Andrei Starovoytov

Andrei Vasilyevich Starovoytov was born in Smolensk, on 16 December 1915. He started playing ice hockey and bandy as a youth during the 1930s. He was a Smolensk regional champion in speed skating, before he moved to Moscow at age 21 to enter the football and hockey department of the Higher School of Coaches. He did not pursue coaching, but continued his studies at the State Central Institute of Physical Education. where he established himself as a tough player and strong skater, who played on the second line. He was a member of championship teams in 1948, 1949 and 1950, and scored 10 goals in 50 games at the Soviet championships. With CSKA Moscow, he played for coach Pavel Korotkov, and became a lifelong friend of team captain Vsevolod Bobrov. When Korotkov retired, Starovoytov declined an offer to became coach of the team, citing work commitments to the Lenin Military-Political Academy. Anatoly Tarasov became coach of the team, then cut Starovoytov one year later. ==Refereeing career==

Starovoytov later served as an ice hockey referee in the top tier of Soviet hockey from 1951 to 1969. He was the first Soviet hockey referee to work international games, and was chairman of the All-Union Board of Referees from 1955 to 1960. He officiated at the Ice Hockey World Championships eight times including, 1955, the 1956 Winter Olympics, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966. He was named one of the top ten referees in Soviet hockey in 12 different seasons. He was also a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) referee council from 1969 to 1986. ==Administration career==

In the 1960s, Starovoytov led efforts to establish the International Moscow Tournament, later known as the Izvestia Trophy and the Channel One Cup. He convinced the Communist Party of the Soviet Union that the competition was needed to prepare for the Ice Hockey World Championships, and to elevate Russia's influence in international hockey. Starovoytov agreed to the eight-game series feeling that his Soviet players would be able to defeat Canadian professionals from the National Hockey League. His confidence was evident from an interview with journalist Red Fisher, where Starovoytov believed his country could win all eight games. Canada prevailed with four wins and a draw in eight games, but he was not deterred in having another competition. During the 1974 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Starovoytov approached Canadian leaders Jack Devine and Gordon Juckes, regarding having another series. The 1974 Summit Series was agreed to be a six-games series versus professionals from the World Hockey Association, but was later extended to eight games. The Soviets won the rematch with four victories and three draws in eight games. ==Later life and honors==

In 1986, Starovoytov was made an honorary life member of the IIHF, and received the Olympic Order in 1986 for contributions to ice hockey. He died in Moscow on 23 March 1997, Starovoytov was posthumously inducted into the builder category of the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. The Kontinental Hockey League established the Andrei Starovoytov Award in 1997, also known as the "Golden Whistle" to recognize its referee of the year. In 2004, he was inducted into the Russian Hockey Hall of Fame. ==References==