Izvestia: "Hockey fever"
A couple of months ago, Vladimir Putin held a video conference on preparations for the Kazan Universiade. The Russian men's junior hockey team that only recently defeated the Canadians in Turkey promised the prime minister to keep up the pace in preparation for the Universiade.
"In return, I promise to learn how to skate," Putin replied.
And he kept his word. In just two months, wearing the uniform of the national team, Vladimir Putin played in a hockey game at the Minor Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium. He practiced with youth players from the Polar Bears (Chelyabinsk) and Forward (Penza). The prime minister was frequently in the centre of the attack, and the team cheered on the new player.
"You aren't going to quit, are you?" the players asked.
"Well it's not like I'm quitting a bad habit – I just need practice!" Putin replied, adding that he had been training for two months.
However, Vladimir Putin doesn't have much time to spare – he could only train once or twice a week, mostly at nights.
Most VIP hockey players train nights and weekends. And their number is growing, as top officials invite their subordinates and form teams. Mikhail Mishustin, head of the Federal Taxation Service of the Russian Federation, is also a captain of the Sportim hockey team. In early March, the team made it to the finals of the Challenge Cup, but lost the game to GazpromExport, headed by Alexander Medvedev.
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Hockey afterhours
On their way home from work, many VIP hockey players stop by the Katok.ru hockey centre situated near the prestigious Rublevo-Uspenskoye highway. Famous professional hockey players, such as Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Kirill Knyazev, are also known to stop by. The centre assures its visitors, however, that anyone is welcome to play.
At this centre, one can do more than just play hockey – figure skating is also available in the mornings and afternoons. There are not as many visitors in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays, so everyone has enough space to skate without bothering others. It's also possible to train with a personal coach for 4,000 roubles per hour. In the evening and at night, the skating rink can be booked for team hockey games. One hour typically costs 55,000 roubles, but for regular clients who book the stadium by the season, the fee is reduced to 18,000 roubles per hour on workdays and 24,000 on weekends.
Anastasia Savinykh
