FeedWanna See Some KHL?
September 29, 2012 in International Hockey, Kontinental Hockey League, New Jersey Devils Tags: Ilya Kovalchuk, KHL, Kontinental Hockey League, St. Petersburg
My Russian stepson Denis Brel went to a KHL game a few days ago in St. Petersburg, and it just happened to be Ilya Kovalchuk’s first game at his new home rink after returning to his homeland due to the lockout. Denis says the rink holds 12,000 people, but 14,000 squeezed in, because to see Kovalchuk was a big thing on this night.
The video is 16 minutes long, and please don’t mind the semi-darkness at the beginning, which lasts about 55 seconds. Denis started filming as the lights weren’t quite turned on, and carries on from there. And once they’re on, we see the cheerleaders lined up and the players introduced, and then it’s on to game action.
I think it’s all very interesting, and the fans seem to be having fun. Home team SKA won 7-2 on this big night, but what surprises me is that Kovalchuk (#17 in blue) has been made captain of SKA, even though his season could last just weeks or a few months. So NHL players aren’t just taking jobs over there, they’re taking captaincies too.
Denis’ website, which he shares with his dad Anatoli, who is one of the leading hockey historians in all of Russia, (and I say that without hesitation), can be seen here. – Brels’sHockey
September 29th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Very interesting!
Hats off to Denis for sharing an inside look at the KHL.
September 30th, 2012 at 7:08 am
A fascinating look at how “Soviet Hockey” has changed since your last post re the ’72 series…a world of change over there, eh? No more Lusznicki Ice Palace and grey fans!
September 30th, 2012 at 8:45 am
So much change, Habsdoc. Everything is different. I read somewhere that Moscow has more billionaires than any city in the world. Yes, from 1972 to 2012, it’s amazing how different things are. Expensive cars, expensive bars, expensive hotels, latest fashions. Back then, Russia was one of the world’s great bargains. Everything was dirt cheap. Back then players made about 200 bucks a month. Now, in the KHL, the salaries are right up there with anywhere else. It’s all kind of sad, in a way. Although Russian citizens don’t feel quite that way. They’re happy to have caught up in most areas.
October 3rd, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Why don’t they use the cyrillic script on the back of the players jerseys?
October 3rd, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Hobo, about the names on their sweaters. Luci and I were wondering the same thing.