Vladimir Putin shows off decidedly mediocre hockey skills
Carsten Koall/Getty Images


What better way to blow off some steam while on the outs with most of the international community than hit the ice and play a little hockey?
Russian President Vladimir Putin got an opportunity to do just that at the very specifically named "All-Russia Festival of Amateur Teams of the Night Hockey League" today in Sochi. Wearing a jersey emblazoned with the number 11, Putin puttered around on the ice, missing several goals while his "NHL Stars" team, including such hockey greats as Vyacheslav Fetisov and Pavel Bure, tried to help him with some assists.
Hey, at least this time he wasn't trying to put his hockey helmet on backward.
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Yet in spite of the footage below, which shows Putin struggling to get past a very half-hearted goalie, state broadcaster The Voice of Russia announced afterward that Putin "netted six goals and five assists."
Alas, the president's team lost in a quarterfinal match against Finland, but he told the crowd afterward not to worry: "There are no winners or losers here. This is a friendly game."
Watch the slow-mo action, below. --Sarah Eberspacher
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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