At 80, Russian Great-Grandmother Fired Up by Passion for Ice Hockey

When 80-year-old Valentina Fyodorova spotted a group of children skating across a fresh sheet of ice, she was determined to give it a try herself.

Valentina Fyodorova, 80, the captain of a senior women's hockey team, attends a training session in the village of Bereznik in Arkhangelsk region, Russia, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

BEREZNIK, Russia—When 80-year-old Valentina Fyodorova spotted a group of children skating across a fresh sheet of ice, she was determined to give it a try herself.

The former school principal was keen on keeping fit but had never shot a puck, let alone laced up a pair of skates.