#hockey club avangard

[masterofwarpcore]

I am sorry, but I saw Taka's beta design, and I have only one strong association.

I don't know, maybe I'm just going crazy and hockey cause of that, but I can't get it of my mind...

[csykora]

Every now and then I see a post go around when someone learns what a KHL team’s name means, so I thought I’d put together a translated list. Like football in the UK, lotta KHL teams started among labor unions and factory workers, and then the baroque weirdness of Russian history happened to them, so all their names are gold.

I’ve taken some liberties with how pluralization etc works in favor of the spirit

Dinamo Riga The Riga Generators. (A dynamo is a machine that uses rotating coils and magnets to turn mechanical energy into electricity.)

Dynamo Moscow The Moscow Generators

Jokerit Helsinki The Helsinki Jokers/Jesters/Clowns

Severstal Cherepovets Cherepovets Northern Steel

originally named Stroitel, the Builders, and then Metallurg. Now they just use the name of their sugar-company. While most of these teams were founded by or or in reference to industries, Severstal is directly owned by Severstal, which is why we all have to look at this:

jersey design is my passion

SKA Saint Petersburg Sports Club of the Amy of Saint Petersburg, founded by military officers

Spartak Moscow The Moscow Spartans 

CSKA Moscow Central Sports Club of the Army of Moscow, founded by military members

Dinamo Minsk you may be pickin up a theme

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl The Yaroslavl Trains

Slovan Bratislava The Bratislava Slavs  

They did name their bald eagle mascot Harvy, though, which is pretty cool

Note: I originally wrote this some time ago with a joke about how the teams might have expired by the time I post it. Pour one out for Slovan, they’re in a happier(?) place in the Slovak League now

HK Sochi   Sochi Hockey Club

Every team can be called “HC/HK ____” to differentiate them from the cities’ football teams. You could say “Slovan” or “HC Slovan” for clarity. Sochi forgot the ____.

Vityaz Moscow Oblast/Vityaz Podolsk The (Fairytale) Knights

The team currently plays in the city of Podolsk, outside the ring of the city of Moscow but still in Moscow Oblast, the larger province. They’ve moved around a bit in Moscow Oblast, although they’re settling in well now, so it’s not inaccurate to generalize that they’re from “Moscow”

A vityaz of bogatyr is a hero on a quest, akin to King Arthur’s chivalric knights. Founded by MMA fighters.

Ak Bars Kazan Kazan White Leopard

The team uses a snow leopard, but “ak bars” refers specifically to the coat of arms of Tatarstan, a legendary white cat with wings

 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg The Yekaterinburg Drivers

This might seem like a boring name, until you learn that it replaced a club named Dinamo Energija Yekaterinburg, the Generator Electricity

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Magnitigorsk Metalworkers (as in the English word ’metallurgy’) or we could translate more comfortably as Steelers, founded by steel mill workers.

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk  Nizhnekamsk Petrochemists, founded by petrochemical factory workers.

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod The Nizhny Novgorod Torpedos

Traktor Chelyabinsk The Chelyabinsk Tractors.

Founded by workers in the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, this is the team people usually discover and giggle about a bit, which itself is fun, because this is a bait-and-switch boring name that’s actually got some intimidating heft behind it, because the Tractor Plant mostly didn’t make tractors. It made approximately 18,000 T-34 Chelyabinskaya tanks.

Admiral Vladivostok Vladivostok Admirals

Amur Khabarovsk Khabarovsk is the city, the Amur is a nearby river

Avangard Omsk The Omsk Vanguard.

The vanguard (from “advance guard”) is the leading edge of a military formation as they move into battle. American-English speakers seem to pronounce the name as “avant-garde”, which means exactly the same thing but has a real different connotation

Barys Astana The Astana Leopards

This is from the same root as Ak Bars, but without the “white” refers to a real snow leopard. I’m not sure the folks involved know this: hopefully they believe snow leopards are mythological animals

(The text is Cyrillic designed to look sorta like Arabic script)

Salavat Yulaev Ufa Ufa is the city, Salavat Yulaev was a folk hero/political leader/poet of Bashkiria in the 1700s. 

Sibir Novosibirsk New Siberian City Siberias

Red Star Kunlun  北京崑崙鴻星 or Běijīng Kūnlún Hóngxīng

Hóng is red, xīng is star, they play in the city of Běijīng, Kūnlún refers to崑崙山 Kūnlún Shān. Side note but I've always likes this grammatical feature and the connotations of this word in particular because the way pluralization works, shān is anything from a lonely hill or whole range or, as you travel west into Central Asia, “THE WORLD IS MADE OF MOUNTAIN NOW”

so that’s the KHL

[fromthe-point]

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Ilya Mikheyev to a one-year entry level contract for the 2019-20 season.

Mikheyev, 24, spent the 2018-19 season with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 62 games during the 2018-19 season, Mikheyev recorded 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points before recording 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 13 KHL playoff games. He also skated in the 2018-19 KHL All-Star Game. His 45 points this season put him in a tie for 20th among KHL skaters in points this season, while his 23 goals in 2018-19 were the ninth-most among KHL skaters. In 224 career KHL games, all with Avangard, the Omsk, Russia, native recorded 122 points (62 goals, 60 assists).

Internationally, Mikheyev skated for Russia at the 2018 World Championships, recording four points (3-1-4) in eight games played. He has been named to Russia's 30-man roster in advance of the 2019 World Championships in Slovakia.

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: MAXIM LETUNOV SIGNS IN RUSSIA

BY: Gerry Cantlon: Howlings HARTFORD, CT - As training camp nears its opening, Maxim Letunov has followed through and returned to Russia and will play for Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL), where he joins last year's Hartford Wolf Pack and former UCONN teammate, goaltender, Adam Huska. He became the 100th AHL player (now 102) to sign overseas and the 20th player to sign with Russia for next season. He also becomes the eighth former Wolf Pack to sign with Russia/Belarus, despite their supposedly being an international pariah due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is the ninth heading to the KHL. Letunov will play for his ninth team in his short professional career.  Only two Wolf Pack players have unknown destinations, goalie Tyler Wall and forward Matt Lorito. Former Danbury Trasher, Jon “Nasty” Mirasty, 40, has resurfaced and signed with the Binghamton (NY) Black Bears (FPHL) for next season. He played a season and a half in the Hat City before he was cut by then-coach for Danbury and former New Haven Knights coach, Paul Gillis, for his unwillingness to play some hockey at the Danbury Ice Arena. He played just 36 games and racked up 259 PIM. He is a well-known fighter in minor league circles. He is a native Canadian of Cree heritage and has been playing senior club hockey over the last three years in his native Saskatchewan. He hasn’t played competitive hockey in five years. Mirasty last played competitively with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (LNAH), where he had 991 PIM in just 100 league games. He had 677 PIM in 176 AHL games with Syracuse (AHL), and in the ECHL with three teams accrued 405 PIM in 66 games. In the KHL, he played 40 games and had 214 PIM.  He has played the last three years for his hometown Meadow Lake Broncos (SASHL). In 22 games, he had just 56 PIM.  He also played 14 games with other senior clubs and had just 26 PIM according to the Mitch Menick afternoon drive show Former Nighthawk and Springfield Falcon Oleg Mikulchik is the new assistant coach for Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL) after being the head coach last year for SK Sokol Kyiv (Ukraine-UHL) and we all know why he is no longer there. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[rinik25-blog]

Acquaintance/Знакомство

This blog will be devoted to hockey club from Russia. Avangard is a professional hockey club, representing Omsk and serving in the Continental Hockey League. Currently based in the Moscow region city of Balashikha. Champion of the RSFSR 1959, 1973, champion of Russia in 2004.

Данный блог будет посвящён хоккецному клубу из России. «Авангард» — профессиональный хоккейный клуб, представляющий Омск и выступающий в Континентальной хоккейной лиге. В настоящее время базируется в подмосковном городе Балашиха. Чемпион РСФСР 1959, 1973 годов, чемпион России 2004 года.

#hockey #Russia #Omsk #Sport #Siberia #Moscow #Balashikha #Athletes

[chunkletskhl]

The East German national team (in striped sweaters) visits Chelyabinsk in February, 1954, for an exhibition game against local club Avangard Chelyabinsk.  It was the city’s first-ever international hockey game, and the locals, now known as Traktor Chelyabinsk, won it 6-2. It appears to have been a chilly night, as well: note the scarf worn by the East German player on the right!  (Image Source, with more info on this game)

[leanpick]

China in danger of Olympics ice hockey axe

China in danger of Olympics ice hockey axe

The players hoping to make China’s men’s hockey team for next year’s Beijing Olympics lost a second trial game against a Russian club, as uncertainty builds over whether they will be allowed to play at the Winter Games. International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) officials observed Kunlun Red Star’s 4-1 loss to Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. The Chinese team’s 5-4 overtime loss to…

[mariaotis681]

Watch Ryazan v Buran Voronezh Club Friendly Ice Hockey Live August 08, 2021

Competition: Ryazan v Buran live

https://rd-alt.sportfrat.com/?e=2134989&s=57

https://rd-alt.sportfrat.com/?e=2134989&s=57

SKA - Avangard match overview, prediction&tips

Avangard could have advantage in physics - more days for rest in last days.

In this match the chances to achieve triumph bor both teams are almost equal.

Last 23 head-to-head matches SKA won 13 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 10 matches and goals 63-56.

Including matches at home between the teams SKA won 7 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 6 matches and goals 33-32.Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Neftekhimik match overview, prediction&tips

Neftekhimik could have problems with physics compare with it opponent - last days they played more matches than their opponents.

In this match Metallurg Magnitogorsk is the unquestionable favorite.

Last 31 head-to-head matches Metallurg Magnitogorsk won 21 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 10 matches and goals 90-67.

Including matches at home between the teams Metallurg Magnitogorsk won 12 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 4 matches and goals 52-36.Sibir - Ak Bars match overview, prediction&tips

Sibir could have advantage in physics - more days for rest in last days.

Ak Bars will have a mini benefit in this match.

Last 31 head-to-head matches Sibir won 13 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 18 matches and goals 69-68.

Including matches at home between the teams Sibir won 8 matches, drawn 0 matches, lost 7 matches and goals 40-32.

SKA - Avangard match overview, prediction&tips

SKA podría tener problemas con la física comparar con ella oponente - últimos días se jugó más partidos que sus oponentes. En este partido, las posibilidades de ganar los dos equipos son casi iguales.El pasado 23 head-to-head matches SKA ganó 13 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 10 partidos, y 63-56. Incluyendo partidos en casa entre los equipos SKA ganó 7 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 6 partidos, y 33-32.Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Neftekhimik match overview, prediction&tips

Metallurg Magnitogorsk podría tener ventaja en la física - más días de descanso en los últimos días. En este partido, el Metallurg Magnitogorsk es el claro favorito.El pasado 31 head-to-head matches Metallurg Magnitogorsk ganó 21 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 10 partidos, y 90-67. Incluyendo partidos en casa entre los equipos Metallurg Magnitogorsk ganó 12 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 4 partidos, y 52-36.Sibir - Ak Bars match overview, prediction&tips

Ak Bars podría tener problemas con la física comparar con ella oponente - últimos días se jugó más partidos que sus oponentes. Ak Bars tendrá una ligera ventaja en este juego.El pasado 31 head-to-head matches Sibir ganó 13 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 18 partidos, y 69-68. Incluyendo partidos en casa entre los equipos Sibir ganó 8 partidos, dibujados 0 partidos, perdieron 7 partidos, y 40-32.

SKA - Avangard match overview, prediction&tips

Avangard Vorteil könnte in der Physik haben - mehr Tage für Ruhe in den letzten Tagen. In diesem Spiel eine Chance, beide Teams gewinnen sind fast gleich.Letzte 23 Kopf-an-Kopf-Spiele Heimmannschaft gewann 13 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 10 Spiele verloren und Ziele 63-56. Inklusive Heimspiele zwischen den Teams Heimmannschaft gewann 7 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 6 Spiele verloren und Ziele 33-32.Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Neftekhimik match overview, prediction&tips

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Vorteil könnte in der Physik haben - mehr Tage für Ruhe in den letzten Tagen. In diesem Spiel ist Metallurg Magnitogorsk der klare Favorit.Letzte 31 Kopf-an-Kopf-Spiele Heimmannschaft gewann 21 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 10 Spiele verloren und Ziele 90-67. Inklusive Heimspiele zwischen den Teams Heimmannschaft gewann 12 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 4 Spiele verloren und Ziele 52-36.Sibir - Ak Bars match overview, prediction&tips

Sibir Vorteil könnte in der Physik haben - mehr Tage für Ruhe in den letzten Tagen. Ak Bars haben einen leichten Vorteil in diesem Match.Letzte 31 Kopf-an-Kopf-Spiele Heimmannschaft gewann 13 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 18 Spiele verloren und Ziele 69-68. Inklusive Heimspiele zwischen den Teams Heimmannschaft gewann 8 Spiele, 0 unentschieden Spiele, 7 Spiele verloren und Ziele 40-32.

SKA - Avangard match overview, prediction&tips

У Avangard может быть преимущество в физической подготовке – было больше дней для отдыха в последние дни. В этом матче шансы на победу обеих команд практически равны.Последние матчи между этими соперниками SKA выиграл 13, ничья 0, програл 10, разница голов 63-56. В том числе матчи на своем поле между этими соперниками SKA выиграл 7, ничья 0, програл 6, разница голов 33-32.Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Neftekhimik match overview, prediction&tips

У Metallurg Magnitogorsk может быть преимущество в физической подготовке – было больше дней для отдыха в последние дни. В этом матче Metallurg Magnitogorsk является несомненным фаворитом.Последние матчи между этими соперниками Metallurg Magnitogorsk выиграл 21, ничья 0, програл 10, разница голов 90-67. В том числе матчи на своем поле между этими соперниками Metallurg Magnitogorsk выиграл 12, ничья 0, програл 4, разница голов 52-36.Sibir - Ak Bars match overview, prediction&tips

У Sibir может быть преимущество в физической подготовке – было больше дней для отдыха в последние дни. Ak Bars будет иметь небольшое преимущество в этом матче.Последние матчи между этими соперниками Sibir выиграл 13, ничья 0, програл 18, разница голов 69-68. В том числе матчи на своем поле между этими соперниками Sibir выиграл 8, ничья 0, програл 7, разница голов 40-32.

SKA - Avangard match overview, prediction&tips

В SKA може да има проблеми с физиката с съперник - през последните дни играе повече мачове, отколкото съперник. В тази игра шанс да спечели и двата отбора са почти равни.Последните 23 главата до главата мачове SKA спечели 13 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 10 мача и цели 63-56. Включително мачове у дома между тези съперници SKA спечели 7 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 6 мача и цели 33-32.Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Neftekhimik match overview, prediction&tips

В Neftekhimik може да има проблеми с физиката с съперник - през последните дни играе повече мачове, отколкото съперник. В този мач, Metallurg Magnitogorsk е категоричен фаворит.Последните 31 главата до главата мачове Metallurg Magnitogorsk спечели 21 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 10 мача и цели 90-67. Включително мачове у дома между тези съперници Metallurg Magnitogorsk спечели 12 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 4 мача и цели 52-36.Sibir - Ak Bars match overview, prediction&tips

В Ak Bars може да има проблеми с физиката с съперник - през последните дни играе повече мачове, отколкото съперник. Ak Bars ще имат леко предимство в този мач.Последните 31 главата до главата мачове Sibir спечели 13 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 18 мача и цели 69-68. Включително мачове у дома между тези съперници Sibir спечели 8 мача, равенство 0 мача, загуби 7 мача и цели 40-32.

[totalsoccer]

The Latest: 7 positives at Russian hockey club CSKA Moscow

Storied Russian hockey club CSKA Moscow says that seven players have tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement comes hours after another Kontinental Hockey League club, Avangard Omsk, said that it was withdrawing from a pre-season tournament following positive tests for 20 people. AUSTIN, Texas — Texas will delay the start of the public high school football season for its largest schools by a month as the state grapples with a recent surge of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

source https://sports.yahoo.com/latest-scottish-cup-final-played-090125299.html?src=rss

[updexnews]

KHL club Avangard Omsk records 20 positive COVID-19 tests - Sportsnet.ca

KHL club Avangard Omsk records 20 positive COVID-19 tests – Sportsnet.ca

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A Russian team playing in the Kontinental Hockey League has withdrawn from a pre-season tournament after 20 people from the club tested positive for the coronavirus.

Avangard Omsk general manager Alexei Volkov says the positive tests come from players and members of team staff who were tested during training camp. Volkov adds that the people are in isolation and that most don’t have…

[todaytimesheadline-blog]

One of Dinamo's leaders joins Hartley Club - Sports News

Brendons Makmilans | Photo: dinamoriga.lv Continental Hockey League ( KHL ) One of the Leaders of Riga Dinamo attackers Brandon McMillan continues his career with Omsk Avangard, reports club . Russian journalist Igor Jeronko had previously learned that McMillan could soon leave the Dinamo club to become Latvian hockey the Avangard hockey team led by Bob Hartley, head coach. Recent information indicates that the deal has been officially concluded and McMillan has moved to Avangard. The contract is with the Canadian until the end of the season. McMillan is in his third season with Dynamo, and this is his most successful so far because 29 Canadian 50 accumulated 20 points in games 11 are passing assists. McMillan is the second-most successful Dinamo hockey player this season. Only Lauris Dārziņš, who 26 (8 + , earned more points for him this season ) points.2017 ./ 18. McMillan 51 collected in the match) (14 + 8) points , but 2018./19. in season 34 (7 +) points. Riga Club currently holds the last place in the Western Conference with points 38 in matches while Avangard is in second heading East with 50 points 696 games. Learn Extra Read the full article

[gosportsfield]

Suspended Voynov signs 1-year deal with KHL

Suspended Voynov signs 1-year deal with KHL

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MOSCOW — Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has signed a one-year deal in the Kontinental Hockey League as he sits out the final months of his NHL suspension.

Russian KHL club Avangard Omsk says it has signed Voynov to a one-year deal. His NHL suspension, imposed after the league determined he committed acts of domestic violence, will end midway through the season.

Voynov…

[todaynewsstories]

Left homeless, Siberian hockey team opts for Moscow region exile

BALASHIKHA, Russia (Reuters) – For fans of Siberian ice hockey club Avangard, attending a match takes singular devotion: games are held three times zones away from their home city because their own arena has been deemed too unsafe to use, forcing them into exile.

Ice Hockey – Kontinental Hockey League – Avangard Omsk Training – Arena Balashikha, Moscow Region, Russia – September 8, 2018 – Coach Bob Hartley directs his players. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

Avangard, a team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), was uprooted after discovering structural defects this summer at its arena in the Siberian city of Omsk.

Left with few options weeks before the season, Avangard settled on a 6,000-seat arena in Balashikha, a monochrome industrial city some 2,200 km (1,365 miles) away near Moscow that made headlines last year – for the stench of its landfill.

The surprise move uprooted players and staff and upset the local fan base in Omsk, a city of 1.17 million. It also raised doubt about the team’s ability to draw a crowd so far from home.

“We’re facing a tough situation and we have the choice whether to look for excuses or look for solutions,” said head coach Bob Hartley, a Canadian who led the Colorado Avalanche of North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) to their second Stanley Cup title in 2001.

Avangard said in July that it had encountered “unforeseen difficulties” during renovations at the 10,000-seat Omsk Arena, which was inaugurated in 2007. The team has not revealed the extent and the nature of the damage but hinted the decision to move was linked to safety.

Ice Hockey – Kontinental Hockey League – Avangard Omsk Training – Arena Balashikha, Moscow Region, Russia – September 8, 2018 – Denis Zernov, Maxim Berezin and goalkeeper Alexei Murygin train. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

In Balashikha, workers have scrambled to prepare Avangard’s new arena for the team’s arrival, hastily building locker rooms and a gym, and setting up the coaches’ office.

Days before the first home game, workers were still laying carpet and giving the walls a fresh coat of paint.

“There were some uncomfortable moments,” team captain Evgeny Medvedev, who played one season in the NHL, told Reuters after Avangard’s first home game on Monday, a 4-2 win over Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk that drew a energetic crowd of 5,116.

“But what can we do? We are soldiers. We fight where we are deployed.”

The move brings Avangard closer to Moscow, simplifying travel for away games given that the bulk of the KHL’s teams are based in western Russia. But it has given Avangard a logistical headache.

Canadian forward Maxime Talbot said some players had already rented apartments in Omsk and were hurrying to relocate.

“The situation is not ideal, but we have to deal with it,” said Talbot, who in 2009 scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Slideshow (5 Images)

“UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES”

Avangard, which was founded in 1950 and has played in the KHL since its inception in 2008, is now trying to bridge the geographic gap with its fans and assuage their discontent.

After Monday’s win, Avangard players unfurled a banner that read “Omsk, we’re together.” The club insists Balashikha, a city of 470,000, is a temporary home and has dedicated this season to the fans left behind in Siberia.

“People are upset in Omsk,” said Andrei Litvinkin, a 31-year-old native of the city. “But no one will be happy if the arena falls apart with the fans inside.”

Russia has grown increasingly wary of the state of its public buildings since a fire at a mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo in March caused its top floor to collapse, killing more than 60 people.

Avangard says it has signed a one-year agreement to play at Balashikha Arena, but it remains unclear whether the team’s exile could endure.

“This is a season of away games,” said Viktor Migunov, a 22-year-old fan with Avangard’s crimson logo tattooed on his right calf. “We don’t recognize any other arena. Avangard is Omsk. And it won’t be anyone else’s team.”

Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Mark Heinrich

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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[themelonguy-blog]

Left homeless, Siberian hockey team opts for Moscow region exile

Left homeless, Siberian hockey team opts for Moscow region exile

For fans of Siberian ice hockey club Avangard, attending a match takes singular devotion: games are held three times zones away from their home city because their own arena has been deemed too unsafe to use, forcing them into exile.

Source: Sports

[newsintoday-net-blog]

Left homeless, Siberian hockey team opts for Moscow region exile

Left homeless, Siberian hockey team opts for Moscow region exile

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BALASHIKHA, Russia (Reuters) – For fans of Siberian ice hockey club Avangard, attending a match takes singular devotion: games are held three times zones away from their home city because their own arena has been deemed too unsafe to use, forcing them into exile.

Ice Hockey – Kontinental Hockey League – Avangard Omsk Training – Arena Balashikha, Moscow Region, Russia – September…

[maysoper]

Off To Balashikha!

The arena to the left is Balashikha Arena located in the city of Balashikha. You might be wondering why I'm writing an article on an obscure arena in the middle of Russia that has no KHL team, but they actually will have a KHL team as of today. The only problem? It won't be their own team. If you recall, I wrote an article on July 24 about Avangard Omsk possibly having to move due to foundation problems at Arena Omsk. Today, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avangard Alexander Krylov made the announcement that Avangard Omsk will indeed move to Balashikha to start the 2018-19 KHL season. The first thing you should know about this move is that Avangard Omsk will be moving some 2700 kilometers to the west! If you're a fan of the Omsk team and live in Omsk, that's a 35-hour drive one-way to see your team play at "home" this season! Balashikha is approximately 45 minutes to the east of Moscow, so this move takes Avangard Omsk entirely out of their fanbase's reaches unless one has the means for a three-hour flight to see Omsk play. Is this is a good move? Krylov addressed that in the press release put out today.

"For Moscow region, several factors say at once. Firstly, this is a large army of our fans living in Moscow - here and those who were born in Omsk, and those who were born in the capital, but thanks to family traditions are rooting for the 'Vanguard'. In Krasnoyarsk, too, love hockey, but fans of the 'Vanguard' there is extremely small. Secondly, the Balashikha Arena is an active stadium, everything is set up in all directions necessary for us, while the Platinum Arena has just been handed over and there, in fact, all processes need to be started from scratch. Third, logistics. We all figured, in case of moving to Krasnoyarsk, "Avangard" would become the fourth club for remoteness for all teams of the KHL. In Krasnoyarsk from Moscow to fly five hours, in addition, in this city, we could play only until the start of the playoffs, since March 2 there will begin the Universiade. There was another option with Mytischi, but there already holds its Euroleague matches the basketball club "Khimki". Given the very tight calendar of the KHL and other related issues related to the site, it is not possible to place two clubs from different sports in the 'Mytischi Arena'."

It seems that the Omsk club did their homework very well in researching their potential options regarding a temporary move. The fact that Krylov and the Board of Directors addressed processes and logistics as two of their main factors in determining the move makes it seem as though they're looking out not only for the team and its bottom line, but the players and staff who will be uprooted and moved temporarily. while it may not be the best option for the team's fans in Omsk, at least the Board of Directors gets full marks in ensuring that the team itself won't be hamstrung by any unforeseen circumstances. There will be a noticeable difference in terms of fan support inside the arena depending on how many fans Omsk will attract. Arena Omsk is a 10,318-seat arena that usually fills up pretty quickly due to the popularity of the team in the city and region whereas Balashikha Arena only seats 6000 fans. There shouldn't be a discernible difference in arena noise, but losing 4000 seats per night does affect a team's bottom line. I'll have to keep an eye on Avangard Omsk's fiscal situation going forward, but they are one of the teams who is better off in the KHL compared to others. If there is a plus to moving, it's that Balashikha Arena housed a KHL team for a couple of seasons in HC MVD. That club was merged into Dynamo Moscow in 2010, and a new Russian junior team run by the Dynamo club was founded in Balashikha. Having that KHL experience should help the arena staff ease the transition of the Omsk team into the building and make the process of running game nights fairly smooth as long as some of the arena staff have remained working at the rink. If not, they'll still have their junior hockey club experiences to fall back on, so it's not like Omsk is walking into a rink with zero experience in hosting a season of high-level hockey. At the end of the day, 2700 kilometers is a long way to go to cheer for the Omsk team, but perhaps they'll attract some new fans from the Moscow region to join the "large army of fans living in Moscow" as Avangard fans. The best news is that Avangard Omsk is moving into a KHL arena while Arena Omsk is being repaired, and they'll be able to play out the season while the repairs continue. While the short-term plans may not be the best solution for fans in the Omsk region, the long-term plans of returning to Omsk and playing out the franchise's days there should be on solid ground once the foundation of Arena Omsk has been repaired. Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice! from Sports News http://hockey-blog-in-canada.blogspot.com/2018/08/off-to-balashikha.html