1/8 Valeri Kharlamov was born on this date in 1948. He was killed in a car accident in Moscow in August, 1981.This is a thread about the great Valeri Kharlamov.

2/8 Kharlamov went from a relative unknown to admired/feared almost overnight during the '72 Summit Series. Ken Dryden on Khalarmov: With most players you saw them approaching & there was some comfort that everything was going to be OK. With Kharlamov you never had that feeling

3/8 Summit Series Team Canada coach and Bruins GM Harry Sinden said: He had the skill & ability of any player in the NHL at the time. He was our primary target. Every night it was, ‘who’s going to take care of that guy?’ He was dynamite.

4/8 He was dangerous every time he touched the puck. Canada's assistant coach John Ferguson told Bobby Clarke to "tap" Kharlamov's ankles. Watch Kharalmov break the CDN fore-checker's ankles, then watch Bobby Clarke break Kharlamov's - literally

5/8 He coud finesse the best defensicve players or stop on a dime and find the open man.

6/8 Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Serge Savard ranks him as one of the 5 best players of all-time.

7/8 He is a legend in Russia to this day. His number was retired by the national team and Ilya Kovalchuk wears 17 because of him and Evgeni Malkin wears 71 as a tribute. And this monument stands in Moscow in honour of him.

8/8 Teammate & fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Vladislav Tretiak: His talents were God-given. He could do practically everything: A smart play, a tricky pass, a precise shot. Everything he did looked so easy, so elegant. His execution of hockey was aesthetic & he amazed millions. RIP