My first game of this trip saw me watch the Red Army team of CSKA. I always think there is something extra special about going to games at the CSKA Ice Palace. Maybe it's the fact it's located in the middle of a huge Soviet Sporting complex, or perhaps it's the sheer amount of history that is around every corner.
Around the back of the Arena are a series of statues of famous CSKA personalities ranging from coaches Anatoli Tarasov and Viktor Tikhonov to players such as Valeri Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov.
Once inside the Arena, there is that instant Soviet feel to the place. Dynamo's VTB Arena might by larger and more modern, but it lacks the character and history that emanates from the walls of the Ice Palace.
There is a buffet located downstairs under the concourse which for some reason reminds me of my old High School, while built into the walls next to the entrance to the ice surface is a museum dedicated to the great players in CSKA's history. It reads like a who's who of Soviet Hockey
Vladislav Tretiak, the greatest goaltender to ever play the game, coaches Tarasov and Tikhonov again, plus goal scorers Vsevolod Bobrov, Vladimir Petrov, Kharlamov and Mikhailov.
Of course most of those players were well before my time but there were many names I grew up watching as a kid. Viacheslav Fetisov, Pavel Bure, and my personal favourite and current CSKA General Manager, Sergei Fedorov.
With me for this game was my good friend (and translator) Lena who was making her first visit to a hockey game in some time. Lena is a very intelligent person and her knowledge of her Soviet Hockey History had me astounded.
Given the early 5pm face off, it meant we hadn't had a chance to eat before the game. Lena, was soon onto that though, and after disappearing for some time, suddenly re-appeared from the buffet area carrying hot dogs and tea.
That was great, but as we burst through the doors into the Arena, the whole place stopped and turned their attention to us carrying the food in there. We both felt a bit uncomfortable but soon settled down to watch the game.
It wasn't the greatest of games to be fair, it was a scrappy game with chances at a premium. The teams were deadlocked at 0-0 until the 52nd minute, with goalies Ilya Sorokin and Dominik Furch in fine form. Avangard finally broke the deadlock on 51:56 when Maxim Pestunov beat Sorokin, following a defensive mistake by the hosts that gifted Avangard the easiest of goals.
CSKA, who had played so conservatively throughout, knew they now had to push to get something out of the contest and replied with a power play goal from Igor Ozhiganov to tie the game with three minutes left.
CSKA started overtime on the power play, but Avangard held out for 27 seconds of 4-on-3 play before Ilya Zubov got the winner following a slick interchange of passes with Denis Parshin. That goal combined the talents of two former CSKA men, while Alexander Popov, a long-serving Avangard man, tasted defeat on his first meeting with his former club.
Fyodor Kanareikin’s happy record of success against CSKA continued as his Avangard team snatched this overtime victory in Moscow. The veteran coach had a good record in his previous encounters with the Army Men, even when he was at the helm of Spartak, relative paupers compared with the wealth of CSKA. Once again he masterminded a victory in a tight game of few chances, and one both myself and Lena agreed Avangard deserved.
Monday, October 10, 2016 - Dynamo Moscow v Medvescak Zagreb 5-1
The VTB Ice Palace, is a modern day Arena that wouldn't look out of place in the NHL. It's new, shiny and with a 12,100 capacity hosts the Russian National Team games as well. It is everything CSKA's home isn't but for some reason it just lacks that overall Russian tradition.
Like the KHL, the VTB Ice Palace is trying to be like its NHL counterparts, full of glitz, glamour and entertainment, but at times it felt like you were going to watch a show, rather than the hockey being the main event.
That being said, I think the VTB Ice Palace attracts a lot of young fans to their games, and at 100 Roubles (£1.30), it's no wonder it is popular with students. There is something I like about Dynamo though, maybe it's the dark blue jersey's or perhaps their exciting team line up, but either way we got a first class performance from the home side. The only time I would watch a Moscow team win on this trip.
Lena had met me a couple of hours before the game to have a traditional Russian pre-game meal of Borscht. She too was impressed by Dynamo's home, but like me preferred the game at CSKA. One thing the VTB Ice Palace did have over their Red Army rivals however, was the better quality coffee. CSKA's was like coffee flavoured water, but Dynamo's was a whole lot better.
Alexander Kuznetsov scored his first goal for Dynamo as the Blue-and-Whites’ skated to a comfortable home win. The 24-year-old, who arrived at the organization earlier this season from Admiral Vladivostok, got his team’s second of the night just before the first intermission. That added to Martins Karsums opener, and early in the middle period Semyon Kokuyov made it 3-0.
Francis Pare got one back for Medvescak, but there was to be no big recovery after defenseman Andrei Mironov reinstated the three-goal cushion for the host to mark his first game as team captain. Daniil Tarasov added a fifth late on.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - CSKA Moscow v Jokerit Helsinki 3-6
According to the form table, this was a home banker. Jokerit had been struggling to find its game all season, while CSKA was imperious at the upper end of the Western Conference table despite two defeats in its last two games.
But the Finns pulled off a shock victory, recovering from a tough start to score four unanswered goals after the midway point and improve on a recent run of six defeats from seven games. Brian O’Neill was the catalyst for the win, scoring a hat-trick.
Initially everything seemed to be going to plan for the Army Men. Dmitry Kugryshev opened the scoring in the fifth minute and, after Charles Genoway equalized, Valery Nichushkin got his second goal since joining CSKA last month.
But then O’Neill got busy. The 28-year-old American tied the game at 2-2 just 17 seconds after Nichushkin’s strike, then gave Jokerit the lead for the first time three minutes later. Into the third stanza and Peteri Wirtanen extended the advantage before O’Neill completed his treble. CSKA responded, belatedly, with Kugryshev’s second of the night but Jokerit still had the last word. Debutant Antti Pihlstrom marked the occasion with a goal; the Finnish international’s previous club was CSKA.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - Dynamo v Slovan Bratislava 3-5
Tomas Kundratek led the way with two goals and Jonathan Cheechoo had three points as Slovan picked up its third win in a row to move within two points of the playoff spots. Dynamo, so impressive in a 5-1 victory over Medvescak last time out, made a bright start thanks to Artyom Fyodorov’s third-minute goal – but lost its grip on the game either side of the first intermission.
Slovan turned the game around in the last four minute of the opening stanza as Dynamo ran into penalty trouble. Goals from Kundratek and Marek Daloga, both assisted by Cheechoo, made it 2-1 to the visitor. Then Cheechoo scored himself 27 seconds into the middle period, leading to Blue-and-White goalie Alexander Yeryomenko returning to the bench in favor of Alexander Lazushin.
The host got one back through Semyon Kokuyov in the 28th minute, but Kundratek gave Slovan some breathing space with his second of the game. Then Alexander Kuznetsov and Ziga Jeglic traded markers either side of the second intermission. Dynamo continued to test Slovan’s goalie Barry Brust in the third period, but could not find a way back into the game.
Thursday, October 13, 2016 - Spartak v Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2-3
If CSKA is the team for historians, and Dynamo for the local students, Spartak are the team to take the family.
Playing in Dynamo's old Luzhniki Minor Arena, Spartak don't have the kind of financial budget their cross city rivals can boast about, but they do have a friendly working class feel about them.
The Luzhniki is located on the same sports complex to that of the National Football Stadium with who they share the same name, and with the construction work still going on to prepare the Stadium for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it meant accessing the Arena wasn't easy.
Last year fans were able to walk around the Stadium to get to the Stalinist Arena, but with efforts having been ramped up since 2015, a slight detour meant I was sent the long way around to get to Spartak's home.
That was all fair enough except I lost my bearings after the game and somehow missed the correct route I should have taken to get to Sportivnaya Metro Station. I knew something was wrong when it seemed like I had been walking for hours, and getting lost on a construction site, in the dark was not fun let me tell you. But thankfully my in-built sense of direction led me back to the Metro and just in time to meet Lena out of work.
That was after the game, but for now, I was enjoying my one and only visit to see Spartak on this trip. I will always admire and follow CSKA given the history they have but there is this inner need to support Spartak too. They are the working-class underdogs who had to stand in their rivals shadow throughout the Soviet League era and that endears them to me somewhat.
Last year I was on my way to watch Spartak for the first time, but there was engineering works on the Metro system, which had me at a loss as to how I could get to the game. Just when all hope seemed lost I noticed a Spartak fan on the platform, called Andrei. He helped show me the way to Sportivnaya via a series of Metro changes at various stations and even ordered my tickets for me. He was so amazed that I had travelled all the way from England to watch Hockey in Russia that he gave me a Spartak pin badge, with the distinct instructions that Spartak were now my team. Gestures like that go a long way and so how could I not like Spartak?
They also have the best Hockey Programmes I have seen anywhere in the World. That is no exaggeration either, I am yet to find a team in the NHL or indeed across Europe that puts together such a quality publication. I only wish I was more fluent in Russian to be able to read it.
The merchandise stands at the Luzhiniki are more impressive too. You can just about but any Spartak related souvenir, including old programmes from years ago and ones from recent road games too.
With this game being between two of the weaker teams in the league, it meant getting a reasonably priced ticket in a good seat was easy to come by. It also meant I could watch the pre-game practice pressed up against the plexi-glass with a perfect view, whilst quite literally being able to have a foot on the ice.
Sadly my appearance didn't help the team in Red and White, as Spartak’s struggles continued with a home defeat against lowly Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Kirill Semyonov was the star of the show, scoring twice as Kuznya wiped out Matthew Gilroy’s early goal for Spartak.
Amazingly the first period took just 28 minutes to complete, as there was very few stoppages in play. Metallurg kept possession of the puck for up to two minutes at a time and it meant just being able to accommodate the usual TV timeouts was proving difficult as the clock ticked down.
The middle period more than made up for that though, as we had a lengthy delay while Spartak's goalie had to repair his mask following a puck to the face.
Evgeny Solovyov also found the net for the visitors; while Ryan Stoa’s late goal against his former club could not salvage anything from the game for the hosts.
No comments:
Post a Comment