Alexander Zybin: Celebrating 65 Years of Dedication

As Alexander Viktorovich Zybin often says, “No one ever played worse because of hard work.” Indeed, it was his relentless dedication, not merely innate talent, that forged him into a quality player.

Coaching, a profession with no safety net, has shown him much over a quarter-century. This past spring, for instance, Zybin had to step down from his post mid-series during the Women`s Hockey League (WHL) final after his Dynamo-Neva team suffered three consecutive losses to Agidel Ufa. Despite this drastic measure, it didn`t alter the outcome – the defending champions lost the fourth game and the series. This recent setback overshadows the praise he received just a year prior for leading St. Petersburg to its first-ever women`s hockey gold, a convincing victory in the final series, and his overall contribution to the sport`s development, which he has dedicated himself to for nearly a decade, albeit with interruptions.

Notably, Zybin was appointed head coach of the national junior team in 2017, a year after he began working in women`s hockey. This appointment before a home Junior World Championship underscored the high regard and respect he commanded. However, the situation with that generation was challenging; while talented players were plentiful, nearly half were already competing overseas in junior leagues. Uniting them into a cohesive unit would have been a formidable task for anyone, regardless of expertise. Despite hopes pinned on playing in their native Ural region (Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk), the team, while performing reasonably well overall, ultimately fell to junior hockey powerhouses, the USA, in the quarterfinals. The score was decisive, but the game wasn`t hopeless, especially before the third period. This event, though years ago, remains memorable, and Alexander Viktorovich, I`m sure, recalls all his successes and setbacks, including the one in Chelyabinsk.

He made his debut for the main CSKA team against Traktor Chelyabinsk, skating on a line with future legends like Vladimir Krutov and Igor Funikov. CSKA had already secured the championship early, allowing them to field younger players. These rookies managed to score once, though the visitors still won the game. At that time, young Sasha Zybin could hardly have dreamed he would win gold medals with his home team year after year, without interruption, until he was eventually forced to leave the club. He would become one of the most decorated players in domestic hockey, considering his national championship titles and European Cup victories.

Some might dismiss this as a minor achievement – simply playing for the world`s most stacked club and collecting trophies each spring. But what did it truly mean to “just play” for CSKA during the era of Viktor Tikhonov? What did “simply collecting awards” entail? Viktor Vasilyevich kept no one on the team out of charity – neither famed veterans nor promising youngsters for future prospects. Everyone had to work incredibly hard, proving their right to play for CSKA every single day. Young Sasha Zybin earned his spot on the main roster not through connections but because the team needed him, and later, indispensable him, for nearly a decade. That speaks volumes about his character and value.

As for not being among the absolute top stars… Who could possibly take center stage alongside players like Kharlamov, Mikhailov, Petrov, Zhluktov, Kapustin, Balderis (during Zybin`s early years at CSKA), and from the early 80s, Makarov, Krutov, and Larionov? Who in the country, or even the world, could genuinely claim to be “better”? This was the company young Sasha Zybin started in. Nevertheless, Valery Kharlamov, observing Zybin diligently practice one-on-one moves, recognized his effort, remarking, “This guy will play.”

…This young man joined the CSKA school at age five, passing the first serious selection process. He was fortunate to train under the legendary Yuri Chebarin, with Valery Stelmakhov later taking over. The star in that age group was undoubtedly Krutov, but players like Sasha Zybin, who continued their ascent, were not exceptionally numerous, but not few either. However, Zybin proved to be perhaps the most persistent. This is why, when listing famous graduates of the army hockey school born in 1960, Zybin is usually mentioned immediately after Krutov, somewhere alongside goaltender Dmitry Saprykin.

He stayed the course thanks largely to his father. Viktor Zybin didn`t ask for favors for his son – he supported him, driving the young boy to morning and evening practices, instilling faith when things were tough, and posing direct, tough questions during critical moments when his son truly wanted to give up. He owes his father no less than he owes his coaches from the army school and CSKA, especially Yuri Moiseev. Moiseev worked intensely, strictly, and daily with the young players, particularly those not selected for the national team. And then there was Kharlamov, a genuinely kind person whose support was especially invaluable in the early days. The genius sincerely and selflessly mentored the young players. Zybin often recalls how Kharlamov gave him his sticks, twelve of them at once, much to the chagrin of the team administrator, who wasn`t particularly fond of the youth players.

In youth and junior teams, Sasha Zybin played as a center (he moved to the wing in the senior CSKA team), and Vladimir Krutov felt comfortable playing with him. They attended school in different shifts. One time, CSKA was losing badly, and Krutov remarked that when “Zyba” arrived after school, they would win. Zybin did arrive after school, and they indeed won. He absorbed team-oriented, combinational hockey, trained primarily to see his partners, and Zybin saw them well. He had scoring talent, but he wasn`t one to hog the puck, prioritizing setting up his teammates. And what teammates he had, each more brilliant than the last, if one can put it that way. Zybin had the chance to play with the great Vladimir Petrov, skated with Viktor Zhluktov, and even filled in for his hockey schoolmate Krutov in the most legendary line in domestic hockey with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov – all signs pointed to Viktor Tikhonov having serious plans for Zybin.

…After the victory at the 1980 World Junior Championship in Finland, where Krutov and Larionov shone under coach Yuri Morozov, Sasha Zybin`s stock rose. There was a moment when he could have solidified a place on the main national team, but a meniscus injury struck at the worst possible time (his skate caught a crack in the ice), forcing him out of the extended roster for the Izvestia Prize tournament. From the third or even fourth line, dreaming of the national team was unrealistic, and Zybin himself understood his chances were slim.

Nevertheless, he found joy in hockey, playing reliably and effectively on a line with Mikhail Vasilyev and Alexander Gerasimov, without complaining about limited ice time. He was called up to the second national team and invited to join other clubs. Early in his career, he was initially slated to join Spartak, where he might have had more opportunities for a leadership role – but Tikhonov persuaded Zybin`s parents that their son should remain at CSKA. However, once in the golden cage, leaving wasn`t easy. When Tikhonov began benching the veteran Zybin for extended periods during the 1988 Olympic season, believing his time had passed, Viktor Vasilyevich still didn`t want to release him to either Dynamo (coached by Moiseev at the time) or Spartak – he preferred not to strengthen rivals. Yet, Zybin could have been immensely useful to Tikhonov two or three years later, when the maestro was left with a “kindergarten” roster. But what`s done is done – he was only allowed to move to Yaroslavl, where he and Vasilyev rediscovered their game.

But the times were different. Amidst stints abroad, he had a successful season with SKA St. Petersburg in 1992-93, but Boris Petrovich Mikhailov did not select him for the 1993 World Championship – thus missing his second, and final, chance to play for the national team. A significant part of his playing career remained, but the style of hockey Zybin played at CSKA could not be replicated. However, he honestly played his final two seasons for the new CSKA, completing a career that spanned over two decades. He retired right at the turn of the century, seamlessly transitioning to the coaching bench.

Much of his coaching perspective and methods were shaped by working as an assistant to Sergey Nikolaev – first at Kristall Saratov, then Salavat Yulaev, and Sibir Novosibirsk. At Kristall, the 40-year-old Zybin even temporarily took over as head coach while “Seich” was recovering. They formed a promising tandem, and Zybin recounted that their departures from clubs were due to non-hockey reasons. Alexander Viktorovich filled a five-year gap at a crucial stage by working at the Olimpiets hockey school in Balashikha, treating his work with youngsters with the same seriousness, thoroughness, and demanding approach as he did with senior clubs.

Yes, he didn`t always make it to the absolute forefront – neither as a player nor as a coach. But few do. The foundation of the sport is built by individuals like Zybin, who spent his life somewhat in the background.

Despite being an eight-time USSR champion – a feat very, very few can boast. He, however, doesn`t boast – he wasn`t raised that way.