SKA was strengthened by Leps: on the eve of the start of the regular season of the KHL, a presentation of the St. Petersburg club was held

The presentation of the line-up for the new season in SKA hockey has always been carried out on a grand scale and with taste. Best of all, the Gagarin Cup exhibited at such ceremonies looked in the Peter and Paul Fortress to the sounds of jazz and a midday volley. This year the presentation was held at the training base of the army from the Neva in the “Hockey City”. In the presence of fans who have overcome the pandemic.

beautiful rear

Alexandra Trusova, the silver medalist of the Beijing Olympics, came to greet the hockey players from Moscow. Someone was waiting for a new element from the skater with a stick in her hands, someone – branded quadruple jumps. Only for them, the ice space allocated to Sasha was not enough. Club leaders, coaches and SKA hockey players walked to the place where the game jerseys were presented along the path in the club’s corporate colors.

The ceremony was a success. In the right proportions, there was both scope and some kind of homely atmosphere. The presentation began with the rise of the banner under the arches of the “Hockey City” in honor of the victory of SKA-1946 in the Kharlamov Cup (analogous to the Gagarin Cup for the Youth Hockey League). The youngest hockey players, among whom the girl stood out with technique, were replaced by club veterans. From the big screen, they wished new victories to their native team.

The best places were occupied by beauties in branded sweaters with the names of hockey players from the St. Petersburg club – the wives and girlfriends of the players. It was to them that SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg addressed, thanking the women for their patience during the long summer training camp.

“We consider them part of our team,” he stressed. “We hope that during the season SKA players will feel the support of their soulmates.”

Hereditary hockey player

The composition of the St. Petersburg team has changed markedly compared to last season. Six foreign players left the club, and goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov went overseas. So far, he has not been able to sign a contract in the NHL, and Yaroslav will start the season in the Milwaukee team, which plays in the second-ranking transatlantic league, the AHL.

However, as the head coach of SKA noted, the team strengthened all the weak links. The captain of the new season will be the striker of the Czech national team Dmitry Yashkin. Hereditary hockey player, whose father played in the USSR championship, and in the early 1990s he left for the Czech Republic. And so it happened that, having passed through the youth teams of the Czech Republic, Dmitry played in the national team of this country. He played seven seasons in the NHL, and he is familiar with the KHL firsthand. His track record includes two seasons spent at Dynamo Moscow.

That’s just the captain Yashkin was not in any of the teams for which he played. Even in youth. The leadership of the SKA is not at all embarrassed. Professionalism and leadership qualities are captivating in the recruit of the club. And in general, as Roman Rotenberg noted, in each match any of the players included in the application will lead the team, as befits a captain.

“All or nothing”

In recent years, the club’s management has been betting on its pupils, who grew up in the SKA system and passed all the stages. One of them, forward Dmitry Buchelnikov, has been compared to NHL star Artemy Panarin. When the head coach of SKA was told about this, he found another comparison, with the hero of the film “Adventures of Electronics”. Like, Buchelnikov lifts exorbitant weights in the gym, and on ice he wins power martial arts against those who are more powerful and more experienced. Naturally, the guy needs to work hard, but he has the strength of mind.

The army team from the Neva enter the new season under the slogan “All or Nothing”. It perfectly matches the philosophy of the team. Her last reinforcement was … Grigory Leps. At the end of the presentation, the chanson star was presented with a game sweater with the number “1”. To the question of the correspondent of MK in St. Petersburg, whether we will see the first number of the team on the ice or at least in the locker room, the head coach replied: “I hope that he will constantly support the guys. It is very important that hockey players develop and contact with such personalities as Leps.”

Million for hospice

After the ceremony, which took place in the Hockey City, hockey players, coaches and leaders of SKA continued an important tradition – planting trees around the stadium, which is part of the complex. The alley laid out this year is dedicated to the victory of SKA-1946 in the Kharlamov Cup. The big hockey day continued at the Ice Palace. First, there was a match in the 3×3 format, in which the army team beat the XHL team.

The biggest 3×3 hockey enthusiast in Russia is Roman Rotenberg. So far, this format has not yet gained such popularity as the classic one. Everything is just beginning. Recall that 3×3 basketball also began with tournaments on Palace Square and matches in shopping and entertainment centers, and last year the first sets of Olympic awards in this format were already played.

The annual presentation ended with a charity match, during which a million rubles were raised for a children’s hospice. The hockey club has patronized him for several years. Divided into “blues” and “whites”, the army team from the Neva pleased the audience with productive hockey. The score of the match was 12:12, but, naturally, SKA won. And the refrain was the Leps song “The Best Day”, which the rookie of the St. Petersburg team performed at the end of the presentation. Although, according to the fans, it should be repeated for an encore after winning the Gagarin Cup.