Thirst for revenge

Not from a good life, hockey Russia is fixated on revenge. You are left without titles - you have to be content with replacing them, albeit on a different scale

The national team lost two main starts of the outgoing year, and it would be naive to consider the success of the close to the youth team at the November Karjala Cup as a full-fledged revenge. And then, as a gift, the traditional home Cup of Channel One is coming, which now coincides with a memorable date - the 70th anniversary of domestic hockey. On it, the concept of revenge acquires a very specific, albeit local, rationale - exactly a year ago, at the newly opened arena of the future home world championship in the Park of Legends, the so-called "New Red Car" failed deafeningly, taking last place. Will have to win.

The last Channel One Cup was promoted with unprecedented fanfare, promising fans an extravaganza at the dress rehearsal before the World Cup. Out of place and out of place, they talked about great traditions and their continuation, the country's incredible love for hockey and an almost guaranteed victory in the "miracle arena". As a result, the matches with the participation of the Russian national team were really sold out, and the people dispersed in bewilderment. The Swedes, Finns and Czechs, who did without stars, on the one hand, spoiled the holiday, on the other hand, they taught the hosts a very demonstrative lesson. He could have warned against hatred and chattering about really important problems - perhaps the main troubles of Russian hockey in recent years. But alas, as subsequent events showed, even such a shake-up did not help.

Both the 2016 World Cup and the Toronto World Cup even showed too clearly that the rebranding of the Red Car was more of a massive PR campaign, an attempt to restore the brand for the sake of advertising, designed more for the undemanding public and a bad memory than for painstaking work. You can’t restore greatness with a swoop, but there are enough fans to dust on this occasion. Not surprisingly, as a result of all these efforts, the so-called "new build" slowly turns into a sluggish project without concrete content.

… But one more project referring to the past remained and even flourished, which was not loudly announced, but which gradually began to acquire quite real features. This is the creation of the base club of the national team - like what CSKA was for many years, until the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is worth saying that later the “basic” issue was not seriously discussed - as absolutely contrary to the new realities and principles of life of the elite echelon. But the authors of the project very accurately caught the moment when a public demand arose for an unsuitable and unproductive idea.

The army club from St. Petersburg, which already did not know the problems with recruitment, was now “understaffed” really in the image and likeness of the former CSKA. Only then the power of the hockey giant was ensured by the official ideology and the slogan “Everything for the national team!”, which the entire hockey community somehow put up with, and now it has been provided exclusively by money and administrative resources concentrated specifically in SKA.

And the province went to write, and God-saving conversations began that this might even be good - if victories come, then Russia will still thank you for the labors of the St. Petersburg hegemons. As was the case in the Soviet Union, when Tarasov and then Tikhonov's CSKA were forgiven for their internal monopoly in exchange for a monopoly in the international arena, when even the founders of hockey did not consider it shameful to learn from the Soviets.

Only now, almost any attempt to do "as in the USSR" turns into a parody. And hockey in its former form and status cannot be restored for anything, no matter how you grab ready-made ideas. They belong to a specific time, and no other.

... I believe that the current creators of the new-old idea, firstly, do not recognize its actual existence (the fact that a dozen and a half candidates for the national team have gathered in the SKA and the list tends to be replenished, it turned out sort of by itself), and secondly, if the national team on this basis acquires unprecedented power and teamwork, then the country does not need anything else. The people are yearning for a positive constant, they are trying to provide it by any means, grateful applause and shouts of “Hurrah!” are expected.

No, thanks. And if necessary, not everyone will like the fact that exceptional conditions have been created for one club, and the weakening of competition will not benefit anyone. Today the pipe is lower, the ice is thinner, compliance with the basic principle even for the World Cup looks problematic, not to mention the Olympic tournament in its current format or the World Cup. At the most important status tournaments for the national team, mainly our other people play, and there are more and more of them across the ocean, no amount of money stops.

... The presence of superstars in the extended list of the national team in the person of Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, as well as 10 of their colleagues in the SKA, suggests that the implementation of the project for real and begins in December 2016. “To the heap” included 8 more CSKA hockey players, in total 20 representatives of the “army” turned out. You can limit yourself to them, and if you dilute the rest, then not by much.

And what, isn't the head coach of SKA and the national team Oleg Znarok right? Is there any objection that these are the best hockey players playing in Russia? What, young goalkeepers Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin are not the strongest? What, the first two St. Petersburg links played, Datsyuk and Shchipachev, is that bad? What, the Cup of the First Channel as a landmark tournament at all times is not worth just such a serious and responsible approach to team building?

If you do not take into account the side effects not only of the internal level, which may appear in the very near future, then, of course, there are no objections - nothing is a pity for a mini-rematch and a holiday, including your own championship. They even designed and sewed a new uniform for the national team specifically in honor of the 70th anniversary - it has sleeve inserts in the colors of the Russian flag, a full-chest coat of arms, and an anniversary logo.

So will we win? In cold December Moscow, in the not very happy arena in the "Park of Legends" on the territory of the former ZIL - it is quite possible. A sequel is by no means guaranteed.