“We saw firsthand how high the level is”: what the president of IIHF and the mayor of Davos said about the match KHL World Games

“Good ice not only in whiskey, but also in the arena”

Swiss Davos is covered with snow (like all other settlements within a radius of 50 km) and moving in the mountains has become much more difficult. Because of this, the president of the International Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, was late for the press conference, which was supposed to start an hour before the start of the KHL World Games match between “Salavat Yulaev” and “Ak Bars”.

Moreover, the head of the IIHF finished making the opening speech on the ice of the arena when the counter on the scoreboard was already showing 19:31. As a result, the meeting itself began with a 7-8 minute delay, and communication with the press was postponed to the first break. It is not surprising that the theme of the weather became one of the main ones, however, according to the acknowledgment of all participants in the event, the snowfall did not spoil the impression of the hockey action itself.

“For Davos and the Swiss fans, hosting you here is a great privilege. Only here the weather is not the best, it is not so easy to get here. Due to heavy snowfall, we did not count about 1-2 thousand fans. But people like to watch KHL level hockey, ”said Fasel.

In turn, the vice president of the league for hockey operations Georgy Kobylyansky thanked the host for excellent ice.

“We are really pleased that right on the eve of the Spengler Cup we played in KHL in Davos - the green derby. Many thanks to the club "Davos", which helped us in organizing the meeting. Everything went at the highest level. And the ice here is of excellent quality. Danis Zaripov even said that he hadn’t seen the best for a long time. But the weather is really out of luck. Probably, there could be more spectators in the stands, ”said Kobylyansky.

The KHL vice president also spoke about the future of the KHL World Game project, recalling that on 10 and 11 January, “Jokerit” and “Severstal” will fight in Tallinn.

“There is no final decision for the next season. There are some plans. When the specifics appear, we will tell about them, ”Kobylyansky promised.

In turn, the mayor of Davos, Tarzicius Caviezzel, who was present at the press conference, emphasized that the city was pleased to host an event of such a high level, and also expressed hope for the successful holding of the upcoming Spengler Cup meetings.

The sports director of this tournament, Fredi Pargatzi, also admitted that the holding of the KHL match brought him extremely positive emotions.

“Thank you for visiting our snowy Davos. It's nice to hear that we have good ice not only in whiskey, but also in the arena. It is a great honor to host the KHL game for the second time, in 2010 Spartak and SKA met here. I hope everyone will like the match and you will return to Davos in the very near future, ”the functionary said.

“The KHL sets itself the goal of developing both West and East”

Often, participants in the press conference were asked about the potential entry of Swiss clubs into the KHL. Fasel noted that this is possible, but there are many obstacles that hinder such a development of events.

“With regard to this topic, many questions arise: budgets, flights. Only Geneva and Zurich can pull such a scale. The first option is the most real one, negotiations were ongoing earlier. The KHL sets itself the goal of developing both West and East. The league focuses on big cities, not cities like Davos, ”said the IIHF president.

However, he commented on the information that the Swiss Federation allegedly banned local clubs from joining the KHL.

“I think Switzerland will not prevent this, but provided that in case of return, the team will resume performance in the national championship from the lower leagues. This is a fundamental moment, ”Fasel added.

At the same time, the functionary emphasized that the development of the KHL to the West is "only a matter of time."

“The KHL goes to the East: South Korea, Japan, perhaps another team will appear in China. Then the creation of the Eastern Conference will become real. In the West there is Paris, London, the Italian Federation is thinking about Milan. Why not join the project of Austria, Germany? Sooner or later this will happen, ”suggested Fasel.

The participants also discussed the hypothetical entry into the KHL of the local “Davos”, which currently ranks fourth in the National League.

“From a sports point of view, this is a good idea, but we have a very small city, and we are pleased to play in our championship. We want to become Swiss champions, ”said Pargatzi.

In turn, the mayor Kaviezel confirmed that the population of Davos is too small for the KHL team, and also noted that the immediate goal of the local team is to win the 32nd title in the national championship, and not to join the Continental Hockey League.

“Everything is not so simple - we have only 100 thousand people living in a radius of 100 km, while in Bern or Geneva - 400-500 thousand only in the cities themselves. This is a big problem for us. Five thousand people come to the most interesting Davos games, we have a small budget and there is no way to move the club to the next championship. We have 31 titles so far, four have been won with me, ”the mayor said.

Fazel retorted with a smile that his native Friborg did not become the Swiss champion, even when the famous Russian hockey players Vyacheslav Bykov and Andrey Khomutov were on the team.

Finally, Patrick Bloch, Executive Director of the Swiss Hockey Federation, noted that cooperation with the KHL brings considerable experience.

“We looked at how the work of the league is arranged in terms of technical equipment. Our refereeing director has the idea of ​​using more cameras to view contentious issues like yours. I hope to implement this innovation soon. We strive to move up. I also know about the system of “smart” washers. All this impresses us, ”the functionary admitted.

He also noted that he recently spoke with the only Swiss hockey player in the KHL at the moment, Sven Andrigetto, and he said that he liked everything in the league.

“Now we have seen firsthand how high the level is. We are honored to host such a match. A large number of excellent hockey players came to Davos, some of whom previously played with us, ”Bloch added.