Dominator-46, savior

If there is anything to watch in the capital's hockey, including the derby, then this is the game at the gates of Spartak by the veteran Hasek

During the last Dynamo-Spartak Moscow derby on Khodynka, no one remembered that the famous goalkeeper Dominik Hasek was about to turn 46 years old - it was more possible to retire some Dynamo players who were suitable for the Dominator in ...

No one during the last Moscow derby Dynamo - Spartak on Khodynka remembered that the famous goalkeeper Dominik Hasek was about to turn 46 years old - it was more possible to retire some Dynamo players who were suitable for Dominator as sons. Gashek, however, after the match did not finish off the vanquished - "now let them win."

It was simply impossible to imagine something like this at the end of autumn. "Spartak" settled on the tournament day, the club's management was preparing to carry out the third coaching reshuffle since the beginning of the season, several leaders had already been sold out, and "grandfather" Hasek was booed. Led by Oleg Znarok and Harijs Vitolinsh, Dynamo Moscow, meanwhile, led the consolidated standings of the Continental Hockey League championship, with excellent performance.

On New Year's Eve, the red-whites disgraced themselves in Davos at the Spengler Cup, losing in Switzerland to everyone and sundry. After that, contrary to all logic, the wards of the general manager Andrei Yakovenko, who stepped onto the coaching bridge for the second time, raised their heads, the team won five victories in six matches after the New Year's break and firmly established itself in the top eight of the Western Conference. In the meantime, Dynamo, sent on a long away tour due to the holidays, was losing one position after another, the defeat in the principled derby became the tenth in a row (a club anti-record of all time), and if it were not for the colossal points reserve, the blue and white would have lost leadership in division Bobrov.

CSKA is spared from such differences - in the Western Division, only the Vityaz near Moscow is worse off. It is impossible to determine the “average” state of Moscow hockey: a breakthrough was expected from eminent clubs, but everyone is in a fever, and the army team can already think about how to spend a long vacation - there are practically no chances for Sergei Nemchinov’s team to get into the playoffs. And this was the least expected.

... The strongest line for the army turned out to be the leadership: the president is Vyacheslav Fetisov, the vice-presidents are his former partners in the great five Sergey Makarov and Alexei Kasatonov, and the well-known forward and a good start to his coaching career Sergey Nemchinov combines the post of head coach with the duties of a general manager .

Capital hockey, which a quarter of a century ago was still an exhibition project, has long been living on the principle of "lower the pipe, thinner the smoke." But CSKA, in comparison with its neighbors, seemed to be the most stellar team: in defense, two-time world champion Konstantin Korneev, in attack, Vyacheslav Kozlov, who played with Fetisov in Detroit, joined the Czech scorer Jan Marek during the season.

And it didn’t work out, and from the very beginning of the season. Doing without high-profile failures, CSKA lost match after match, bringing the number of home defeats in regular time to 11 by mid-January. still.

Sergey Nemchinov tried to shake up the team in different ways. The most extraordinary was the decision on the eve of the New Year holidays to part with Konstantin Korneev, who was gladly accepted into his ranks by the current champion Ak Bars. Either they didn’t work together, or Korneev was tired of walking in outsiders. After that, the army team perked up and began to get out of the pit, but in January they continued to fall.

When there seems to be nothing to complain about, and there is no intelligible game, you need to look at what is happening at the headquarters. But Vyacheslav Fetisov has no time to do operational work - he is a statesman (in the recent past - the head of Rossport, in the present - a senator), and his native CSKA is not his main project. And Nemchinov is not only unable to combine positions - he would be able to cope with one. He is a competent coach, but so correct that he already reduces his teeth from boredom. CSKA has already failed the season, it remains to understand how the next “brand revival” will begin - so far there are no gaps in sight.

... Oleg Znarok can share his charisma - he has enough attractive energy for ten people. And there is someone to maintain the necessary balance - Harijs Vitolinsh is a classic example of a restraining beginning with a dashing corsair. This duo with their HC MVD in the past almost broke the long-established system, in which only the rich and starry become champions of Russia.

It was then that their sister Dynamo intercepted. Obviously, guided by the principle: we are your brand, you are our titles. The “policemen” left Balashikha and moved to the Luzhnikovskaya Small Arena in full force, including the leadership (no less charismatic and “partisan”, which pretty much worried the old Dynamo). At the same time, they lost a strong link, and acquired from well-known players only the star hard worker and two-time world champion Konstantin Gorovikov from St. Petersburg SKA.

There were quite a lot of Dynamo fans who did not accept the "aliens". And - about a miracle! - after a couple of weeks, the fan discord turned into a friendly chorus praising the “new Dynamo”, which crushed everyone and everything (for starters, the current champion himself fell under Znarok and the company, and even in Kazan - and away we go). I think that the "new Dynamo" have set themselves the most important task - to comply with the famous spirit and the letter "D" from the first steps in order to convince all doubters and attract new supporters.

They did a great job, but it was clear that this dashing does not come easily. Everything was based not on the class, but on the utmost dedication and the strictest discipline. In almost every match, these guys had to play better than they can and jump above their heads. Michael Garnett also helped - perhaps the only truly stellar player in the current squad, who never falls below his high level.

It seems to me that they overstrained a little, which became the flip side of commendable maximalism. They tried so hard to conform and prove that they could not stand it physically. When a series of serious injuries was just beginning, Oleg Znarok explained in the usual manner why a player injured in the first period reappeared on the ice: “For some, this is like a feat, but for us it’s like “hello”. It was in early December, when Oleg Valerievich did not yet imagine that he would soon be out of time for jokes: up to ten injured and eight away matches in a row due to the fact that both rented arenas were occupied by children. The fact that they would lose even after returning to Luzhniki and Megasport was not expected by anyone.

Of course, they will get out, they will not be whipping boys in the playoffs and they will support the honor of Moscow hockey. With the feat of the level of last year's reaching the final, it is much more difficult. The appearance in the composition of the legendary, but age-old Slovak striker Miroslav Shatan only says that the club no longer hopes for dedication and discipline. Let's see how the change in the policy of the leadership (most likely, the matter will not be limited to Miro alone) will affect the internal atmosphere, which was especially strong for the HC MVD.

There is still time before the playoffs.

... Returning to Hasek and Spartak. No matter how the current season ends for the red-and-whites, I advise hockey fans to urgently go “to the Dominator” while there is such an opportunity.

Then you will tell your grandchildren.