Vsevolod Kukushkin
[3] His father, a writer of Soviet literature under the pseudonym Vladimir Nikolaev,[1] urged his son to study mechanical engineering in case a journalism career failed.[1][2] Due to his knowledge of English, he traveled with the Soviet Union national ice hockey team as both a reporter and translator.He was present at the 1972 Izvestia Cup when Alan Eagleson and John Ziegler Jr. made the suggestions to Andrey Starovoytov, the general secretary of the Soviet Union Ice Hockey Federation.[6] Kukushkin authored books on the Canada Cup tournaments, and Soviet national team coach Viktor Tikhonov.[12] Kukushkin and Ice Hockey Federation of Russia president Vladislav Tretiak participated in discussions with NHL representatives Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr, for a potential 2007 revival of the Summit Series.He commented that the event was profit-driven by ticket sales and broadcasting rights, but noted that Russian players wanted to participate for pride rather than just money.[5] He felt the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash would deter players from the KHL, stating it was "a horrible blow and a colossal loss for the league", and suggested more diligence by teams in chartering flights.