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Road to World Juniors: Yaroslav Askarov
When Yaroslav Askarov was six years old, his team played without goaltenders. The effort required to skate up the ice and score felt thankless when the opponent swiftly equalized. Unwilling to see his team’s lead squandered, the future SKA St. Petersburg netminder dropped to his knees and blocked shots in skaters’ pads. Noticing his courage in front of the puck, the coach offered Askarov an opportunity to step between the pipes—and perhaps you could say the rest was history.
Andrei Skabelka: “Our season wasn’t a miracle, but the fruit of our work”
In this KHL.ru exclusive interview, the Barys’ bench boss shares his view on his team’s successful regular season, remembers the breath-taking playoffs series against Torpedo and the unlucky clash with Avangard, discusses the role of the international players in his squad, talks about the upcoming Div-I World Championship, and much more.
Record breakers. SKA vs. CSKA. December 22
A huge crowd – 67,770 – assembled in St. Petersburg to witness the latest instalment of the SKA vs CSKA rivalry. That is, by far, a record for the KHL (the previous best, from last season’s open-air encounter between Jokerit and SKA, was 50,000 smaller) and also the biggest attendance for a club hockey game anywhere in Russia. Fittingly, the big day came on the anniversary of the first ever game day in the Soviet Hockey Championship, played on Dec. 22, 1946. The showcase game, played at Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena, highlighted how far the game has developed since those early days: today, Russia’s hockey stars are capable of taking over and filling the country’s biggest and most sophisticated soccer arenas – an almost unprecedented demonstration of the massive potential of our game.
Vorobyov never defeated Nikitin. Now he has 70,000 fans to the rescue
On Saturday, SKA and CSKA will face for the fourth time this season. This time, however, the clash of the Titans will happen at the Gazprom Arena, with a potentially record attendance. KHL.ru compare the rosters of the two clubs and remembers the latest two encounters.
The best outdoor games in Russian hockey and KHL history
On December 22, at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, SKA and CSKA will play the 2018 Hockey Classic. As more than 60,000 tickets were sold, it’s already clear that the KHL will see a new attendance record. KHL.ru tells you about the best outdoor games in Russian history.
Review of 2017/2018. Avangard: from Skabelka to Titov and 7 games with Ufa
Right before the new year, Avangard decided to change head coach, but they managed to get to the playoffs only at the very last regular season game, and then had a first-round exit. KHL.ru reviews the 2017/2018 season for Avangard Omsk.
Review of 2017/2018. SKA: A valiant but vain title defense
KHL.ru continues its team-by-team review of the tenth season of the KHL Championship with a look back at how the campaign unfolded for the reigning champion, SKA Saint Petersburg, a firm favorite among the experts, but whose attempt to defend its crown foundered in the Western Conference final.
Review of 2017/2018. CSKA: Nikitin's debut, and victory over SKA
KHL.ru continues its team-by-team review of the tenth season of the KHL Championship with a look at the drama through the eyes of Moscow's Army Men, who, for the second time in three years, reached the final of the Gagarin Cup but went home empty-handed.
A Picture of Success! Finest photos from Ak Bars night of triumph
This was what all that hard work was for. Those frantic and glorious moments after the final siren sounded the end of the 10th season of the KHL Championship, when the Ak Bars players knew they had done it. Mission Accomplished: a record-breaking third Gagarin Cup. The 1-0 win on home ice meant a 4-1 series victory over CSKA, and the celebrations could begin.
Refereeing Department on Cup-winning goal
Following Ak Bars forward Rob Klinkhammer’s goal in the 42nd minute of Sunday's match in Kazan – the goal which sealed victory for his team in the Gagarin Cup final series against CSKA - the visitors' bench appealed for a video review to ascertain whether the CSKA goalie had been blocked before the goal had been scored. As the video footage shows, there was no illegal impedence of the goaltender by the Kazan player, and as a result, the referee correctly allowed the goal to stand.
“Nothing is decided yet”. Players about Game 4
Ak Bars moved to within one victory of lifting the Gagarin Cup thanks to a 3-1 success at CSKA on Friday. But after the game, players from both teams were adamant that this final series is far from over, even if it could all be wrapped up in Kazan on Sunday.
Notes from the Underground: Gagarin on the Metro
As the action in final series switches to Moscow, the Gagarin Cup must also be in attendance. Following its travels in chauffer-driven cars in trucks, and on long-distance trains, for Game 3 the trophy chose for its method of transport one of the architectural wonders of the world – the Moscow Metro.
Refereeing Department on Kazan's goal and no-goal
In the 37th minute of Monday's match in Kazan, Game 2 of the Gagarin Cup final series between Ak Bars and CSKA, a goal from Kazan's Rob Klinkhammer restored the home team's lead, but the referee referred the episode to the video goal judge to ascertain whether Ak Bars had too many players on the ice. The video showed that no such violation of the rule had occurred, and so the referee awarded a goal.
Ilya Kovalchuk: “Thank you for creating the KHL!”
When the reigning champion SKA was eliminated from the playoffs, the club's talismanic captain, Ilya Kovalchuk, announced his that he was heading back to North America to resume his NHL career. The Olympic hero and two-time Gagarin Cup winner gave an interview to KHL.ru about his future, his past, and his good works off the ice.
