Theokritos
Global Moderator
- Apr 6, 2010
- 12,541
- 4,938
Born in Moscow on December 11, 1922, Nikolai Ozerov grew up in a family of artistic leanings. His mother Nadezhda was a trained stage actress, his father Nikolai senior an opera singer at the near Bolshoi Theatre and his brother Yuri (*1921) went to become a film director. Their house in Moscow was a popular meeting place for musicians, actors, writers and artists. The Ozerovs hosted tea parties and home concerts.
Following the footsteps of his parents, Nikolai junior attended the State Institute of Theatre Arts to become a stage actor. Having graduated in 1946, he found employment at the Moscow Art Theatre where he stayed for more than 30 years.
His second passion was sport. A member of the sports club Spartak Moscow since his childhood, Nikolai Ozerov stood out as a talented tennis player. He had a strong forehand and a hard first serve. Never in the most athletic shape, he played an active game and relied on his good anticipation to avoid running around. At the age of 12 he won his first tournament and in 1940 he became tennis champion of the USSR in the mixed doubles category. Numerous titles followed. In 1944, Ozerov managed to become national champion in the singles category and doubles category and mixed doubles category. This triple feat would be repeated by him once more in 1953. Overall he won no fewer than 24 national championships in different categories.
Ozerov also played some soccer and bandy, albeit without much success. He did not play Canadian hockey, but his tennis doubles partner Zdenek Zikmund was one of the leading Soviet puck chasers of the early years. Zikmund tragically perished in the Sverdlovsk air crash (January 1950) that also killed Anatoli Tarasov's brother. Vsevolod Bobrov, on his part, only avoided the same fate because he overslept and missed the plane.
Nikolai Ozerov's third vocation brought him the greatest fame. In August 1950 he was asked to try out as sports commentator for the Soviet State Radio. He provided play-by-play comment for a soccer game and found favour with the audience. While still continuing his tennis career, Ozerov became a familiar voice on the airwaves. Commentary for television was added to his duties in the late 1950s. More eloquent and entertaining than the first Soviet TV commentator, retired weightlifter Yan Sparre, Ozerov gained great popularity. Over the following decades, he covered numerous World Cups of Soccer, World Ice Hockey Championships and Olympic Games. His background as the son of an opera singer showed: to warm up his voice before going on air, Ozerov sang arias from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky. Fascinated by the passion of Latin American soccer commentators but unwilling to simply copy them, he came up with a goal call that would turn into his trademark: "Go-o-l!", which he practiced for six months in order to get the tone right – loud, but not too loud.
Source: www.eg.ru/sport/1573002-pochemu-legendarnogo-kommentatora-nikolaya-ozerova-vygnali-s-televideniya
When it came to hockey, Ozerov preferred to call the game at ice level. This proved not to be without risk: one time he was hit and bruised by a stray puck and another time he took a flying stick to the head which left him bleeding. But as soon as he was bandaged, he continued his commentary as if nothing had happened.
During the Moscow leg of the 1972 Summit Series, Ozerov famously denounced the antics of Team Canada with the words: "This kind of hockey we don't need!" – but not before drawing criticism from the ranks of the Communist Party for being too complimentary towards the skill level of the Canadians. On other occasions he got himself into hot water by straying into politics while on air and by lamenting the poor quality of domestic hockey sticks. It didn't hurt his career though as he had fans high up the ladder of the political leadership.
At the peak of Ozerov's popularity in the 1970s, Sergei Lapin – the head of Soviet State Broadcasting – requested a weekly briefing on the latest hockey news from him. After their meeting each Saturday, Lapin would in turn report everything to Leonid Brezhnev, the hockey-avid leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union. Such was Nikolai Ozerov's fame that a historical figure like former foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov was star-struck to encounter him. Ozerov offered Molotov – by then politically sidelined but still a household name in Russia – a ride in his car, to which Molotov replied: "I will tell it at home and they won't believe me: I was driving with Nikolai Ozerov himself!"
Colleagues described Ozerov as friendly and supportive. He was willing to use his considerable influence for the benefit of others whenever possible. Despite his celebrity status, he was privately guarded – perhaps because he was a religious man, which was not in line with Soviet state ideology. He reportedly led a modest life, although he had a weakness for food which was the cause of his overweight and led to diabetes. Having married late, at the age of 47, he still had twins with his wife Margarita.
Nikolai Ozerov's decline came in the 1980s. Plagued by serious overweight, his restricted mobility made it more and more difficult for him to keep up the work. In the second half of the decade, he found himself removed from the coverage of the major tournaments. In 1988 he finally retired from sports commentary. In the following years he served the Spartak sports club in various capacities. With his idealistic attitude he tried to restore Spartak to its old glory – an endeavour that was stalled by insufficient funding. In 1996 Ozerov retired for good. The following year, an insect bite proved fatal for the now 74-years-old diabetic. Nikolai Ozerov passed away on June 2, 1997 in Moscow and was survived by his wife Margarita and his two children Nikolai and Nadezhda. In 2016 the IIHF posthumously honoured him with the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international ice hockey.
Posted on Behind the Boards (SIHR Blog)
Following the footsteps of his parents, Nikolai junior attended the State Institute of Theatre Arts to become a stage actor. Having graduated in 1946, he found employment at the Moscow Art Theatre where he stayed for more than 30 years.
His second passion was sport. A member of the sports club Spartak Moscow since his childhood, Nikolai Ozerov stood out as a talented tennis player. He had a strong forehand and a hard first serve. Never in the most athletic shape, he played an active game and relied on his good anticipation to avoid running around. At the age of 12 he won his first tournament and in 1940 he became tennis champion of the USSR in the mixed doubles category. Numerous titles followed. In 1944, Ozerov managed to become national champion in the singles category and doubles category and mixed doubles category. This triple feat would be repeated by him once more in 1953. Overall he won no fewer than 24 national championships in different categories.
Ozerov also played some soccer and bandy, albeit without much success. He did not play Canadian hockey, but his tennis doubles partner Zdenek Zikmund was one of the leading Soviet puck chasers of the early years. Zikmund tragically perished in the Sverdlovsk air crash (January 1950) that also killed Anatoli Tarasov's brother. Vsevolod Bobrov, on his part, only avoided the same fate because he overslept and missed the plane.
Nikolai Ozerov's third vocation brought him the greatest fame. In August 1950 he was asked to try out as sports commentator for the Soviet State Radio. He provided play-by-play comment for a soccer game and found favour with the audience. While still continuing his tennis career, Ozerov became a familiar voice on the airwaves. Commentary for television was added to his duties in the late 1950s. More eloquent and entertaining than the first Soviet TV commentator, retired weightlifter Yan Sparre, Ozerov gained great popularity. Over the following decades, he covered numerous World Cups of Soccer, World Ice Hockey Championships and Olympic Games. His background as the son of an opera singer showed: to warm up his voice before going on air, Ozerov sang arias from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky. Fascinated by the passion of Latin American soccer commentators but unwilling to simply copy them, he came up with a goal call that would turn into his trademark: "Go-o-l!", which he practiced for six months in order to get the tone right – loud, but not too loud.
Source: www.eg.ru/sport/1573002-pochemu-legendarnogo-kommentatora-nikolaya-ozerova-vygnali-s-televideniya
When it came to hockey, Ozerov preferred to call the game at ice level. This proved not to be without risk: one time he was hit and bruised by a stray puck and another time he took a flying stick to the head which left him bleeding. But as soon as he was bandaged, he continued his commentary as if nothing had happened.
During the Moscow leg of the 1972 Summit Series, Ozerov famously denounced the antics of Team Canada with the words: "This kind of hockey we don't need!" – but not before drawing criticism from the ranks of the Communist Party for being too complimentary towards the skill level of the Canadians. On other occasions he got himself into hot water by straying into politics while on air and by lamenting the poor quality of domestic hockey sticks. It didn't hurt his career though as he had fans high up the ladder of the political leadership.
At the peak of Ozerov's popularity in the 1970s, Sergei Lapin – the head of Soviet State Broadcasting – requested a weekly briefing on the latest hockey news from him. After their meeting each Saturday, Lapin would in turn report everything to Leonid Brezhnev, the hockey-avid leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union. Such was Nikolai Ozerov's fame that a historical figure like former foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov was star-struck to encounter him. Ozerov offered Molotov – by then politically sidelined but still a household name in Russia – a ride in his car, to which Molotov replied: "I will tell it at home and they won't believe me: I was driving with Nikolai Ozerov himself!"
Colleagues described Ozerov as friendly and supportive. He was willing to use his considerable influence for the benefit of others whenever possible. Despite his celebrity status, he was privately guarded – perhaps because he was a religious man, which was not in line with Soviet state ideology. He reportedly led a modest life, although he had a weakness for food which was the cause of his overweight and led to diabetes. Having married late, at the age of 47, he still had twins with his wife Margarita.
Nikolai Ozerov's decline came in the 1980s. Plagued by serious overweight, his restricted mobility made it more and more difficult for him to keep up the work. In the second half of the decade, he found himself removed from the coverage of the major tournaments. In 1988 he finally retired from sports commentary. In the following years he served the Spartak sports club in various capacities. With his idealistic attitude he tried to restore Spartak to its old glory – an endeavour that was stalled by insufficient funding. In 1996 Ozerov retired for good. The following year, an insect bite proved fatal for the now 74-years-old diabetic. Nikolai Ozerov passed away on June 2, 1997 in Moscow and was survived by his wife Margarita and his two children Nikolai and Nadezhda. In 2016 the IIHF posthumously honoured him with the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international ice hockey.
Posted on Behind the Boards (SIHR Blog)
Last edited:
