Displayed is a very rare, early 1980s Vladislav Tretiak game used goalie stick. Tretiak was born in the Soviet Union and, as a boy, he did not begin began playing goalie until he was 11 years old, when none of the other boys he knew had the courage or willingness to give the position a try. A natural athlete who had enjoyed playing many sports, Tretiak took to the position at once. He later began playing for CSKA Moscow (the Red Army Team). Tretiak played in the 1972 Olympics, and rose to international fame in the Summit Series in 1972 when his Soviet team played much better than expected and narrowly lost the series to Canada. Legend has it that when Canadian scouts saw Tretiak give up eight goals in a game prior to the Summit Series that they believed him to not be a very good goaltender because the scouts did not know that Tretiak was married the day before the scouts saw him play and Tretiak and most of his teammates had spent much of the previous night celebrating at the marriage reception. That was the last time that Tretiak was underestimated. During the 1976 Super Series, Tretiak held the Canadian National Team to a 3-3 tie despite his Soviet team being outshot 38-13. Tretiak won Olympic Gold Medals with the Soviets' 1976 and 1984 teams, and an Olympic Silver Medal with the USSR's 1980 team. As a player in the Soviet league, Tretiak played 16 seasons (1968-84). In 482 games, he gave up 1,158 goals for a 2.31 GAA. In 19 Olympic games, he gave up 33 goals for a 1.87 GAA. Tretiak is one of only six players named to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Centennial All-Star Team. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the first former Soviet player to be inducted. The very rare game used Tretiak stick, a Koho Pro Superflex model, shows good use. The stick is uncracked, with original tape on both the paddle and butt end. 'Tretiak" and "Made in Finland" are stamped on the shaft. Tretiak has signed the stick on the shaft, using a black marker. The game used Tretiak goalie stick provides a wonderful remembrance of one the best ice hockey goaltenders in world history.