Viktor Hatulev Soviet hockey player Date of Birth: 17.02.1955 Country: Russia

Biography of Viktor Khatulev

Viktor Khatulev, a Soviet ice hockey player, was a forward for the Dynamo Riga hockey club from 1973 to 1981. He achieved success as a member of the Soviet junior national ice hockey team, winning gold medals at the World Championships in 1974 and 1975. In 1975, at the age of 20, Khatulev became the first Soviet hockey player to be drafted into the NHL, selected by the Philadelphia Flyers. However, his career took a turn in 1981 when he was given a lifetime ban for striking the head referee while attempting to break up a fight between him and CSKA player Vladimir Vikulov. The incident occurred during a televised match, where Khatulev was seen receiving a penalty and preparing to serve his punishment in the penalty box. Just before reaching the penalty box, the assistant referee, Mikhail Lvovich Galinovsky, decided to intervene and grabbed Khatulev's sleeve, aggressively pulling him towards himself. This dramatic action by the assistant referee seemed to be intended for public display. Not stopping there, the referee proceeded to point his finger threateningly right in front of Khatulev's face, almost touching him. Khatulev listened for a few seconds, but when this public display of hysteria from the referee continued, he attempted to ignore the prolonged artistic solo and sit on the boards. However, the referee persisted and, gripping Khatulev's sleeve again, forcefully pulled it towards himself. In response to the referee's irrational behavior, Khatulev pushed him away. The footage clearly showed that there was no actual strike. It appears that someone in the ranks of officials may have wanted to stage a sensational punishment.