Women’s Hockey Update: June 12th, 2017

Anna Shokhina receives the Women’s Hockey League’s 2016-17 Best Player award from former USSR national teamer Alexander Yakushev.  (Image Source)

After a fairly quiet stretch going back to mid-May, it is time for another women’s hockey update!  The 2017-18 women’s hockey picture in Russia is becoming clearer, largely as a result of some meetings involving Women’s Hockey League and Russian Hockey Federation executives.  Read on, then, for news of a league format change, some notes on the upcoming international season, and other such matters.

Decision Day

The KHL prepares for the 2016-17 Awards Ceremony.  Before that, however, there was momentous news from the league itself…  (Image Source)

“It might be necessary to make some unpopular decisions,” said KHL President Dmitry Chernyshenko yesterday, after a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport.  Today, the league’s own Board of Directors met, and some thunderous decisions were indeed made — popular or unpopular, depending on one’s point of view.  Read on, for a quick and preliminary look at those, and also some news of the KHL’s annual awards ceremony, which also happened today!

Wrapping Up the 2017 Worlds

Russian players and staff pose after today’s bronze medal game win over Finland. (Image Source)

The 2017 edition of the IIHF Men’s World Championship came to an end today, as Sweden defeated Canada 2-1 in a shootout to win their tenth gold medal.  That was in Paris — a little ways north and east, in Köln, Germany, Team Russia was taking Finland for bronze, and to extend their medal streak at this tournament to four years.  How did it go?  You can check the caption of the picture above, but also read on for the whole story, and for some thoughts about Russia’s performance at the tournament in general.

Women’s Hockey Update: May 19th, 2017

The Oka River (left) meets the Volga at Nizhny Novgorod, which was announced today as the host city of the 2018 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.  (Image Source)

Much news this week in Russian women’s hockey, starting with some very exciting tidings on the international hockey scene!  Read on, however, as we also have the conclusion to the amateur women’s hockey season in Russia, transfers news, and other such items (including an update on a kitten…).

To the Medal Round at the Worlds!

Russia’s head coach, Oleg Znarok, appeared in good humour as his team arrived in Paris today for Thursday’s Worlds quarterfinal.  (Image Source)

When last we checked in the Russian national team at the IIHF 2017 Men’s World Championship, coach Oleg Znarok had his squad at 3-0, but had lost — at least temporarily — the services of captain Sergei Mozyakin (German forwardPatrick Hager, who had injured Mozyakin, was given a two-game suspension for the incident).  So how have things gone for Team Russia since then?  Well, read on…

Women’s Hockey Update: May 10th, 2017

 

Grad-1 Moscow celebrate winning the inaugural Russian amateur women’s hockey championship, in May of 2016.  (Image Source)

There remains one piece of on-ice business to be settled before the 2016-17 Russian women’s hockey season can be declared fully finished.  That is the national championship of the League of Women’s Hockey, the country’s amateur women’s league.  That tournament, the second in the competition’s history, begins tomorrow in Sochi on the Black Sea Coast, as part of the overall Russian amateur hockey national festivities.  Read on, for a quick look at that tournament, including some familiar names from the past…

The Worlds Three Games In

Fans show their concern as Russian captain Sergei Mozyakin is helped off the ice after being injured against Germany on Monday.  More on that below.  (Image Source)

The first bit of good news is that it appears that Sergei Mozyakin will be alright, and may even be able to rejoin the festivities at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.  That happy prognosis looked unlikely earlier today, when the Team Russia captain lay on the ice in Köln’s Lanxess Arena, victim of a slew-foot, from German forward Patrick Hager, that was as cynical and horrendous as any you will see (Hager received a match penalty, and that call was not a difficult one for the referees).  Mozyakin left the ice only with considerable assistance, and was taken to hospital for observation; concussion was suspected, as the Metallurg Magnitogorsk forward had struck his head on the ice with some force due to Hager’s hit.  However, reports tonight are that Mozyakin was not concussed, and returned to Team Russia’s hotel in time for dinner with his team-mates.  We will see if he is in the lineup when Russia take on Denmark on Thursday.

The other piece of good news for Team Russia and its fans is that the record after three World Championship games stands at 3-0, even if one of those victories, coming via the shootout, earned two points rather than the hoped-for three.  Read on for a recap of the action so far, and some thoughts!

Team Russia at the 2017 Men’s Worlds

Team Russia prepares for the 2017 Worlds. (Image Source)

Friday marks the beginning of the 2017 IIHF Men’s World Championship, the tournament being jointly hosted this time around by France and Germany.  Russia is coming off a bronze-medal performance at home at last year’s Worlds, and last won gold in 2014 in Minsk.  Read on, for a look at the roster that will try to recreate that year’s success in 2017!

Gold at the Euros!

Team Russia players after receiving their gold medals at the Under-16 Girls’ Euros on Sunday.  (Image Source)

As we mentioned last time, this past weekend saw the first-ever Under-16 Girls’ European Championship, with Budapest, Hungary, as the inaugural host city.  Team Russia was in attendance, and… well, you can probably figure out from the picture above how it all went.  Read on, then, for a recap of Russia’s gold-medal campaign at the new tournament!

Women’s Hockey Update: April 26th, 2017

Defender Yelena Provorova scores Russia’s winner in the bronze-medal game at the 2017 U18 Women’s Worlds.  Provorova will captain her country’s first-ever U16 Girls’ team, starting tomorrow.  (Image Source)

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new era in international women’s hockey, with the opening the first IIHF-sanctioned national team tournament at the U16 Girls’ level!  Read on, for a look at Russia’s roster at that tournament, and some other notes as well.