From an early age, Viktor Khatulev gave high hopes. Physically strong, with hockey-appropriate size and perfect skating, the hockey player made great strides and would become the leading player in the country. To understand the degree of talent and versatility of Khatulev, it is enough to know only one thing: Viktor, an offensive player, was soon transferred to the defense.

With the role change, completely new aspects of skill appeared in our hero and the power play was taken to the next level: the opponent’s forwards were often afraid to attack from the flank of the leading defender of Dinamo Riga – in this case, the risk of getting into the sea was too great. It all went to the fact that Viktor would become one of the strongest defenders outside the NHL and one of the best players in Latvian history. The talent of the Riga native was recognized even in North America: Khatulev became the first Soviet hockey player to be selected in the NHL draft – Philadelphia kept an eye on the defender and gave him a pick in the 9th round.

However, the regular violation of the regime and the lame discipline on the ice prevented Victor from realizing his potential one hundred percent. Khatulev not only abused alcohol, but also repeatedly left his hands outside the site: for fights in public places, the defender was banned several times for 5 years and 2 years, but because of Viktor’s talent and success on the ice, top management agreed to reduce the terms of penalties had to. In particular, after one of the scandalous episodes in which our hero was involved, Viktor Tikhonov had to personally mediate for him.

The scandal that ultimately destroyed the career of a talented defender occurred in January 1979. That day, local Dynamo and CSKA met in Riga. In one of the game moments, Khatulev clashed with Vladimir Vikulov, who quite provoked his opponent and tried to bring him to feelings. Our hero willingly fell into the cunning of the military and decided that it was time to work things out with the help of brute physical strength. Evaluating that meeting, Mikhail Galinovsky tried to stop the fight and wrapped his arms around the host’s angry player. He paid for it later: Khatulev, far from being in good shape, despite the lineman hanging over him, tried to shoot the criminal and accidentally hit the innocent Galinovsky right in the head.

“It was an accident. Khatulev tried to shoot the soldier Vladimir Vikulov. I was the lineman, I see the fight begin and I stood between them. And Khatulev is a great guy, his fists are bigger than my head. He was already thrown for a blow and could not stop. I figured out what to say. I fell to the ground. I slid onto the ice along Vikulov, who was behind me. It didn’t take long for him to get up. Later, Vikulov thanked me: “Misha, we’re dairy brothers. You saved me from death.” That match was watched on television by Leonid Brezhnev. And after the match they call me from Moscow – urgently return to the analysis of the match. There was a lawsuit in the State Sports Committee, and Khatulev was disqualified until the end of the season. Once we sat with him in Riga, he apologized. He says I don’t want to hit you, but Vikulov. He kept poking and poking me with his stick. — Galinovsky shared his version of events.

Given the criminal defender’s rich history of disqualifications and various penalties, it was decided to remove him from professional hockey for life. However, as in previous cases, this measure was rescinded and Khatulev was given a chance to return to big sport. However, he was never able to use it: after his return, our hero played another 20 matches and finally turned off his skates.

At the time of his departure from hockey, Victor was only 26 years old – his whole life is ahead of him. But he could not imagine how to build without a favorite thing. Based on this uncertainty, Khatulev again took the bottle and fell into depression, one after another changed jobs – first he worked as a taxi driver, then as a warehouse worker, and then he had to work as a carver in a cemetery. . The death of his wife in a car accident ended as one of the country’s most promising defenders – on October 7, 1994, his body was found on the street. Viktor Khatulev was only 39 years old when he died.