Hockey Night in Nizhnekamsk

Nizhnekamsk has a professional hockey team. This is not minor league. It’s quite comparable to the NHL. There are teams from Moscow, Samara, Kazan, even from Kazakhstan and Belarus which aren’t even in Russia. They call the team the “oil men” or more literally “the men which work in oil technology”. “Oilmen” doesn’t sound as nerdy. Team names are more appropriate to the industry dominant in the city, and are usually sponsored by major companies. Team names like bears and lions don’t exist. Right now the oilmen are in 3rd place in the eastern conference. Last year they made the play-offs and lost to the eventual champion runners-up. Not sure how they manage to be in the same league as these cities, because the population of Nizhnekamsk is much smaller. The hockey arena holds maybe 10,000 people and it costs $10 for a ticket which placed us in the 3rd row of the arena. Where in the NHL can you get that deal. Beers are 40 rubles a half-liter ($1.25) and hot dogs 15 rubles ($0.50). You can’t take food or drink into the arena, only in the lobby – which I liked. The sport is very fast and not as physical as the NHL. Emphasis is on speed and skill, not brute strength. The “goon” factor, which attracts many NHL fans, is not present.

The atmosphere in the arena would be very familiar to an American sports fan. They have the introductions, then the national anthem (of Russia and of Tatarstan state). They have a huge scoreboard with instant replays above the ice (replays only the home team’s goals, not the visitor’s), and game monitors in the lobby. There are cheerleaders, a rowdy section, a great sound system playing rock music (We will Rock You, by Queen, was done in Russian), an organist plays the Mexican Hat Dance and other assortments of “pep” music, and fans do “The Wave”, blow horns and wave banners. The place is deafening when the home team scores. At the end they have the traditional Stanley cup line-up where the players skate towards each other single file and shake hands.

All-in-all, a very fun evening. I plan to go several more times.

New Days

Returning from my first leave, the weather has definitely cooled. No more warm days by the river. The outdoor cafes have moved indoors. The heat in my apartment is turned on by the municipal authorities. Just when is still an unknown. Apparently we need 3 consecutive days below 8 degrees celcius. Meanwhile a sweater and warm pajamas are in order.