Siberia, Here We Come

By Tim Harwood

Thursday’s exhibition matchup just outside Moscow did not end the way Waterloo would have hoped, but the long, eventful day went otherwise according to plan.

The Hawks left for the rink in style, riding Dynamo Moscow’s bus for the 90 minute crosstown trip to Balashikha Arena.  Dynamo is the reigning champion of the KHL, Russia’s elite professional league.

With some additional time on their hands before getting into the normal pregame routine, Waterloo players made a lap around the rink.

The stroll slowed to a snail’s pace as players discovered a snail crawling along the sidewalk.  Pijus Rulevicius eventually set it safely in the grass.

The very modern rink was built in the mid-2000’s.  Waterloo staff estimated it could hold at least 5,000 people.

HC MVD is the junior team tied to Dynamo Moscow.  Until recently, it was known by the same name as the professional team.  Between Dynamo and MVD is a “minor league” affiliate, Dynamo Balashikha, which skates in the same rink where Thursday’s game was played.

A crowd of approximately 500 was on hand for the midweek, early afternoon matchup.  Although there were quite a few empty in the big building, the fans who attended were energetic and made quite a bit of noise.

Following MVD’s 4-2 victory, both teams went to the club’s training center several miles away and shared lunch there.

After a cucumber and tomato salad, the players were served a meatball soup with carrots and potatoes, followed by a chicken and pasta main course.

Navigating through traffic to Domodedovo Airport, the Hawks boarded their charter for Omsk with the teams representing Canada, Finland, and Sweden.  The flight took off as a rainstorm was picking up and the ride was bumpy at times.  However, the plane landed safely around 3AM local time Friday morning.  Players and staff will have some much needed recovery time, with an open schedule until a 7PM practice.