ON ROAD Today hcdinamo.by

We tell and show how the Zubrs spent the day before the match with Jokerit

See On a sunny Tuesday morning the Bison headed for Helsinki. But as soon as you arrived at the Riga airport, it began to snow immediately. As a result, the flight was delayed by half an hour.

Upon arrival in the capital of Finland, the team passed another test for COVID-19 (the third in four days: PCR tests were in Minsk, Riga, Helsinki). The hockey players reacted to this procedure with understanding, even if it takes a lot of time. And humor will always help turn any hardships into a quest. One of the players made a little joke on the local paramedics, pretending that he was about to shuffle the flasks with biomaterials for tests. At first the Aesculapians tensed seriously, but then they exhaled and laughed.

Arriving at the hotel, the “bison” had a quick lunch and went to the “Hartwall Arena”. This is perhaps one of the most unusual arenas in the league. Built in 1997, it has hosted three world ice hockey championships (and will host the 2022 World Cup), a lot of concerts by world celebrities. But the most important thing is that a space in the rock was cut out for its construction! You leave the dressing room, and it may seem that you are in some kind of cave. In fact, it is. 

The Finns also combined their two passions: hockey and sauna. Yes, you can take a steam bath right in the arena and watch the game at the same time! This looks something like this:

The evening training went according to plan. 

After training, the “bison” returned to the hotel. A lockdown is introduced in Helsinki. So there is no question of walking around the city.

We talked about this and another with Alexander Suvorov .

– The match in Riga turned out to be difficult, – says our forward. – For a long time, six of our collections were in limbo, it was not clear whether they would be able to play or not. The final line-up was found out almost a couple of minutes before the start of the match. As a result, they played with a short shop. We tried to act harmoniously, fulfill the coach’s instructions, and support each other. We did it, we won, despite such difficult conditions. They showed that we are one fist.

We arrived in Helsinki with a slight delay. But all is well, we trained in a great mood. Getting ready for the match with Jokerit. There will be another difficult match, in which you need to win in order to continue your successful streak and move up the standings. Every game is worth its weight in gold.

– Does the fact that you can not go outside do not interfere, you have to spend almost all your free time in hotel rooms?

– It interferes a little. But I’m used to it :). At the World Youth Championship in Denmark, we also sat in such a “bubble”. Only on the last day after the tournament was it possible to leave. Yes, I want to take a walk, but since there are such requirements, they must be observed.

***