, which could have clinched the series for the Red Army, and hobbled through Game 8, which Canada won thanks to Paul Henderson's historic goal in the final minute.

"I watched the highlights of (the Summit Series) against the Canadians a few times," Chicago Blackhawks left wing and Calder Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin said. "Kharlamov had tremendous skating ability and he was smart. He was a very smart and courageous player."

In an indication of how Kharlamov may have competed in the NHL given the chance, he had 48 points in 40 games against North American competition. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.

Despite his success and reputation as one of the best players the Soviet Union produced, Kharlamov was star-crossed. He sustained serious injuries in a car accident in 1976 and missed the Canada Cup tournament, which was won by Canada, that same year. His injuries were thought to be career-ending, but he came back to play for the Red Army.

After the 1981 accident claimed the life of Kharlamov and his wife, tens of thousands lined up in front of the CSKA Palace of Sports to mourn Kharlamov and say their farewells.

To this day, Kharlamov is revered by a generation of Russian players who only know him through photos and grainy videos.

"Kharlamov is an idol for all Russian hockey players even if most of us never got to see him play," Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin said. "I remember watching his highlights and hearing stories. My dad used to tell me about how fantastic Kharlamov was when I was growing up. I wish I could have seen him in person."