Vladimir Putin scores goal during Ice Hockey game Within minutes of his first appearance, the legends' defence seemed to magically vanish into thin air, allowing Mr Putin through to deftly slot the puck into the back of the net and equalise. Mr Putin then made an assist for a fellow hockey lover, well known Russian saxophonist Igor Butman, to make the score 5:4. The legends then equalised themselves. The referee then decreed that the match be decided by penalties and Mr Putin had the decisive shot, flicked the puck past the mountainous goaltender - who somehow avoided getting in the way of the softly-struck shot - and his team had won. The crowd roared, including Mr Berlusconi, who as pro-Kremlin NTV television pointed out was accompanied by a "blond female translator." Mr Putin, who proudly touts his prowess in tough-guy sports like judo, took up ice hockey only recently. He takes coaching from top ex-players and is believed to often play well after midnight. He once compared his skills to a "cow on ice." Mr Putin has said that when the first protests against his rule broke out in December, he was playing ice hockey.