Hockey fans in Bratislava woke up to a shock this morning, as Slovan Bratislava announced on their website that the team and head coach Rostislav Čada had come to an agreement over the termination of the latter’s contract. For all intents and purposes it appears that Čada asked to be released from his contract rather than being fired by the club.
Photo from Rostislav Čada's last game in charge of Slovan
Photo: hcslovan.sk
Čada has had a mixed bag of success since joining Slovan Bratislava in 2012, upon their entry to the KHL. The Czech born coach had floundered with Avangard Omsk, but found his niche with a battling Slovan side, and whilst his brand of defensive hockey may have been dour at times, it did get results. Slovan’s first season in the KHL was an unmitigated success, as the team with one of the smallest budgets in the KHL made it to the Gagarin Cup Playoffs.
However, Jaroslav Janus and the rest of Slovan’s capitulation to Dinamo Moscow in the 2012/13 playoffs set the tone of things to come, and last season was one of frustration at the Slovnaft Arena. The sole Slovak team in the KHL toiled but could only finish 11th in the Western Conference, meaning it was the Nadezhda Cup rather than the Gagarin Cup they were playing for.
Despite this, Rostislav Čada’s time in Bratislava will be well remembered, as he managed to make what should’ve been a struggler, into a competitor. Slovan have consistently punched above their weight against the giants of Russian hockey, and Čada’s style of play has been an integral part of the club picking up historic victories over the likes of SKA St. Petersburg, Ak Bars Kazan and Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Over the past two seasons, Čada’s brand of counter-attacking hockey, relying on the speed of players like captain Milan Bartovič and Libor Hudáček has proven successful, especially when paired with the incredible performances of Jaroslav Janus, especially in 2012/13.
The announcement on Slovan Bratislava’s webpage is as follows: “HC Slovan Bratislava thanks Rostislav Čada for the honesty and responsibility he showed during his 29-month tenure in Bratislava for our cub. We wish him every success in his future work and private life."
Without wishing to enter the realm of counter-factual reporting, Slovan’s recent turn in results may have convinced Čada that he had achieved all that he could have with his limited resources. After three wins out of three to start the current campaign, Slovan’s luck has turned, and most recently a toothless 3-0 loss on home ice to strugglers Severstal Cherepovets may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Slovan's fans have supported the team in their droves, yet
budgets remain tight at the Slovnaft Arena
Photo: hcslovan.sk
To try and give some context to Slovan’s financial battle, GM Maroš Krajči announced last week that Slovan’s budget for the coming KHL season would be €13million. Using figures compiled by sports.ru, for the 2013/14 season, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov make €8million and €5.8million respectively on their own. What’s more, no Slovan players featured in the top-90 paid KHL players according to the same website. According to official figures released by the KHL Slovan’s budget was the second lowest in the KHL last season, a startling seven times less than top spenders SKA St. Petersburg. Within this environment, it is a miracle that Čada was even able to get Slovan to the playoffs in the first place.
Vladimir Országh becomes Slovan's interim coach
along with Ján Lipianský
Photo: bystricoviny.sk/
Slovan announced that their interim coaches would be former NHLer Vladimir Országh and former Slovan fan favourite Ján Lipianský, who played for the club during their first KHL campaign before hanging up the skates. While this coaching pair will only have the job temporarily, it will be interesting to see how the team performs under the tutelage of the pair. Országh is being tipped as one of Slovakia’s best young coaches and will potentially be given the job when current national team coach Vladimir Vůjtek leaves the post. Országh had spent the last two seasons as head coach of Banska Bystrica in the Slovak Extraliga, and was named assistant coach of the Slovak national team in the summer of 2013 as a nod towards his potential. Still only 37 years of age, Országh has a lot to learn, but getting thrown in at the deep end may not be the worst thing for the former Nashville Predator.
It doesn’t get much tougher for Országh, Lipianský and Slovan as they look to break their three game losing streak against Alexander Radulov and his CSKA Moscow side at the Slovnaft Arena on Saturday. CSKA have won five games out of six so far this season, whilst a Slovan loss may see the team fall out of the playoff positions already.
I, for one, will miss Čada. I think he did a fantastic job with what he had before him, and has made Slovan into a competent and competitive KHL team. I’m going to miss seeing him on the bench at the Slovnaft Arena, where peculiarly he stood in front of his players, right at ice level. Who knows what is next for the Brno native, but Velvet Hockey wishes him all the best.
It is a date that will
strike a nerve in hockey fans from now until the end of time. When Lokomotiv
Yaroslavl’s chartered Yak-42 careered into the ground yards from the runway,
time seemingly stood still. I can still remember exactly when I was when I
first saw the news appear on my Twitter feed, and then I spent most of the day
glued to Russia Today to get any updates in the vain hope that at least one
Lokomotiv player would survive from the crash. The heart-breaking tale of Aleksandr
Galimov, who was rescued from the wreckage only to succumb five days later to
his injuries is one that will live forever in my memory.
Vitaly Anikeyenko, Yuri Bakhvlov, Mikhail Balandin, Aleksandr
Belyaev, Gennady Churilov, Pavol Demitra, Robert Dietrich, Alexander Galimov,
Marat Kalimulin, Alexander Kalyanin, Alexander Karpovtsev, Andrei Kiryukhin,
Nikita Klyukin, Igor Korolev, Nikolai Krivonosov, Yevgeni Kunnov, Vyacheslav
Kuznetsov, Stefan Liv, Jan Marek, Brad McCrimon, Sergei Ostapchuk, Vladimir
Piskunov, Karel Rachůnek, Ruslan Salei, Maxim Shuvalov, Kārlis Skrastiņš, Pavel
Snurnitsyn, Daniil Sobchenko, Yevgeni Sidorov, Ivan Tkachenko, Pavel Trakhanov,
Yuri Urychev, Josef Vašíček, Alexander Vasyunov, Alexander Vyukhin, Artem
Yarchuk, Andrei Zimin.
37 men. 37 families torn apart by tragedy. As fans, we
remember the great pieces of play that these players were responsible for, but
we are simply unable to quantify just how much of a tragedy this crash was for
the families. For me, the loss of Pavol Demitra was the one that hurt the most,
as just a few months earlier, I remember ‘Palo’ in tears on the ice of the
Slovnaft Arena in Bratislava after he announced his retirement from the Slovak national
team. Demitra, who had been Slovakia’s talisman at the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver, had sent the whole country into raptures after scoring Slovakia’s
famous shootout winner over Russia, one of the country’s biggest hockey
achievements since winning World Championship gold in 2002. On the first
anniversary of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, I happened to be in Trenčín
in Slovakia, where I paid my respects in front of the now renamed Zimný štadión
Pavla Demitru. I watched Dukla play Žilina in a pre-season game and in the 38th minute, the whistle blew, Dukla
fans threw roses onto the ice and both teams and both sets of fans observed a
two minute’s silence.
However, the impact that these players had off the ice was arguably
greater than their impact off of the ice. Stories emerged such as the tale of
former Russian national team forward Ivan Tkachenko, a Yaroslavl native and
Lokomotiv’s prospective captain for their 2011/12 KHL campaign. Tkachenko had
donated one million rubles anonymously to a cancer victim in the nearby city of
Voronezh. His gratitude was only made public following the Lokomotiv plane
crash due his wish to remain anonymous.
Thousands paid their respects in Prague as the news reached
the Czech Republic of the deaths of Karel Rachůnek
Josef Vašíček and Jan Marek
Photo: idnes.cz
The start of the KHL season was delayed for a week, and a
touching ceremony at the Minsk Arena, where Lokomotiv were meant to be flying
to start their season, was put on by Dinamo Minsk with portraits of the dead
displayed on the ice. All across Europe, memorials were constructed to honour
each country’s lost heroes. In Prague, Old Town Square (Staromětské Náměstí) was full of candles as fans paid
their respects to the three Czech players who were involved in the tragedy.
Talk quickly
turned to simply where Lokomotiv could go from here. Would the franchise fold?
Could they rebuild a team for the current KHL season? All the teams in the KHL
discussed the possibility of loaning players to the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
franchise to help the club back on it’s feet.
However, it was
quickly announced that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl would be given special dispensation
to play in the VHL, the second tier of Russian hockey. The team would comprise
largely of players from Lokomotiv’s youth team which played in the MHL. The
Western Conference standings were reworked so that places in the playoffs would
be determined by points percentage, to account for the fewer games that
Lokomotiv would play in the VHL. The club made its VHL debut on the 12th
December, defeating Neftyanik Almetevsk 5-1 on home ice. Dmitri Maltsev scored
the first goal for the ‘reborn’ Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
In their only VHL campaign, Lokomotiv would finish third in
the Western Conference, defeating HK VMF in the first round of playoffs. Dizel
Penza were too tough an opponent in the Western semi-finals, and Lokomotiv
bowed out of the VHL with their heads held high. It was a fantastic project to
help rebuild hockey in Yaroslavl, using the youngsters who formed the basis of Lokomotiv’s
youth program. A number of players used the experience to help their junior
development, and it is fitting that the likes of Kirill Kapustin, Ilya
Lyubushkin and Yegor Yakovlev currently feature on Lokomotiv’s KHL roster after
helping the team rebuild. Yakovlev made his World Championship debut for Russia
in 2014, at the tender age of 22.
The summer of 2012 saw Lokomotiv truly rebuild as they put
together a strong looking roster. Vitali Kolesnik and Curtis Sanford signed as
the team’s two goaltenders, while the likes of Staffan Kronwall, Sami Lepisto,
Vitali Vishnevski, Alexei Kalyuzhny, Oleg Petrov and Niklas Hagman all signed
for head coach Tom Rowe. The former Carolina Hurricanes coach would get just
over a year in charge before being fired. In their two seasons since returning
to the KHL, Lokomotiv made the playoffs. In 2012/13 they lost to Severstal
Cherepovets, whilst the club made it as far as the Western Conference finals
last season, before losing in five games to the now defunct HC Lev Praha.
Former Team Switzerland coach Sean Simpson is now at the
helm in Yaroslavl, and the club enters the 2014/15 with a sense of optimism.
Sanford and Kolesnik remain between the pipes whilst hometown hero Ilya
Gorokhov enters his second season with the C on his jersey after an incredibly
successful spell with Dynamo Moscow. This summer has seen both Martin Thornberg
and Jiří Novotný join from
Lev Praha, and Sergei Plotnikov remains at the club, as the 24 year old is fast
becoming one of the premier Russian forwards in the KHL.
Lokomotiv shocked SKA St. Petersburg in the 2013/14 playoffs
Photo: Yaroslav and Julia Neelova, hclokomotiv.ru
The way that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has been able to rise like
a phoenix from the ashes of disaster is testament to the strength of the people
in the city of Yaroslavl and is endemic of how proud they are of their
franchise. The team was consistently able to sell out their VHL games, and now
the Arena 2000 is packed every game. The Lokomotiv jerseys are still emblazoned
with a black ribbon, with the date 07.09.11, as a testament to how despite the
crash, the current crop of players still represent that same Lokomotiv
Yaroslavl that those fallen heroes did.
Bouncebackability is a word commonly used in football
terminology, but never has it been so apt than in the case of Lokomotiv.
After a series of disappointing results against Denmark last week, the Slovakia national team put in a much better performance in Yaroslavl on Friday evening, despite going down 2:1 in a shootout. Head Coach Vladimir Vůjtek was right in saying that "Compared to our performances against Denmark, we did a lot better tonight. In the end I think we were the better team. The Russians had pressure in the opening six or seven minutes, but then the game settled, and as the game went on we got the upper hand. Our netminder [Jan Laco] played well." The HC Lev netminder did indeed play well, only conceding one goal in open play, and providing a strong backbone which the team lacked in their games against Denmark. With a performance like this, Laco has only furthered his claim to the starter's spot when the tournament begins on the 4th May.
They may have lost, but it was a good performance
by a Slovakia side still awaiting reinforcements
Photo: Hokejportal.sk
The Russians began the game much the better side, as Slovakia appeared to still be in the dressing room. Russia's early pressure was finally rewarded 14 minutes into the game, as Spartak Moscow forward Roman Lyuduchin beat Vladimir Mihalik for pace along the right wing, and Lyuduchin took the puck behind the goal and expertly found Alexander Svitov unmarked on the doorstep, and Svitov obliged by tapping the puck into the net to the delight of the 9,040 in attendance in Yaroslavl.
The second period began with Russia once again being the team creating the most chances, and Laco was called into action more than once, making a great save to deny Evgeni Ketov, before making a fantastic stop to deny Lyuduchin. This seemed to be the catalyst that Slovakia needed, and off a faceoff, a Kristian Kudroč point shot was saved by Mikhail Biryukov in the Russia net, but Biryukov couldn't control the rebound, and once again Juraj Mikuš was the first to react, firing into the empty net to tie the game in the 35th minute.
A minutes silence was held before the game in Yaroslavl
Photo: Hokejportal.sk
Instead of Russia being the ones to start the period well, it was Slovakia who took the game to Russia in the opening minutes of the third period, but their attempts were thwarted by Biryukov, who did well to stop chances by Rastislav Špirko and Marcel Hossa. Both teams wanted to be the ones that won the game, but they also did not want to be the team that made the mistake that lost the game, so although the puck kept on going back and forth, the two teams put all their focus on being the team that wouldn't concede the deciding goal. As a result, the third period was goalless, as was the overtime period, which sent the game to a shootout.
The shootout was a delight to watch, as the players really turned on the style. Denis Abdullin scored a lovely one handed goal to open the shootout, but his efforts were matched by the next shooter Jan Sykora, who put his stick between his legs and fired the puck over the shoulder of Biryukov. Pestushko scored on an effort that Laco would like back to make the score 2:1 Russia, which remained the score after Slovakia's second effort, as Biryukov made a fantastic sprawling save to deny Milan Bartovič. Lyuduchin was denied by both posts on a gorgeous spin move on Russia's third shot, and Marcel Hossa scored on Slovakia's third effort to tie the shootout at 2:2 after three shooters. Abdullin scored the next effort, whilst Biryukov saved Sykora's and Juraj Mikuš' efforts, which gave Maxim Pestushko a chance to win the game. The Neftekhimik forward did so with a brilliant move, faking the shot before quickly moving backhand-forehand to beat Laco, sealing the victory for Russia.
Juraj Mikuš, Slovakia's solitary goal scorer, did not seem too disheartened following the loss. "It was a balanced match. Russians have a young team, whilst we have a bit more experience. They played at home and they had to create more chances. We can take a lot of positives from our performance, which we will have to repeat in our next match. Hopefully tomorrow we'll score more goals and we will once again play well in defence."
Petr Mrázek gained plaudits from all across the hockey world for his performance against the United States in the Round Robin, but even he couldn't lead them to victory over Russia, as the defending champions scraped their way to victory in a thrilling match up in Calgary. The Russian overtime hero was defenceman Grigori Zheldakov who pounced on a loose puck in the Czech zone, and wired it past the Ottawa 67's goaltender and sent the Russian players into raptures. In what turned into a great goaltending between the aforementioned Mrázek and Russia's 17 year old goalie Andrei Vasilevski, with the former making 43 stops, and the latter 39 in a 2-1 victory for the Russians.
Tomáš Filippi and Tomáš Hyka dejected after
Grigori Zheldakov's winner
photo: Toronto Sun
The game was thrilling, with both teams going back and forth, and both goalies making save after save. The flashpoint came in overtime, as the Russians took the puck into the Czech zone after killing a penalty. Nikita Kucherov's shot from the left wing was blocked, but in his follow through, he high sticked Slavia Praha prospect Daniel Krejčí below the left cheek, sending the Czech player down to the ice holding his face. By the letter of the law it was not a penalty, although whether or not the play should have been stopped for a facial injury is another matter. Krejčí was left heartbroken by the defeat, although he would still show his distaste for the Russian side after the game. Due to the Russians having the puck in the offensive zone, the play continued, and two Czech players were sucked into the left corner, creating all the time and space for Kucherov to find Zheldakov with an inch perfect pass, and his shot scorched the twine. It was heartache for the Czechs, who, after getting off to a slow start to the game, gained more confidence as they went on. In the third period they forced a number of stops from Vasilevski, who, like the Czechs, improved as the game went on.
The Russians now face Canada in the
semi finals, in a rematch of last years final
photo: Toronto Sun
In the early going it was the Russians who had the better of the play, as Evgeni Kuznetsov, the captain of the Russian side somehow managed to fluff a breakaway chance after leaving Mrazek for dead with a series of dekes, but he contrived to shoot the puck out of play. The Russians started double shifting their top two units very early into the game, and whilst Kuznetsov, Gusev and Kosov were looking impressive, two of the top prospects for the 2011 draft, Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko floundered under the spotlight; although the latter was returning from injury. After being outshot 16-5 in the first period, the Czechs came out in the second period with a spring in their step, and just fifteen seconds in went close to breaking the deadlock. It took seven minutes before the scoring would finally start, and the Czechs took the lead. The breakout star of Czech hockey in 2011, Tomáš Hertl was the architect of the goal, as he outworked the Russian defenceman behind the net, and his wraparound pass went right onto the tape of Ottawa Senators draft pick Jakub Culek, who calmly finished past Vasilevski. However, the Russians weren't going to lie down, and they started to get back into the game soon after the goal. Daniel Krejčí was denied by Vasilevski after deking his way through the whole Russian team, but a matter of seconds later, Daniil Apalkov took the puck up to the other end of the ice, and with no other options, wired a wrist shot which eluded Mrázek, and lit the lamp for the Russians. Whilst you could hardly blame Mrázek for conceding, after some of his saves earlier in the game, he would certainly want it back. However, would it shame the young man's confidence? Of course not. As time expired in the second period, he showed that he was still in this game, as he somehow stuck a toe out, denying Yaroslav Kosov with a sprawling pad save, giving his now trademark fist pump for good measure.
The stars of the show: Andrei
Vasilevski and Petr Mrázek
Photo: Toronto Sun
The third period was bound to be a good one, and the two teams certainly didn't disappoint, with play going from one end to the other, and both teams having countless chances to finish the game. Both goalies knew that this would be twenty minutes of overtime. Mrázek set the tone with a brilliant paddle stop early in the period, reaching behind him and blocking the shot with the blade of his stick, but not long after, Vasilevski somehow got a pad to a Dmitrij Jaškin's wide open one timer. The young Slavia forward could only hold his head in his hands after being denied what was a certain goal. Mrázek was not to be outdone, as straight off the draw, the Russians got the puck to Kosov, who wired a wrist shot which Mrázek flashed his glove out and somehow plucked the puck out of the air. Still, Vasilievski would do exactly the same, denying Tomáš Filippi with a similar glove save. Both teams were seemingly content with heading to overtime, but with just 48 seconds remaining the Czechs had their chance, as Kucherov went to the box for high sticking. The Czechs couldn't convert, and soon after the penalty expired in overtime, Zheldakov put the game to bed.
For Mrázek, the cult hero of this years edition of the World Juniors after his erratic celebrations during the USA game, the defeat was tough to take. "It was a pretty good game for everybody on the team," Mrzaek said. "But we lost so we can't talk about it being our best game. It's difficult, but it's just hockey. Sometimes you have to take it." (Source). For the Czechs, they will now face rivals Slovakia in the 5th placed playoff on Wednesday in a game that neither team will want to lose, and who knows what Mrázek will have in store for us in his final game of the tournament.
