Russian Goalie Receives Gold Medal 10 Years Later
February 17, 2002 - 0:0
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Russian goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin finally has his gold medal from the 1992 Olympic ice hockey champions, a prize stolen 10 years ago by former Soviet Unio coach Viktor Tikhonov, AFP reported. Khabibulin revealed Friday that he was presented the replacement medal before Russia's practice session Thursday, ending a decade of frustration after his stint as a reserve goaltender for the commonwealth of independent states. "It feels great," Khabibulin said. "It has been 10 years. Finally I got it. Finally it's over. Now my focus is on getting another one." The 29-year-old national hockey league started that quest Friday by making 29 saves Friday to help Russia defeat Belarus 6-3 in a round-robin match that will help determine pairings for Wednesday's quarter-finals.