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ICE-olation
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Vladimir Spivak's blog
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09 October, 2009, 17:02 Forced to shine
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This is one of those stories with a happy ending. Although it hasn't finished yet.
Can't say a lot about CSKA's game at the moment, simply because so far it's difficult to understand what new coach Sergey Nemchinov wants from his players. But there is one certain reason to watch them in action. Its name is Denis Parshin.
This summer, Russian papers were full of headlines on Parshin and his friend and team-mate Sergey Shirokov. Both wanted to quit CSKA for the NHL, despite their present contracts with the Army Men. But only one of them succeeded.
Shirokov received a one-year ban from the KHL for not following the league regulations. And while he is now trying to establish himself as a first-team player at the Vancouver Canucks, Parshin is still making headlines in the home press. This time the priority is given to his hockey skills, though.
The 23-year-old is the undisputed CSKA leader this season, having been voted the club's MVP by the fans in September. Parshin leads the side's offense, insisting, however, he's only a part of a good team. But few can doubt, the always-smiling sniper will be CSKA's main argument in their play-off spot hunt.
Parshin's agent takes every chance to underline that his client was 'forced' to sign the current contract. The player, meanwhile, holds no regrets and is worth every ruble of his deal. And if he keeps improving, he will be able to set his sights on the upcoming Olympics.
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21 September, 2009, 02:14 Keeping Vancouver in mind
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With full respect to the KHL and the NHL, the winter Olympics in Vancouver will be the main hockey event of the season.
Fans from the both sides of Atlantic Ocean expect it to become another chapter in the great rivalry between Russia and Canada. However, it is taken seriously in all hockey nations, as pre-season Olympic camps show.
But the winter games bring mixed feelings to the KHL clubs.
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For some coaches, like Spartak's Milos Riha, Vancouver 2010 is a headache. I'm sure, he would love the tournament to be postponed, not to say cancelled at all.
At the moment, the Czech has at his disposal 5 Slovakian players who have strong hopes to travel to Canada next winter. And Riha can only hope they won't get hurt representing their country. With Slovakia's flops at the recent world finals, there is also a question mark about the players' mental conditions after the Olympics.
I hold no doubt about the guys' professionalism — they'll give everything, no matter which team they are playing for. But will they be able to keep the highest fitness level throughout the season?
The situation is the opposite at Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk, which are the only KHL sides from their countries.
During the summer, the Riga side tried to boost the squad with as many Latvians as possible. Dinamo is a basis club for the national team, and bringing the players together was crucial for them.
Hockey is a huge sport in this Baltic country, and Dinamo will probably sacrifice the KHL season in favour of the Olympics.
The European league will have an Olympic break for a month, starting in early February. And it's interesting how it will affect the clubs, as the play-offs will be looming at that point.
15 September, 2009, 15:58 The Canadian club from the Moscow region
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There have been no major surprises in a lot of the favorites’ upsets at the start of the season. The top teams are still far from their best performance, which gives the underdogs a perfect chance to produce a sensation.
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Last season’s worst team Vityaz Chekhov is currently among the overall leaders, and for me this is delightful.
The Moscow region side has always attracted interest, despite their usually poor results. The club’s owners don’t seem to care about scores and goals too much. They just want their team to entertain. Vityaz’s ice palace is decorated with a banner that you probably won’t see anywhere else in Russia. It says: “We like Canadian ice hockey” which, in fact, does describe the team’s style.
Head coach Mike Krushelnyski teaches his boys to be strong and aggressive. In cooperation with general manager Aleksey Zhamnov, who has spent 12 memorable seasons in the NHL, the Canadian specialist has created a team which scares every opponent in the league. Zhamnov likes to parallel Vityaz with the Chicago Blackhawks of the mid nineties.
This is the story I did on Vityaz’s Chris Simon and Darcy Verot last season.
http://rt.tv/Top_News/2008-12-13/NHL_players_adjust_to_KHL_.html
There is something else that adds to the reputation of the Moscow region side. Their former forward is now, of all things, a boxer! Nathan Perrott decided his future belongs in the ring, not on the rink.
http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1964876
To be honest, I don’t see Chekhov’s men so high in the table in April – the play-offs would be a wonderful result for them. One thing is for sure – you won’t get bored watching the most Canadian team in the KHL.
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About author
Vladimir Spivak is a sports correspondent. Since joining RT early in 2007, he’s covered a number of top-flight games in the Russian Football Premier League and the Kontinental Hockey League. He can also boast about conducting exclusive interviews with the likes of Guus Hiddink, David Blatt and Sergey Fedorov.
Despite studying economics in Moscow University, he’s always been a passionate sports fan. Vladimir used to play basketball for his high school team. Although, Russian basketball has seen much more gifted players, he remains a devoted follower of the game.
Away from big and small sport venues, he is an animal rights activist who enjoys reading and playing bass guitar.
Vladimir's blog is on ice hockey and the KHL in particular.
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13 October, 2009, 17:10
I think that Shirokov made a mistake when he decided to play in NHL. Before the regular season he scored a few goals in Canucks but now he plays in AHL. So there is no possibility for him to develop as a player in the minor league. On the other hand he can't come back to KHL because of a one-year ban.The opposite situation with Parshin. He shows a great hockey and fans attend matches to admire his playing. He made a right decision staying in KHL.