The meeting with reporters was delayed for 45 minutes. But no one explained what this is connected with. Maybe they were expecting that at the last moment someone from the great hockey players of the past years would confirm their participation? Then the expectations did not materialize. There will be no Marc Monsieur, Mario Lemieux - either. However, Scotty Bowman is present on the bench, and Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey will come out on the ice. But this is still not enough.
When the participants of the press conference sat down in their seats, it became obvious that the cold relations of Igor Larionov and Viktor Tikhonov, who had not communicated for a good 17 years, had not changed. They sat at different ends of the table, but at the end of the event they did not come together.
Vladislav Tretyak took the place between Larionov and Tatyana Tarasova. He took the national team shirt from the table and straightened it in front of him. Photographers thronged in search of a successful frame. It was a fight.
By the way, the Tretyak will not be at the gate, despite the fact that he was invited to the team just for this. He wants to remain in the memory of the national goalkeeper, who missed a little. Therefore, it will play in defense.
“I myself wonder what will come of it,” admitted the head of the Russian Hockey Federation.
Viktor Tikhonov constantly consulted about something with Vyacheslav Fetisov and made notes in a notebook. Surely wondering the composition. Or even outlined tactical schemes.
“We will play while we have strength,” Fetisov reacted with a grin to the question about the rules of the match. Then he specified that so far periods of 15 minutes of pure time are provided. True, in such weather, with full equipment, veterans will have a very difficult time.
The organizer of the event, the head of Bosko, Mikhail Kusnirovich, led the meeting in the manner of the program “With all my heart”. Putting his hands on the table, he spoke quietly and unhurriedly, with the penetrating intonations of Aunt Vali. Tretiak even began to look around bewildered. He did not immediately understand where the speech was coming from.
The host introduced each participant for a long time, and when he finished the performance, he began to applaud. Although there were no revelations.
“And now the word will be spoken by the best goalkeeper of all times and peoples on both sides of the Atlantic, Vladislav Tretyak,” Kusnirovich said lullingly. The speaker came to his senses only when they brought him a microphone.
Paul Coffey began with thanks to Igor Larionov, who invited him to Moscow.
“Thank you for inviting Vyacheslav Fetisov,” the translator interpreted without any hesitation, which caused a displeased look of the intelligent Coffey.
“I said to Larionov,” insisted one of the best players in NHL history.
“When this man went out onto the ice in Red Square ...” continued Mikhail Kusnirovich, “... he opened his eyes wide. And even the mouth. This is Igor Larionov.
Larionov confirmed that the ice platform near the walls of the GUM impressed him. And he didn’t even refute the information about the mouth.
Organizational issues were also raised. As it turned out, the lineups will not be the strongest. Both will feature hockey players who have long traveled around the world as living legends. In Moscow they were already twice.
Tickets will be expensive.
“Ten times cheaper than for the Davis Cup final,” Kusnirovich said for some reason.
This means that you can get to the veteran hockey by laying out from 1000 to 4000 rubles. Yes, and there will be few tickets, about half a thousand. They will go to the box office on Thursday.
“Will there be Marc Messier?” - one of the journalists realized.
“You'll find out on Saturday,” Kusnirovich intrigued and turned off the meeting.
And the photocores again almost got into a fight for a convenient position for shooting.
Alexey Shevchenko