Sergei Nailevich Gimaev is a hockey player, coach and commentator. Born in 1955 in the Byelorussian SSR. He was married and had two children. The son plays for the Vityaz hockey club, and the daughter first went in for figure skating, and later became a coach. Sergei Nailevich passed away in March 2017 on the ice during a game between hockey veterans, which was held in Tula. For several minutes, the doctors did everything possible to save Gimaev, but death came instantly. The cause of death was coronary heart disease caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.
Junior level career
Sergei Nailievich Gimaev grew up in a sports environment. He attended sections on basketball, football, and was also fond of gymnastics. When the guy was 11 years old, his parents insisted that he try his hand at hockey. At first, he did little. Only 4 years later he was able to get into the youth team of the Salavat Yulaev hockey club, in whose sports school he trained all these years. Over time, sport began to take an increasing place in the life of young Sergei. However, the guy is notdropped out of school. It wasn't until high school that he got a few B's.
After school, Sergei became a student at the Aviation Institute. Even before entering, he played for the youth team "Salavat Yulaev". After 4 years of study at the institute, he decided to take an academic leave, because he could not combine his studies and hockey performances. Because of the “academician” Gimaev was called to do military service.
Becoming a Soviet sports star
Gimaev did not stop playing hockey in the army either. During his service, he became a player for SKA from Kuibyshev, whose colors he defended for two years. An important role in Sergey's sports life was played by his coach Yuri Moiseev. He worked with his ward several times a day.
Successful performances by Sergei Nailievich Gimaev caused the coaching staff of Moscow CSKA to pay attention to the young soldier-hockey player. The capital's hockey club sent a telegram to SKA about the challenge of the athlete. This is how Gimaev's dream came true - he moved to the club for which he had been rooting since childhood.
Viktor Tikhonov became the new coach of Sergei Nailievich Gimaev. The specialist was famous for his training. The program consisted of a large number of strength exercises. CSKA hockey players lived at the base, which was located outside of Moscow. The team had only one day off. They were considered the day when they were all released after the match and allowed to start training at 11 am the next day.
During that period of time, CSKA dominatedhockey championship of the Soviet Union. As Sergei Nailievich Gimaev himself admitted, due to the large number of triumphs in the USSR championship, he could not say which of the victories was the most important and most valuable for him. However, the legend of Soviet hockey noted that the 1982/83 season occupied a special place, when his club suffered only one defeat in 44 matches.
End of career
In 1985, Sergei Gimaev became a player in the Leningrad SKA, whose colors he defended for one season. In 1986, the hockey player decided to hang up his skates. At the time of his retirement, he was 31 years old.
The athlete noted that he was pleased with the way his professional career had developed. He was able to play at the international level against such world hockey stars as Ruzicek, Esposito and Gretzky.
Post Career Jobs
At 31, life was just beginning. Sergei Nailevich Gimaev decided not to leave hockey for good and received a coaching license. For 14 years he was a coach and director of the hockey sports school at the CSKA club, and also played for the team of USSR veterans.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Gimaev became a commentator on Russian TV channels. He covered hockey games and also worked as a pundit for various hockey studios.
Achievements
Sergei Nailevich Gimaev was an eight-time champion of the Soviet Union. He won all the titles playing for CSKA Moscow from 1978 to 1985. During this period, the army team was able to become28-time champions of the USSR. The teams competed with two other clubs from Moscow: Dynamo and Spartak. After Gimaev left the team, CSKA managed to win the championship four more times.
Also, Sergei Nailievich was a two-time winner of the USSR Cup. For the first time, the defender raised the cup over his head in 1977, when the army team beat Dynamo Moscow in the final match. The second time Gimaev brought home the cup two years later. This time, the team of Sergey Nailievich met with Dynamo in the semifinal stage. And in the decisive match, she was opposed by Spartak, which was defeated with a score of 9-5.
Also, Gimaev was included in the list of the best defenders of the championships of the Soviet Union three times. In 2003 he was awarded the Order of Honor. During his career as a player, Nailevich scored 45 goals, which is still considered an excellent indicator for a defender. In one of the seasons, Sergey Gimaev was able to score 11 goals against his opponents.
