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Tarasenko, Newest Red Wings Player, Suffers Tragic Loss

Father dies suddenly at the age of 55

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2 months ago

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Vladimir Tarasenko, Red Wings
Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko's father Andrei has died at the age of 55.

When he was agreeing to terms recently on a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, forward Vladimir Tarasenko was especially delighted that the pact was for two years.

“We have a lot of things happening in our lives in the last year,” Tarasenko was explaining. “Last year was hard and it’s not only what’s happened in hockey.

“We are obviously very happy for a trust from our organization. Give us a deal and, you know, we can come and settle and just be together as a family.”

Family is very important in Tarasenko’s life and on Wednesday, he lost a vital cog in his family. Tarasenko’s father Andrei died suddenly in Russia at the age of 55.

Andrei Tarasenko was a prominent hockey player in Russia in the mid-1990s. He would win a bronze medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and also play for Russia in the 1995 World Cup of Hockey. the elder Tarasenko was working as a development coach with HC Sibir of the KHL at the time of his death.

“My first memory of this is from Olympic Games in 1994,” Vladimir Tarasenko wrote in an article for the Players’ Tribune. “He comes home, from Lillehammer, after the tournament, with a video. This tape has all of my dad’s games from the two weeks, plus the full closing ceremony.

“So, you know, I watch this. Rewind. Watch again. Rewind. Watch again. I can’t believe how hard he shoots. But what I remember most is the passing. I’m telling you, it’s insane. On (the) tape of (his) teammate every time. Pass, bang, on tape. Every time.”

Red Wings Tarasenko Had Mentor In Father

After his playing days, Andrei Tarasenko became his son’s coach. Vladimir gives much credit for his growth and development into an NHLer to his dad.

Like his son, Andrei Tarasenko was a clinical finisher on the ice. Andrei Tarasenko was MVP and leading scorer of the KHL in 1997-98.

“(Vladimir) grew up on my goals,” Andrei Tarasenko once explained to Russia’s Sport-Express. “In the morning before breakfast, he watched the disks.

“We watched, studied the spots from which to shoot. Yes, the speeds are not the same, of course. But the decisions and principles of the game remain.”

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