Skip to main content

Tretiak, Rodnina light Sochi Olympics cauldron

Tretiak, Rodnina light Sochi Olympics cauldron

SOCHI, Russia (AP) Russian hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold medalist Irina Rodnina have lit the Olympic cauldron in Sochi, officially kicking off the two-week celebration of winter sport on the shores of the Black Sea.

Often called the greatest goaltender of all time by those who saw him play, Tretiak was the first Russian-born player to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Rodnina won three gold medals for the Soviet Union before moving to the United States in 1990 to work as a coach. She won 10 world pairs titles in a row with two different partners and has coached two Czech skaters to a world title.

The honor Thursday night capped a rollicking opening ceremony in Sochi's Olympic Park, which opened with a welcome ''to the center of the universe.''