ZOOM: Drubbing Russians

When the football season is over, the Russian sport will continue. Hard drinks straight within the match, the ghost of channels of St. Petersburg and a foreign two meters tall writer – that is the way FaceGallery narrates about four cities, worth going for watching sport, when football stadiums are closed for winter.

ST.PETERSBURG — HOCKEY

Object. The continental hockey league makes the Russian answer to NHL, which is the most successful hockey project on Earth. A year and a half ago “Gazprom” partners decided to unite the best teams from Russia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Belorussia in one championship. The project also presupposed adding some celebrities, who had somehow failed to succeed abroad and were on their trips between Khabarovsk and Riga.

Team. SKA is a hockey team from the banks of Neva, which became popular through the “Dachniki” album by “Leningrad” band. Well, that seems to be their only success at the Russian territory. This season they are ever closer to their debut triumph: they’ve got lots of money, celebrities and enough points – SKA managed to get into the three favourites of the championship within this winter. The environment is totally corresponding. They had built a luxurious Ice Hockey Stadium by the St.Petersburg championship 2000. It can house up to 12.300 people, which exceeds any other arena of KHL. The Palace is fully crowded practically at all matches. And you can get the appeal: corridors smelling caramel pop-corn, soft seats swinging on the tribunes and a great scene view from any of them.

Star. Darius Kasparaitis is one of those, leading SKA to the starts. This Lithuanian with a Russian passport has made a genius career in NHL. It’s known as “Ghost” for his skill to frighten the rival. He also went a walk-on part in “Brother-2”.

Time. December, 13th, SKA – “Dynamo” (Moscow).

KAZAN’ – VOLLEYBALL

Object. Championship league. Volleyball can serve as a vivid example of the possibility for a four-eyed “A” student to turn into a loud macho. Volleyball was driven off every decent channel and was definitely fading away, while the teams were getting their points through their serving which corresponded to the rules. The regulations’ shift (now the play-offs are run up till 25 points, the later being posted for any flop onto the floor) breathed new life into the sport and turned it into almost most dynamic game.

Team. Some two years ago, when we heard nothing of the crisis, the Russian clubs were puffed up with muscles. The leading players got tempted by extended fees and brought their work records to Moscow, Kazan, Odintsovo. But as soon as the crisis burst out almost all of them left with the only exception of “Zenith”, which managed to find the way to make the leading players stay. In spring 2008 “Zenith” became the best club of Europe, in 2009 – the strongest club in Russia. Now it starts its ascent to the both of the titles.

Star. Lloy Ball. Take the surname alone – it definitely urged its owner to go into sports without specifying the direction. Professional volleyball in the US is hardly developed, so the sky-high guy (he is 203 cm high now) from Indiana had been always won over to basketball’s side. Ball refused the pop option and led a great life, throwing the ball over the net. A couple of years ago he wrote a book and named it “The biggest mistake I never made”. Ball is an acting Olympic champion, the captain of “Zenith” and probably the best player in the world.

Time. December, 16th, , «Zenith» — «Тur» (France).