10 seconds of overtime, standing ovations and excellent advertising at KHL World Games: how Salavat Yulaev defeated Ak Bars in Davos

Seven abandoned washers and a double-edged game

The KHL World Games project began in the 2018/19 season. Its goal is to familiarize fans from Western Europe with the best teams of the Continental Hockey League. A year ago, CSKA and SKA once played with Slovan in Vienna, and then with Dynamo Riga in Zurich.

And within the framework of this season, Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev converged in Davos. The match was a success, and the fans filling the Isstadion Davos were satisfied with what was happening.

Justifying the hopes of the audience, the teams showed a rather fun game. During the first 13 minutes, Swiss spectators saw four goals. It was difficult to imagine the best advertising for Russian hockey. The course of the meeting fully confirmed the pre-match words of Danis Zaripov that “green derby” always turn out to be uncompromising, with an abundance of scoring chances and abandoned goals.

While overboard “boxes” of fans were entertained by two funny mascots, serious passions boiled on ice. “Ak Bars” looked more solid in the second period and naturally led. At the same time, “Salavat” had a chance to score in counterattacks.

It is worth noting that inside the arena itself it was quite cold. Many sat in the stands in jackets so as not to freeze. Perhaps because of the unusual temperature, Kazan closer to the end weakened the pressure. This is what the Ufa residents took advantage of.

Both teams did not seek to keep the score. Dangerous attacks sufficed both from one side and the other. For several minutes, Kazan squeezed an opponent in the zone, but Salavat Yulaev not only survived, but scored a decisive goal ten seconds after the start of overtime. Standing fans welcomed this event.

Victory in a principled match can shake Salavat after an unsuccessful series with a lot of defeats. In the standings of the Eastern Conference, the club from Bashkiria is fifth with 47 points in the asset. “Ak Bars”, despite the misfire, leads the race. He has 59 points.

Plus, in the “green derby” Ufa residents got a great opportunity to get used to Davos ice. Local conditions are unusual for most visiting teams, since the arena is located at an altitude of 1560 meters above sea level. So Kazan before the game complained about the difficulty of adapting to the midlands.

Case with the anthem of Russia and fans from around the world

It was important for both Russian teams and the KHL to show the goods in person. Girls in national Tatar costumes who arrived from Kazan kindly treated the audience with chak-chak, the famous Tatar sweet made from honey dough. In the neighborhood was a tasting of Bashkir honey. On the street, fans of Ak Bars demonstrated the performance of their musical group Bars Bend. And the “Salavatians” brought a drum to the fan sector, which was in all cities of the KHL. Anyone could hit him.

In the pre-match show, seven skaters in suits with the symbols of the KHL World Games DAVOS match performed. The teams greeted the 20 young pupils of Davos, who lined up in two living corridors, when they entered the ice.

The only incident happened before the starting face-off. The Swiss twice mixed up the anthem of Russia, including instead of the modern version of Glinka's “Patriotic Song”. In response, Ak Bars fans performed the Russian anthem a cappella.

By the way, over 80% of the tickets costing from 10 to 40 Swiss francs were sold to the game. Although the president of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel still complained that due to bad weather, one or two thousand spectators were missing out on the game.

Enough in the stands and random people who, it is possible, will now replenish the army of fans of the KHL. For example, a Mark fan from Birmingham arrived in Davos to ski and watch the Spengler Cup. He did not know about holding the KHL game, so he was pleasantly surprised at the opportunity to look at the best clubs in the league.

“I am a fan of hockey with 20 years of experience, and I am especially pleased that I will be able to see the meeting of two cool Russian teams. You may be surprised, but I am a longtime fan of Danis Zaripov. First saw him in 2007 at the World Cup in Russia. Then your team was in perfect order, but the Finns stopped it in the semifinals. I really liked the style of his game. Such smart and site-seeing hockey players are worth their weight in gold. Together with Alexei Morozov and Sergey Zinoviev, they constituted a powerful force. It will be nice to see him live again after 12 years, ”said Briton RT.

A young couple Kristoff and Olga with two children arrived in Davos from Munich. Before moving to Germany, the girl lived near Ufa, and therefore the preferences of the international family in the “green derby” were clear without any questions.

“We dream that the boys, when they grow up, play hockey. Why not figure skating? Because they must grow courageous. In general, we would like the guys to reach the level of the German national team and leave to conquer the NHL, like Leon Dreisaitl. It seems that in Germany now everyone is watching his successes paired with Auston Matthews as closely as the Russians behind the performance of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. KHL World Series is a great opportunity to “infect” them in a good way. We specially took tickets to the front row to be as close to the site as possible. Who will we follow especially closely? For Nikita Soshnikov, perhaps he is now the top scorer! ”Said Olga.

Unusual arena and Switzerland on the way to the KHL

A few words must be said about the stadium where the game was held. Isstadion Davos is one of the main attractions of a respectable Swiss town along with the economic forum. The ice palace is often compared either with the exhibition pavilion or with the resort hotel. The highlight of the arena is its intricate roof. Inside, it is made of wooden structures. The stands of the indoor stadium can accommodate 7080 people. However, until recently, only 3280 seats were equipped with chairs. Now there is only one standing tribune. But she will soon be waiting for an update.

However, for the current season, not only the stands were modernized at the Isstadion Davos. For example, the sub-tribune rooms were repaired here: from the outside, it turned out modestly, but stylishly and neatly. The Swiss come first in practicality. While the corridors smell like wood, which gives the general atmosphere an additional charm.

“We are very proud to host the KHL match in Davos, in this renewed arena. This is one of the most interesting games for us this season. We hope that the Spengler Cup will also be held at a good level, ”said Davos Mayor Tarzitsius Kaviezel.

In turn, the sports director of the Spengler Cup Fredi Pargatzi was also extremely welcoming and hospitable.

“From the side of Davos and the Spengler Cup organizing committee, we are pleased to see the KHL here. Thank you for visiting our snowy Davos. It's nice to hear that our ice is good not only in whiskey, but also in the arena, ”he joked.

A few fans from Kazan and Ufa agreed that the sports facility leaves an exceptionally pleasant impression. The match was also preceded by high-quality promotion. Posters announcing the event, programs, informational banners and other materials could be seen throughout the city. One gets the feeling that the locals were attentive to the KHL match. If the quality of the show will appeal to those on whom key decision-making depends, the league may well expand even further to the West.

Such a prospect has both pros and cons, says Nikita Soshnikov, striker of Salavat Yulaev.

“With flights and moving to Switzerland it will be difficult. If a club from this country appears in the KHL, it will be logistically difficult, of course. Here, the middle mountains, the height, it is felt. The first two or three exercises, and immediately suffocate. Of course, this will affect the game, physiology can not be fooled. We need to play with short shifts in order to deal with the consequences of heights, ”he concluded.

His colleague in the role from Ak Bars, Viktor Tikhonov, in turn, does not see a problem in the hypothetical arrival of the KHL to the Alpine state on an ongoing basis.

“It is always interesting to play such matches as with Salavat abroad. I lived in Switzerland for a year, my father trained here, so all cities are familiar. Swiss club in the KHL? You know, there are a lot of good teams, you can even include two, ”Tikhonov said.

IIHF President Fasel also does not rule out this possibility. But the inclusion of the local "Davos" in the KHL is not worth the wait. According to the head of the federation, the league seeks to go to big cities. So in Switzerland, the KHL club can only afford Geneva and Zurich.