Born in Moscow, Alexander Yakushev is best known as one of the stars for the Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series. His style of play was atypical of his colleagues who were fast and skilled; he was often described as the equivalent of Canada's Phil Esposito. Although often overshadowed by his famous teammate Valeri Kharlamov, by the end of the Summit Series, Yakushev led the Soviets in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists for 11 points. He has also played in numerous Olympic and World Championship tournaments, winning Olympic gold in 1972 and 1976 and having been crowned World Champion seven times.[1][2]