And let the Grenadier be lucky

Russia won, Canada and Sweden lost, and the future champion is not even visible yet

There were musketeers, grenadiers remained. This is me about the Russian national team, in which for the first time in many years there is neither Ovechkin, nor Malkin, nor Datsyuk, nor Kovalchuk, nor “local” Mozyakin with Zaripov, nor any of the top goalkeepers. Previously, one of the leaders of the 35+ generation at the World Cup, and not by a tourist-without Ilya Kovalchuk in Berna-2009 or Evgeny Malkin in Helsinki-2012, would not see gold for anything. Another thing is that in the last five or six years the usual scheme with a star overseas help has stopped working. In Bratislava-2019, the composition was nowhere, and could not do anything with Finnish middlewoods. However, the well -packed Swedes and Canadians also could not prevent Yucca Yanonen and his guys.

So to complain about the fact that some stars were old, and others did not lay the way to Riga - only to shake the air in vain. Well, the Ovechkinsky “Washington” will fly out of the Stanley Cup of the Stanley Cup - and what, rush to the gray -haired captain of the capital's feet? Ovechkin would look strange on empty Riga arenas, it is very strange ... This is a dozen years ago, young Sasha Ovechkin at the new Arena Riga in the starting match of the World Cup with Kazakhstan distinguished himself three times - from the programs of the same young Evgeny Malkin. Ovechkina then, by the way, was included in the symbolic team - along with Sidney Crosby.

True, the Russian team in Riga-2006 did not reach the medal zone-the star hour of the generation was still ahead. And now, alas, behind, and in any case, even without the specific conditions of Riga-2021, I would have to put up with the fact that the career of star forward veterans in the national team is coming to an end. And those who are younger, look at things much more pragmatic, but mostly busy. In addition, if you imagine that free Panarin, Gusev, Buchnevich, Anisimov, Dadonov would have arrived from the NHL, then the Russian national team would look at the general colorless background too monstroting, and a pre -given victory is known how it ends.

So we have a situation where all the leading national teams who arrived in the capital of Latvia, albeit forced, are forced, but equal, as for selection.

Ours, it seems, is the most healthy - below 180 are only two people, and mainly under 190 and higher, as they were recruited specially in growth. Directly miracle bogatri. With the Czech Republic, whose attack will be starring, not without difficulty, but coped. The result was largely made by the Olympic champions, Alexander Barabanov and Mikhail Grigorenko, who arrived from the ocean. Ours scored, Czechs caught up, the teams competed in the number of childhood mistakes, and the outcome decided Grigorenko’s walk to the gates of Shimon Groubets, and his cystic throw into the distant nine seconds before the siren. The Czechs at that moment started a shift, and did not even free an street, but a whole avenue. Hot heads immediately began to share the future gold, but the Canadians stumbled after the second day, the Danes laid the Swedes for the first time in history, and it became clear that everything was incomprehensible from the very beginning.

At the same Riga World Cup-2006, the Canadian team sketched the owners with a whole pile of a goal number of 11 pieces, without missing a single one. Today, the hosts were revoked, bypassing two washers, but Matis Khivnix did not miss a single one. The holder of the Gagarin Cup with the Vanguard, 60-year-old Bob Hartley, who had nothing to prepare the wards, said that this was happening with the audience, "the arena would demolish the roof." In the past, Riga would walk until the morning in honor of the incredible and the first victory in the founders of hockey, but now they have to rejoice at home - they are not going to cancel quarantine measures, and there are no habitual for previous tournaments and are completely absent.

There were cities where the presence of the World Cup was practically not felt-for example, the same Paris in 2017, but that natural localization of hockey around the Bersi palace has no comparison with the Riga Lokdown 2021 with all its charms. Latvia authorities promised in the case of a more or less favorable development of events to open the fan zone, there are plans to slowly begin to let the audience into the Arena Riga and the Olympic Sports Center, where the Russians play, but there are no guarantees. The festival will not be in any case - even if strict quarantine measures decide to weaken a little. In this situation, everything is concentrated only on the game and security measures.

On the eve of the tournament, the famous Russian goalkeeper, the holder of the Stanley Cup and the Great Original Ilya Bryzgalov notfully touched the hockey community with his speech about the role of world championships, which "in recent years is muddy muddy." As for the attitude towards them in Russia, then, according to Bryzgalov, "players of other teams go to the World Cup with a completely different mood - to hang out, to have a good time ...". Well, in the Russian national team, it happened, it happened-be healthy, in the same St. Petersburg 2000s with the participation of one and a half dozen Enhaelovites, including Bryzgalov. They finished off to the point that they almost got into the departure zone, taking 11th place. What was the fans who “no one owes”, Ilya mentions. Of course, he deliberately teases the audience, so his shocking opinion could be treated if not for the specific situation specifically in Riga - what kind of parties, what relaxation? This all remained in some other life, and now you have to endure and try to save, at least on the ice, the atmosphere of a large holiday.

And the fact that in muddy water the fish is better caught, on the second day after the owners proved the Danes. The Swedes played with them with such a mood that the victory would not go anywhere - as in the previous ten matches. Twice Tre Krunur led in the account. Until the forward of the Jokerita Hockey League Niclas Jensen, three washers on the goal of the 38-year-old Viktor Fast, and the effective program sent the favorite to the knockout. Two sensations for two incomplete game days determined the trend of the “quarantine” championship - anything can happen in Riga.

The Russian team in the first game lost the striker Konstantin Okulov, who was injured. The reserve allowed the coaching staff to maneuver, the second meeting with the UK national team did not promise difficulties, but it was not worth throwing the main applicant for departure with caps - the national teams of Canada and Sweden have already demonstrated, which was worth the underestimation of any opponent. Hockey players of the Russian team did not want to assist another sensation, and the UK national team who came to Riga without the head coach received four goals with the Anton Burdasov club already in a starting 20-minute.

The goalkeeper, the goalkeeper, debuted at the championship, Ivan Bocharov, whom the coaching staff still preferred to Ivan Fedotov, did not remain dry, but did not give a reason for disappointments.

By the end of the second gaming day, it turned out that in group “A”, the Russians were leading with two victories in the main time, and in group “B” with the same indicators are the Germans, and the current Finns world champions shot the first scalp in Riga - from the Americans. On Monday, the leaders had to examine Slovakia and Canada, respectively. The Russian team continued to wait for news from behind the ocean, where the first round of the Stanley Cup is in full swing. The talisman of the tournament Hedgehog Spike, somewhat similar to a severe alien warrior, did not promise weakening of quarantine measures.

One and a half years ago with Bobr Rix, it was somehow more fun.