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He shoots, he scores! He’s ... Vladimir Putin?

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Vladimir Putin started his third term as president of Russia on Monday, sworn in at a solemn ceremony in the Kremlin. Then he turned to his first order of business -- a hockey game.

Putin played Monday on a team of amateurs against a set of hockey legends, Russian media reported, scoring a goal and taking the first shot in the shootout after the two teams tied. He scored, and the amateur team ultimately won the televised game.

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There were hints, however, that the legends may have been laying off. ‘Opposition players often appeared reluctant to challenge the newly installed president,’ the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Putin, who spent the last four years as prime minister but is widely seen as having held power for a dozen years, has cultivated a macho image in Russia. He was once reported to have shot a tiger with a tranquilizer gun so it could be tracked by preservationists, a shot he was later accused of staging.

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-- Emily Alpert in Los Angeles

Video: Vladimir Putin scores during a shootout in a televised Monday hockey game. Credit: YouTube

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