Champion of the country “Ak Bars” is slowly leaving behind, and Krylia Sovetov and Amur, who returned to the Super League, are weaving in the back of the table. This is the tournament situation after 11 rounds of the Russian championship, in which serious events will begin no earlier than five months later.
In fact, the rules of the tournament, in which 16 out of 19 teams enter the playoffs, are unlikely to make most of the Super League teams play seriously in the regular season. Well, how can one imagine that they will not be among the first 16 Lokomotiv with Magnitogorsk Metallurg, who have not too many points so far? Or middle peasants, such as Neftekhimik and SKA? Many experts, as if by agreement, argue that the three outsiders are actually already known - “Tractor”, “Wings of the Soviets” and “Cupid”, that is, aliens from the major league, fly past the playoffs. And this point of view is reasoned quite reasonably.
Initially, it was assumed that in the 2006/2007 season the Super League will be closed, that is, no one will fly out. Accordingly, the clubs that rose to the elite division, and built their selection policy: did not force events, did not make fundamental changes in the composition, did not buy expensive players. After all, at least for a year they had a guarantee of maintaining a residence permit in the Super League. In Chelyabinsk, for example, fixed assets were invested in the construction of a new ice palace. But, having taken away the right to hold a championship from the Professional Hockey League, the federation decided to change the rules - after all, send two teams to the tournament with a lower rank. It turned out, by the way, complete nonsense: now to save a place in the group of the strongest and get into the playoffs is almost the same thing. The exception will be 17th place, but is it possible to pre-set the task to take precisely the 17th position following the results of a three-round tournament? As for those who counted on the promised guarantees, they were in a very difficult situation.
So far, “Tractor”, and especially “Wings” with “Cupid”, is gaining every point with a fight, with full exertion. Meanwhile, their opponents, not very worried about their place in the playoffs, are just rolling in the season. In a month or two, they will already take shape, and then the outsiders will have to be really bad. It is possible that by the new year we will be convinced of the correct forecast of specialists, and the rest of the regular season will turn into a protracted preseason. The fight will go only for a more convenient seeding in the playoffs, which, as you know, is still a secondary matter.
Loud coaching resignations in the favorite teams “Magnitogorsk” and “Lokomotiv”, which occurred after the first rounds of the championship, only convince that, according to the leaders of the clubs, the season has not really begun. We can’t say that with Nikolai Borschevsky the Yaroslavl team went uphill sharply (Lokomotiv suffered three defeats in five games under Vladimir Yurzinov Sr., two in four under his successor), and Fedor Kanareikin did not greatly improve the metallurgical position - with him, the team has not yet won a single victory. But they still have time. Also, club presidents have time to think and decide whether they will continue to work with these specialists or invite more experienced and distinguished ones.
“Lokomotiv” suffered another defeat from CSKA. Both teams are still unsuccessfully playing on their ice, so the guests - the army team - could safely be considered the favorites of the match. Wards of Vyacheslav Bykov quickly opened an account, then the rivals exchanged goals, abandoned in the majority, in the end, thanks to the efforts of the Latvian goalkeeper Peteris Skudra, CSKA kept the winning result. 1: 2 - Yaroslavl already suffer the fourth home defeat in the championship.
Not greatly pleased their fans and Magnitogorsk, who completed their match in Khabarovsk with “Cupid” goalless draw. By the way, poorly performing matches still happen in the Russian championship all the time - 1: 1, 2: 0, even, as you can see, 0: 0. And this despite the significant changes in the rules and, as a consequence, the increased number of deletions. If you recall the last World Cup, almost the main factor of success there was the ability to play in unequal compositions. The implementation of the majority in the Super League matches leaves much to be desired - the same “Metallurg”, for example, could have scored “Cupid” when playing five on three. But did not score.
Dry home victories won “Chemist” and “Vanguard” (4: 0 over Novokuznetsk “Metallurg” and 2: 0 over “Siberia”, respectively). The biggest win on the tour was made by Ak Bars champion, who defeated Severstal with a score of 6: 1. The Cherepovets team dropped to the third line in the table from the end, since Tractor took three points from Moscow, beating 4: 2 another outsider - Wings of the Soviets.
MIKHAIL MELNIKOV