In 2014, Vladimir Putin spent his birthday in Siberia. So when the Russian President turned 63 on Wednesday, he decided to do it big.
Putin's birthday party featured a hockey game in Sochi with former NHL stars Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Valeri Kamensky and Slava Fetisov (the guy who wants to ban young Russians from playing in the NHL). Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and tycoons Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rotenberg were on the side opposing Putin. Timchenko and Rotenberg were both give Western sanctions last year for their roles in Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Putin, who received a superstar ovation during the introductions, netted seven goals. His team won, 15-10, and Putin was given a trophy for his team's win and a medal for his contribution to hockey in Russia. In America, all kids get participation trophies. In Russia, Putin gets the trophy.
Putin dangles his way around defensemen and looks like a KHL All-Star.
Actually, as you can see in the video, the opposing team lets Putin line up shots and the crowd goes wild every time he scores a weak goal. Imagine being the goalie with Putin shooting on you on his birthday in front of an audience featuring his loyal supporters. Would you make the save?
According to the AP, in Moscow, "Putin's social media fan club held an exhibition of portraits of Putin as various real and fictional characters, including Che Guevara, Father Christmas, Jupiter and Buddha."
In Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, officials hosted a soccer game and unveiled a banner on the entire soccer pitch that read, "The best president. Happy birthday!"
Putin was also reportedly briefed by Shoigu on the Russian air force operation in Syria, but why would he care about that when he has a wrist shot to work on? How often do you get to play with Pavel Bure?
Remember, Putin had 11 points in a game just a year and a half ago.
This still does not beat Kim Jong Il's 11-hole-in-ones golf round.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
