Russian president Vladimir Putin scored at least eight goals in an exhibition ice hockey game with former National Hockey League players at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome, then took a face-first spill while waving to the crowd during a post-game victory lap.
The 66-year-old leader, who appeared fine after the tumble, had taken the ice on Friday night in what has become an annual tradition. He played on the Legends team alongside Russian hockey stars such as Hall of Famers Slava Fetisov and Pavel Bure.
Both the Associated Press and Reuters reported that Putin fired in eight goals during the match, while the official Kremlin release indicates he scored 10 times in a 14-7 victory. His teammate, defense minister Sergei Shoigu, added three goals by all accounts.
ABC News
(@ABC)Russian President Vladimir Putin took a fall as he waved to the crowd during an ice-hockey game in Sochi. He scored eight goals during the exhibition match in what has become a yearly tradition. https://t.co/x0mN62qQoY pic.twitter.com/l6XCRrwsIB
Putin, whose approval ratings have slipped in recent years as Russia battles economic woes, periodically plays hockey with government officials, businessmen and former NHL stars in matches that are broadcast with pomp on national television.
Playing at center forward in his traditional No11 shirt, Putin was provided with plenty of scoring opportunities by his linemates and was met with little resistance by the opposing team’s defense.
After opening the scoring unassisted by beating the goaltender only two minutes into the game, the president added either seven (or nine) more goals, making him the top scorer.
The offensive outburst offered compelling proof that reports of Putin’s fading nose for the net have been greatly exaggerated. The president had scored only five goals in last year’s game, down from seven the year prior and eight in 2015.
The opposing team was made up of high-profile amateur players, including Putin‘s childhood friend, tycoon Gennady Timchenko, billionaire Vladimir Potanin and several Russian governors.
It marked Putin’s seventh straight appearance in the gala exhibition for Russia’s Night Hockey League, the 45-and-older amateur league which he established in 2011. He’s scored 36 (or 38) goals in those matches, an average of more than five per game.