Vladislav Tretiak: How A Stick Of Gum Changed His Life

Genvieve Beauchemin of CTV is in Sochi and keeping a daily blog. She recently had a chance to talk with the greatest Russian hockey player of all time, Vladislav Tretiak.

What she found out is amazing. A simple gift of a stick of gum from a local hockey hero of his helped set Tretiak's hockey dreams.

Goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak told me a story today. As a child, he happened to meet a local hockey hero. The man gave him a piece of gum, just a regular stick of chewing gum. He says he was in awe. He took a tiny piece of gum everyday, making it last for over a week. He was savouring the chance encounter that he says helped shape his hockey dreams.

Furthermore, the encounter continues to shape how Tretiak handles himself with his endless legion of fans.

Tretiak says that’s why he patiently smiles, signs autographs, poses for photos as we try to take a short walk in Sochi. If anyone is inspired to pursue their own dreams, he says, then, he feels he is giving back like that hockey hero he met fifty years ago.

Here's the full story.