Although the Russian President’s love for hockey is no secret, his previous celebrations have been arguably more exotic.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin will celebrate his 63rd birthday on October 7 by playing hockey with well-known hockey players and participants of the Night Hockey League, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Mr. Putin then went out and played with Russia’s NHL Stars team of ice hockey veterans in a gala match against the current NHL team. U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with Putin later in the day.
The opposing team included tycoons Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rotenberg.
Putinmania even spread to Italy, where the luxury retailer Caviar unveiled a special edition of the iPhone 6S engraved with Putin’s head in gold for the president’s 63rd birthday.
Last month Putin teamed up with Russian stars Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.
The game was also broadcast live on Russian Television.
And they dovetail with Putin’s well-honed image as a lover of sports and derring-do.
On Tuesday, he signed a law reviving a Soviet-era fitness programme for young people called “Ready for Labour and Defence”.
When he’s not too busy leading one of the most powerful nations in the world, the mercurial Vladimir Putin is known for spending his free time in a variety of different ways. Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and its military intervention in that country’s eastern provinces led to economically crippling sanctions for Russian Federation.
In the video, you can see former New Jersey Devils defenseman Slava Fetisov eye the Russian President with a big encouraging smile on the bench, and cheer when Putin’s name get announced as the goal scorer. “Those who move forward and strive for victory will certainly achieve it”, he said.
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Two years ago the Kremlin’s chief doctor revealed that Putin distrusts medicines and instead keeps in good health by using traditional folk remedies such as tea with honey, massages and saunas.
