Tragic news came from Magnitogorsk this morning. The legendary coach Viktor Korolev passed away the day before, without whom it was difficult to imagine Metallurg in the 1990s. The champion team, which tore and tore both in Russia and abroad, has always been distinguished by its well-coordinated coaching staff. It was the Belousov-Korolev tandem that led an unforgettable, star-studded team at the beginning of the century, which twice won Russian and European gold, not to mention many other trophies.
Viktor Valentinovich spent almost his entire coaching career in the Magnitogorsk Club system. From 1991 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2010 he was a member of the Metallurg coaching staff, and from 1993 to 1997 he worked as the head coach of Metallurg-2.
As a coach of the master’s team, he became twice Euroleague champion (1999, 2000), twice Russian champion (1999, 2001), European Super Cup winner (2000), Russian Cup winner (1998), twice silver (1998, 2004) and three times bronze (2000, 2002, 2006) winner of the national championship.
“Viktor Valentinovich has always been a decent, kind and professional person. He worked with Postnikov and then with Belousov. Korolev, as an assistant, perfectly complemented the head coach, conscientiously fulfilling the duties assigned to him.
Victor Korolev
Photo: Roman Kruchinin, foto.khl.ru
“I remember very well how the trio of champions Belousov, Korolev and Sukhov worked. They won Russian and European gold with Metallurg, and Sukhov still works in our club’s system,” said coach-operator Alexey Mishukov, who for many years served as the team’s press attaché. “I haven’t changed many clubs. He served in the army on the force, in the same unit as Viktor Sukhov. In Kazan he spent two years in the first league, then 10 years in Traktor and 20 years in Magnitogorsk. Perhaps it was influenced by the fact that Magnitka is not far from Chelyabinsk, you can always return home. At first I did exactly that: after the games I left by car. Gradually his family moved, his children got married, and his grandchildren are already growing up,” Korolev said with nostalgia in one of his interviews.
How Andrei Tarasenko, another wonderful assistant, passed away:
It’s hard to believe. Siberian legend Andrei Tarasenko has passed away
The former famous goalkeeper of Chelyabinsk Traktor in the 1980s, Viktor Korolev, who later became a coach, occupied a niche in which he felt excellent and brought maximum benefit to the team. Here the recently deceased assistant coach of Sibir, Andrei Tarasenko, immediately comes to mind. A man who did not want to work as a head coach, since working as an assistant was exactly what he did best. Why run away from efficiency?
A similar situation happened with Korolev. Working with such masters as Postnikov and Belousov inspired and gave Viktor Valentinovich additional strength and energy. All this was passed on to the rest of the team, including the hockey players. And, of course, this is also why the positive result appeared.
Viktor Korolev died at the age of 67 and the cause of death was a heart attack.
We extend our deepest condolences to the coach’s family, friends and relatives, as well as to all hockey fans.
