Month: August 2019 (Page 1 of 2)

ByТеймур Тушиев – Sputnik
Translated to English.

Acting President of the Azerbaijan Ice Hockey Federation Valery Laryukov in a interview with Sputnik Azerbaijan shared his opinion on the possible creation of a hockey club in Azerbaijan.

Recently, the issue of creating a professional ice hockey club in Azerbaijan, which can represent the country in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), has repeatedly been raised. The first to speak about this was the Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, Azad Rahimov.

The legend of world hockey, two-time Olympic champion, UN Goodwill Ambassador to the Arctic and Antarctica Vyacheslav Fetisov visited Baku, he discussed the development of ice hockey in Azerbaijan with Rahimov., and the other day the famous Russian hockey player of the NHL club “Washington Capitals” Alexander Ovechkin said at a press conference in Moscow that he intends to help Azerbaijan develop this sport. He also noted that he was invited to visit Azerbaijan next year.

Few people know, but Azerbaijan has the Ice Hockey Federation, which has been a member of the International Federation since May 6, 1992. The federation has a secretary general Valery Laryukov, who acts as president of the organization. According to the data on the website of the IIHF the office of the Azerbaijan Federation is located in Moscow at Leninsky Prospekt, 116-1-150. At the same time, one of the numbers of the city of Baku is indicated in the contact telephone number.

In an interview with Sputnik Azerbaijan, Valery Laryukov talked about how the Azerbaijan Ice Hockey Federation was created, his attitude to the creation of a professional Azerbaijani hockey club, as well as about the Azerbaijani national team, which played in the amateur league of Moscow.

How was the Azerbaijan Hockey Federation created?

In 1991, Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov, at the request of the Azerbaijani sports committee, asked me to go to Baku to open a hockey school there and develop this sport. About two hundred local children attended the school that opened then. After the collapse of the USSR from Moscow, the head of the Hockey Department of the Sports Committee Yuri Korolev called me and suggested the Azerbaijan Hockey Federation, then we created it and join the International Hockey Federation (IIHF).

I prepared the documents, and in 1992 we took part in the IIHF congress  where Azerbaijan, like the other former Soviet Republics, were accepted into the IIHF. While we participated in the congress, power changed in Azerbaijan – instead of Ayaz Mutalibov, Abulfaz Elchibey came to leadership in the country. Upon returning to Baku, a new Minister of Sports called me, and thanked me for the work I done and said that hockey will not be develop in Azerbaijan, the attention will be paid to national sports.

As a result, I returned to Moscow where I became the general director of the Russian Hockey Federation. However since 1992 the Azerbaijan Ice Hockey Federation has been a full member of the International Federation. Throughout this time I annually pay membership fees in the amount of approximately one thousand euros In order to maintain Azerbaijan’s membership in the IIHF.

Have you tried again to appeal to the sports leadership of Azerbaijan?

I did it several times appealed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee.
In response I was informed that in connection with the European Games, Formula 1 races and other major competitions, there are no funds in Azerbaijan to development ice hockey.

Despite this, we gathered children from Russian sports schools and took part in the amateur league of Moscow as the Azerbaijani team. We played at an average level  and in order to attract strong players we acquire equipment, and rented ice.  “You need a lot of money to play this sport”.

By the way, it is known that two Azerbaijani hockey players played in this team…

Yes, two Azerbaijanis played on the team and if we have any funding, then they are ready to play.
One of them is Ilgiz Salmanov, and the other is Orkhan Kyazimov. I note that the participation of the Azerbaijani team for next season of the Moscow Amateur League is in question, because this requires funding.

For example, for each match in this league, we need to pay 18,000 rubles for the rental of the rink and the the Referees. Last season we played 26 matches and we spent 468 thousand rubles in total. Each time the players collected this money themselves, taking off one thousand rubles out of there pocket. We are in a deadlock now, as we still do not know whether we can play in the Moscow league.

What motivated you to pay annual membership fees for the national ice hockey federation of Azerbaijan, which actually does not function?

You know, I consider this my brainchild. Initially, I fought for Azerbaijan to become a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and this was not so simple. Unlike countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, where the hockey industry was already developed then, it was only emerging in Azerbaijan. We had to convince our foreign colleagues that an ice rink was built in Baku, there are prospects for the development of hockey.

Azerbaijan Team in the Moscow League

Recently Azerbaijan has begun actively discussing the creation of a professional Ice hockey club. This issue was discussed with Vyacheslav Fetisov in Baku and Alexander Ovechkin recently spoke about this at a press conference in Moscow …

As the general secretary of the Azerbaijan Ice Hockey Federation I note that the KHL rules are clearly spelled out – a club that plans to participate in the league should have an ice arena for 12-15 thousand spectators, which Azerbaijan does not have. Back in 1991, an arena was built in Baku on the same premises as the CSKA Arena in Moscow.

Nevertheless, I am all for the establishment of a ice hockey club in Azerbaijan, and if people are ready to cooperate with the federation, then I can provide any help.

By the way according to the regulations of the International Hockey Federation, a club wishing to play in the KHL must obtain permission from the national federation of the country that it will represent in the league. It is the local hockey federation that signs the agreement with the KHL on the club’s participation in this league. There is an agreement between the KHL and IIHF according to which the club in order to participate in the league must obtain a license from its national federation.

In your opinion, is it worth developing Ice hockey in Azerbaijan?

There are two main ways: either a powerful club are created, at which children and youth teams can play or open several hockey schools around the country in which young hockey players  develop.
In both cases, and especially in the second, it is necessary to build skating rinks on which several Olympic sports can be developed – hockey, figure skating, short track and so on. If there is a decision by the country’s leadership to popularize winter sports, then both approaches can become the basis for development.

Which way is suitable for Azerbaijan?

Most likely, this is the first option in which a club can be created to participate in the KHL. Under them, a farm club can operate that will play in the Higher Hockey League. Youth teams can also be created, and subsequently ice rinks in the regions are built. They are now being created quite quickly, in about six months. The question of the main ice arena is a priority.

By the way, recently in Uzbekistan actively took up ice hockey. They built an ice rink, created a hockey team that will play in the Higher Hockey League. But if such people as Vyacheslav Fetisov and Alexander Ovechkin are involved in the project in Azerbaijan, then this is really serious.

I add that the creation of a hockey club at the KHL level is quite an expensive exercise. The minimum annual budget of such a club, which can attract hockey players of a not the highest class, is $15 million,
and the team that claims to have the best players has an annual budget of $60 million .

By Медведь Бурый – National Teams of Ice Hockey

Мы пообщались с защитником монгольского клуба “Багануур” Монхоо Болдбаатар и узнали где тренируется сборная, когда в Монголии будет новая арена и почему хоккей в стране был на спаде

– Здравствуйте, Монхоо, для начала расскажите о чемпионате Монголии, какие клубы принимают участие в чемпионате?

– В Монголии всего 4 клуба : “Улаанбаатар” , “Багануур” , “Шарын гол” , “Эрдэнэт”. Из-за отсутствия спонсоров в прошлом сезоне не смогли играть “Дархан” и “Жалам хар” .
Помимо основного чемпионата, есть ещё юношеский чемпионат, в котором участвуют 16 команд.
Чемпионат длится 2 месяца с ноября по декабрь, а после чемпионата начинается подготовка к азиатским играм.

– На мировых турнирах, сборная Монголии выступает на Challenge Cup of Asia. Скажите как проходит подготовка к турниру, и выступает ли сборная Монголии на других турнирах?

– Сборная Монголии тренируется в России в городе Чита. Сборы проводятся, как я уже говорил, после национальной лиги. На сегодняшний день сборная участвует только в Challenge Cup of Asia.

– Есть ли интерес у болельщика и вообще у людей к хоккею в стране?

– Интереса, как хотелось бы нет, но я надеюсь, что после строительства арены ситуация в стране изменится. Открытие арены планируют к маю 2020.

– Я так понял, отсутствие арены мешает Монголии принимать участие в квалификации Чемпионата мира IIHF?

– Да, хоккей в Монголии очень любили до 90-го года, в Монголии хоккей развивался очень хорошо. Но когда после распада СССР русские начали уезжать из Монголии, развитие хоккея в стране остановилось. Сегодня популяризация хоккея в Монголии идёт значительно вверх – после того как монгольская сборная начала играть в Сhalenge Cup юношеских команд становитсч больше.

– Скажите, если бы Монголия выступала на Чемпионате мира, то в какой по уровню группе она играла?

– Думаю в дивизионе «Е», так как у нас был опыт игры в этой группе, в сезоне 07/08.

By George Da Silva – National Teams of Ice Hockey

With a total population of just 3,198 people, Falkland Islands is the smallest hockey nation to play organized ice hockey. We had a change to talk to Sam Cockwell PR and Media Coordinator and also the Vice Chairman of the Falkland Islands Hockey Association.

How does an Island of about 3000 people have an Ice Hockey Team?

It’s taken a few years to get to where we are, and while we compete in ice hockey our normal leagues are all inline. Our success comes from a strong youth development through the club, the head coach is brilliant and takes the youth development really seriously which then encourages parents, brothers and sisters and friends to give it a try. The interest has grown every year, and as an indoor sport Hockey doesn’t rely on the whims of the weather like many other team sports. Apart from that those that try it just love it, what can I say, hockey has just grabbed the imagination of our little nation!

When was The Falklands Island Hockey Association form and how many different programs and teams are there?

We started out playing deck hockey in 2006 with a light street hockey style puck; this was started by a few people here including our head coach Grant Budd. This was all there was until 2015 when Grant started up a youth inline part of the club, they went away with a few adults to Punta Arenas to compete in a competition there and did really well. It then grew each following year and we have had 5 leagues of inline across 5 age ranges for the last couple of years now with around 20 teams in total and approximately 150 players (some play in multiple leagues).

The basic structure is all about youth development with it starting at Peewee, then Junior, Rookie, Elite, and finally the Senior league which includes the adult inline players. We also have training throughout the off season for all different abilities and ages to keep their skills tight and introduce new people to the sport.

Falkland Islands Team at Punta Arenas

Where does funding come from to keep exciting programs going?

We receive a lot of funding for equipment and team livery from a few local businesses, Seafish Chandlery, Fortuna, Energise, Tonedog Designs and Sure a are a couple of the long standing ones, along with some very generous individuals who donate every year, and a huge number of other businesses which support us. We also fund raise ourselves throughout the year by having special games and events, and recently had a whole day of games which raised well over £1000. Everything helps with supporting the club, and we also have some merchandise for sale in stores which gives a good trickle of funds especially in the summer when the tourists are in town. We also rely a lot of the committee to dedicate time and effort to the club, and have been really lucky to have such passionate and dedicated people to run it.

The team in Red are the U16s team for Miami, and the Black are the best team from our 2019 league with a few extra senior players from the ROTW team going to LATAM Cup also

The final match of the recent all day playing event we held to raise funds for the LATAM Cup

The Falkland has taking part in international competitions in the past, but this September you will be at the Latam Cup which will the biggest competition that the Island has taken part in with Men and a U16 team. How are you preparing the teams for this event?

We have been training together for this event over the last 4 months with a lot of time at the rink. It is tricky as our whole playing space is only a tiny bit bigger than the end zone of a normal rink so we have to try and devise special drills to get better in the small space we have. We are also going to be going away a week before the tournament to get some ice time and convert from inline to ice. All of us have done that before in the regional tournaments so we hope that it will not be too bad, but all you can do is give it everything you’ve got and put your best into it.
We are also doing a lot of video sessions watching and critiquing the recent games in the IIHF world cup, which is helping our team look at strategy, set plays, and player development.

I don’t want to spend too much time on this but I do have to ask. Politics and Sport don’t mix and there has been some friction between Argentina and the Falklands Islands over your participation’s at the Latam Cup. Do see way that two sides can come to some kind of an agreement for future events?
After all everyone has the right to play.

It’s impossible not to mention it, and we don’t want to dwell on it either. I can’t say what motivates the issues from the sporting bodies in Argentina, but our experience of playing with teams from Argentina has always been positive. I am confident that the Argentine team our U16s will play against in Miami will be exactly the same, and I hope that both sides get a positive experience from it. I have a good feeling that all the players and coaches love for the sport will eclipse any political issues or tensions. I hope that we can arrange some friendly training together or maybe a friendly game or two for after the tournament with our Argentine neighbours as well as the other teams in the contest; really we are all just people who want to play hockey. In our view that’s all that matters.

With regard to the future, I hope that the organizers and bodies from countries that attend will see that the more that attend the better the contest and the better for the sport. So I hope once we have met and broken through the barriers to communication we will be able to work on a productive and positive future for the sport in the region.

Penguins and Nires (Ushuaia) congratulate each other after the game at Puerto Williams, Chile

The Falklands Islands has no ice rinks, are there any future plans to have one built?

We really hope so! There is a plan for a new sporting arena that is currently being designed, we have lobbied hard and got a lot of community support for the design to include the pipework in the floor for an ice rink. It will already have the boards and floor markings etc. for inline hockey, but we hope that if we can get the pipework included in the start then we can fund raise and look for support for the associated plant to go in another phase of the development. At the moment its watch and wait, but we are hopeful that there should be some news on this soon, especially as the sport continues to grow. Currently inline hockey is the most popular sport in the Islands, and with ice we think it could become even more popular.

The Falkland Islands takes part in the Islands Games but there is no hockey at this event. Is there a push to have Inline or ball hockey in future games?

We recently learned that Bermuda have an inline and ball hockey league, which is great news, and we are part of the Falkland Islands Overseas Games Association (FIOGA) which is the body for the islands games here, and they are interested in the potential for hockey in the future either inline or ice if possible, however we haven’t yet put a plan to the Island Games, but it is definitely on our to-do list.

With the game of ice hockey growing on the Island do see other British territories picking up the game in the future?

We hope so, although many of the other Overseas Territories do already have other sports which they focus on. There is the example of Bermuda which has a strong hockey in place already so we are hopeful that there are links there. We have a good relationship with the Foreign Office, and they are very supportive of international sport events, so there is a good chance that through that relationship we could look at an overseas territories kind of game or development of the sport. Of course we would be delighted to help any new clubs anywhere and overseas territories even more so.

What would you say is unique about playing hockey in the Falklands Islands?

There are several things; probably the main one is exclusivity. As we play a very low contact inline hockey we are able to have a totally mixed gender league, and with a mix of ages. For example if there is a young player which has a dedicated and mature approach to the sport and a high level of skill, when we will often allow them to also play in the league above as well as their primary age group. This helps individuals develop and also gives each tier something to aim for and drive them to push themselves. In a similar way we also have a total mix of abilities which we spread out through the teams in each year when they are picked which helps everyone develop and grow, and keeps the leagues competitive.

We fundamentally believe that everyone should have the chance to play and enjoy sports, and that’s really the basis for our club.

By George Da Silva – National Teams of Ice Hockey

Argentina is not well know for winter sports but Hector Iannicelli president of Asociación Argentina de Hockey sobre Hielo y en Línea (AAHHL) is trying to change that.

Currently there 1,060 Total ice hockey players in the country according to IIHF but there are many more that play the game on Wheels. We caught up with Hector Iannicelli and asked him a few question about the game In Argentina

Can you provide our viewers a brief history of ice hockey in Argentina?

During the 1980s, in the city of Buenos Aires and in several cities in the interior of Argentina, there were many ice rinks, the vast majority were private enterprises, but very few were being used by clubs.

There was no sports spirit, they were only economic projects, which only interested them to have as many people skating at one time.

The economic crises of the country at the end of the 1980s, ended with the vast majority of the rinks closed, there were a couple of small ice rinks in Buenos Aires and only one was consider keeping ice hockey alive.

In the 1990s, without ice rinks, hockey lovers, discovered in inline hockey, and took it as an alternative sport, waiting for the return of the ice rinks.

In 1997 a group of players advised by the IIHF, founded the Argentina Ice Hockey Association and inline hockey, with the objective of developing ice hockey through inline hockey.

Thanks to the wheels, the sport remained alive and today we have a very large number of ice hockey players across the country.

When did you become president of Asociación Argentina de Hockey sobre Hielo y en Línea (AAHHL) and what are your goals for the ice hockey Program?

I have been president of the AAHHL for 10 years, having been treasurer and vice president.

All these years we have achieved many goals, we organize national, international tournaments, development camps, and we participate in the IIHF inline world championships, Pan American Tournaments in Mexico, Winter Youth Olympic Games and in the Latam  Cup in Miami.

Argentina National team

What is the current situation when it comes to domestic ice hockey in the country?

At this time, we are working on the qualifying for the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne Switzerland, on the only regular size ice rink we have in the city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, more than 3000 km away from Buenos Aires.

We are also making  preparation for the LATAM CUP this September in Florida.

Future players for youth Olympics

How hard is it to get players to convert from inline to Ice hockey and play for the national ice hockey team?

Our work was successful, the vast majority of our players began to skate on wheels, we have a league in which we play every weekend, in which about 600 players participate, between men and women.

The switch from wheels to the ice is not complicated, it only needs many hours of training,

Unlike the countries that have ice rinks, we are obliged to skate on wheels and on the ice rinks we train the ice skating technique.

Argentina celbrates a goal at the IIHF Inline World Cup.

Last year Argentina Men’s team took part in the Latam Cup but this year event is bigger with Men, Women and U16 teams taking part, What steps are you taking to prepare the teams for 2019 Latam cup?

In September we will be participating in LATAM CUP, with a category A team and another Category B in men division, A women team and a Under 16 team, we hope next year we will have more categories.

It is a very big effort that the organization makes for this tournament to grow and I am sure that next year we will have more categories.

I would like Mexico to re-organize the Pan American Tournament, which was very important for us and developing hockey countries in South America, an exclusive tournament for the national teams.

Argentina goalie at last years Latam Cup

Are there any players playing outside of the country that will be playing for Argentina at the 2019 Latam Cup?

As the LATAM CUP becomes better known, Argentina players appear everywhere, some born in our country, others are children of Argentina parents that moved away, there are players in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and I am sure that more will continue to appear.
These Children are determined to play for us.

What would you say is the talent level of the Argentina ice hockey players and can any them play minor or pro in North America?

The Argentinians are always well positioned in many sports, football, rugby, field hockey, basketball, tennis, boxing, judo, etc., I have no doubt that one day we will have the necessary infrastructure to develop Argentina hockey and we will have good hockey players on ice, but it will take a long time.

We currently have no players, who have the level to play in the professional leagues in the North America.

Currently Argentina does not take part in IIHF World Championships program. Do see this changing in the future?

The IIHF has a rule that does not allow any members to participate in the world championships, as long as it does not have a covered ice rink.

There is a project going on to put a roof on the ice rink of Ushuaia, which has the regulatory measures, which would give us the opportunity to participate in the programs of the IIHF world championships.

For this reason, it is important that the IIHF support the DEVELOPMENT CUP and other such tournaments, it gives us the possibility and countries that do not have an ice rink, to participate in an international tournaments endorsed by the International Ice hockey Federation Federation.

Argentina Women’s National Team

What is the one thing that is unique about playing ice hockey in Argentina?

I do not know if it is unique, but the passion that the players put to overcome and reach a competitive level, is what characterizes our athletes.