Born in Russia, but defended the honor of Ukraine, stole watermelons, drank vodka before matches. The story of Yuri Shundrov

Unusual sports path. The childhood of Yuri Shundrov was very saturated. In it there was a place not only for sports, but also to various youthful fun. For example, the future goalkeeper often stole watermelons from railway cars. His parents bought an apartment exactly near the railway tracks, where wagons with various fruits stopped for several days. As the hero himself said, the protection of these compositions was “frivolous”, so it was not difficult for him with his friends to drag the watermelons with him. Sometimes Yuri was indulgent and not children's things: for example, he and friends loved to drink wine on a bench in one of the yards. It is possible that in the future the young man could do more dangerous things, but from the crime he saved the sport. When Shundrov only came to hockey, he was tuned into an attack. Small, nimble, rides well. Which coach will refuse such a striker? Especially in childhood, when the dimensions did not play a big role. However, the boy himself was more seduced by the opportunity to become a goalkeeper. Therefore, very soon he got into the goal. And he did not leave them for the next two decades. The professional career of the hero of this text began in the Penza Dieselist from the second league. Already at the age of 17 he was recognized as the best player of the season. In parallel, Yuri sought great success at the international level – at first he became the winner of the Junior European Championship, and then won the youth world championship. A very solid set of achievements. In 1978, Shundrov felt that he was ready for new feats. And he moved to the Kyiv “Falcon”, in which he spent the next 12 seasons. The goalkeeper did not even consider the top clubs of the USSR championship, since the main thing for him was the opportunity to get a constant game practice. “I was not called in CSKA. Their breeder Shagas said: “Why do we need you? Sit? We have a Tretyak. You play – and play yourself. You will be on the sight in the national team. ” And in Dynamo they called, but not very persistent. And then no one went from the Falcon then. They only expelled from the Falcon. I was not going to. There was a “chocolate”. In a three -room apartment lived. I bought three cars in four years, ”said Yuri.VideoIn Kyiv, Shundrov managed to become a favorite of the public. The fans of the Falcon even had a special chant, the meaning of which was that their goalkeeper is stronger than Tretyak. For such support, Yuri paid an inspired game. And he helped his team in the 1984/85 season take bronze of the USSR championship. At the junior and youth level, Shundrov was part of the National team, but over time, everything changed. In Grand Hockey, Yuri more often entered the ice as part of the second team, in which he spent more than a dozen matches. And after the collapse of the USSR, the goalkeeper became the first number of the Ukrainian national team. The hero of this text could well end his career ahead of time due to a huge number of injuries. The most offensive is that the most serious damage in Yuri's career did not happen during official matches. For example, once, when the goalkeeper remained in reserve for one of the games, the puck flew right in his face and broke the bridge of his nose. “In 1988, when I was not included in the USSR national team to speak at the Olympics, I received a severe injury. I then came from Moscow to Kyiv in frustrated feelings, and the head coach of the Falcon Anatoly Bogdanov invited me to take a break from the road, skip a duel from CSKA. I am sitting on a bench without a helmet and thinking about something of my own, watching the game out of the corner of my eye. Suddenly I see peripheral vision, as Dmitry Khristich leaves the zone and throws the puck overboard. I look – the rubber disk flies much higher, instinctively exhibit a “trap” and wait for the puck in it. But she is still not and not. Well, I think I flew by. I lower the glove, and the puck was given … As a result, a fracture of the nose, which can be considered a trifle, retina went away and something exploded in the eye. I am not an ophthalmologist and I can’t call an accurate diagnosis now, but the experts said that I was terribly lucky: the puck passed millimeters from the “yellow spot”. If I touched him, I would no longer see this eye. So I went straight from Moscow to the hospital. And once the puck barely the temporal bone passed. This happened about 20 years ago at a warm -up before a match in Moscow with the Wings of the Soviets. His player, Vadim Siberka, threw a lot and fell into his head … He did not help out and a helmet. A fracture with a displacement – a piece of bone simply failed inside. It’s good that Dr. Leman was nearby and provided first aid – he took him out, ”the goalkeeper said.VideoIt is no secret that many Soviet hockey players neglected the sports regime and often indulged in cigarettes or alcohol. Shundrov was no exception in this matter. He could smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. And 12 hours before the official match, the Ukrainian goalkeeper often used up to 500 grams of vodka. Moreover, the guard of the Gate of the Falcon himself admitted that after such preparation his team won more than losing. After 27 seasons at the highest level, Yuri became a living legend of the Kyiv Falcon, where he spent a total of 16 years. The last match, the goalkeeper played at 43, thereby setting the record. Later, only Dominic Hashka, who came to Spartak, who came to Spartak, was able to block this achievement. The goalkeeper does not have the right to serve the number on the ice. And it became difficult for me to mobilize for matches, and therefore hung skates on a nail. I think it was necessary to finish earlier. I do not advise anyone to play up to 44, ”our hero admitted. At the end of his career, the winner of the USSR championship became a very high -quality goalkeeper coach. Yuri Shundrov worked in the national team of Ukraine, Magnitogorsk Metallurg, CSKA and Sochi. He would probably continue the coaching career if not for the tragedy. On July 27, 2018, the hockey player died of heart failure.