Minister of Sport Ruslan Khabibov: Best world goalkeeper is from Bashkiria

Today, on International Hockey Goalie Day, the Minister of Sport of Bashkiria, Ruslan Khabibov, spoke about the best goalkeeper in the world.

“It’s not difficult to guess. This is Andrey Vasilevsky, a graduate of Bashkir sports. He was recognized as the best hockey goalkeeper at the 2017 and 2019 world championships. It’s noteworthy that the athlete has two Stanley Cups, and he is the third winner of this award in the entire history of Russia,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.

The minister recalled that, as a young hockey player, Andrei Vasilevsky grew rapidly in his career. Playing in the Ufa youth team "Tolpar" and the national team, he received the status of the best newcomer of the season, semi-final and final of the playoffs, as well as second place in the "Salavat Yulaev" team at the Russian Championship and third place at the KHL Championship. In the NHL, Andrei Vasilevsky became the record holder for the number of victories in one playoff.

“Athletes like Andrey make a huge contribution to regional hockey development. The goalkeeper never forgets his roots - Bashkortostan, Ufa, and his native team, which gave him a ticket to big-time sports. And we, the republic's residents, are proud of the goalkeeper and rejoice at his success,” added Ruslan Khabibov.

He also recalled that last summer, the Head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, awarded Andrei Vasilevsky the Order of Salavat Yulaev, and his father, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR Andrei Vasilevsky Sr., with the Order of Merit for the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Author: Alfiya Agliullina