Ice Hockey - away fans

Peter Grummit · Nov 10, 2015

Having never managed to get to a game, despite a few trips to Toronto and Dallas for work, I finally got to a game in Helsinki a couple of weeks ago when visiting junior PG who is studying there this year.

The local team, Jokerit Helsinki, play in a serious Eastern European League (KHL). Teams are spread from the Balkans, across the Baltic and Russia as far as Vladivostock. There is even a Japanese team! I saw Jokerit whip a Russki team 6-1 and it was great fun. Crowd was about 10k in a great indoor stadium that holds almost twice that. Street food and beers available, for a price, in the two inter-period intervals.

A couple of days later, we knew there was another home game against Dinamo Riga. We were staying in an AirBnB apartment that overlooked the docks, and on the morning of the game, we saw a straggle of blokes walking up from the ferry port, with colours on and waving a massive flag. Turns out they were Riga fans, over for the game, despite it being a 3 1/2 hour ferry trip, preceded by a 5 hour drive to Tallin from Riga! They must have travelled through the night. We didn't go to the game, but saw that Jokerit were 5-0 up after the 2nd period. Somehow, Riga turned it around and scored 5 in the 3rd period to take it to overtime, and ended up winning the penalty shootout! I bet they enjoyed their trip home!

So, today I'm following Jokerit playing away at Omsk in Russia, and they manage to nick a 1-0. Flicking through the photos of the game I came across this one

.

Away fans from Helsinki, for a midweek game. Omsk is 6 hours away - by plane!

Anyone else seen any Eastern European ice hockey, or indeed in North America?

PG

Lyndhurst 14 · Nov 10, 2015

Big New York Rangers fan - seen them play twice at Madison Square Gardens. Fantastic atmosphere. Ice hockey is my favourite sport in the States - and always watch the Stanley Cup which I think is one of the toughest sporting competitions going.

Notters · Nov 10, 2015

Yep, been to a match in Basel. They have terraces behind the goals, and as they were playing a French Swiss team (Lucerne I think), one lot of fans were singing in German and the other in French. Great stuff.

symyjym · Nov 10, 2015

Shame we don't have an ice arena in Brighton

el punal · Nov 10, 2015

symyjym said:
Shame we don't have an ice arena in Brighton

Anyone remember the Brighton Tigers? They used to appear regularly on BBC Grandstand in the early 1960s. I seem to recall a certain Rupe Fresher. All a long time ago. Zzzzzz.

symyjym · Nov 10, 2015

el punal said:
Anyone remember the Brighton Tigers? They used to appear regularly on BBC Grandstand in the early 1960s. I seem to recall a certain Rupe Fresher. All a long time ago. Zzzzzz.

Yep, they were one of the best ice hockey teams in Europe and they beat the Soviet Union in 1957. All a bit before my time but they are part of our heritage as much as BHAFC.

I think the Albion played against them in some sort of charity event. Would be good if they could be resurrected. An arena could possibly be built at Falmer if there was the will to do it.

Mackenzie · Nov 10, 2015

symyjym said:
Yep, they were one of the best ice hockey teams in Europe and they beat the Soviet Union in 1957. All a bit before my time but they are part of our heritage as much as BHAFC.

I think the Albion played against them in some sort of charity event. Would be good if they could be resurrected. An arena could possibly be built at Falmer if there was the will to do it.

Yes please.

symyjym · Nov 10, 2015

MacKenzie said:
Yes please.

Reading are building one next to the Madjeski. We need to keep up

http://www.psam.uk.com/reading-fc-u...cheme-to-include-a-conference-centre-ice-rink

Albion in the north · Nov 10, 2015

Watched a College game in Anchorage at the end of the 90s. It was madness! Such good fun and I didnt realise that even at that level it was sooo competitive.

litmanen · Nov 10, 2015

Came to NSC to see what people are talking about, and i find out that they are talking about hockey.....even finnish hockey

Personally, as i live in Finland, it's almost impossible not to follow hockey at all, but i do hate the fact that hockey is the number one sports in Finland, and not football.

But at least there are more kids playing football than hockey in Finland, that's something at least. And the finnish football league had an increase in the average attendance amounts this year (i think it went from 2000 to over 2500).

Btw, the hockey team you have been watching (Jokerit) is basically the "Manchester City" of hockey in Finland. A team that always had the biggest budget when playing in the finnish league, and that's why it was also the most hated hockey team in Finland.
Even today many finnish people (like myself) find it difficult to wish any success to Jokerit in the KHL league.

It's a shame that Jokerit does not play in the finnish hockey league anymore, because for many people the highlight of the season was the "Helsinki derby" game Jokerit vs HIFK.
When the two teams played against eachother at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium at best there were over 30 000 people watching the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhBGAXB5No

But those days are over now, since Jokerit do not play in the finnish league anymore. Used to support HIFK, the "swedish" team of Helsinki, everytime they played against Jokerit.
Although maybe it's good for finnish football that hockey is not as popular as it used to be.

Peter Grummit · Nov 10, 2015

litmanen said:
Came to NSC to see what people are talking about, and i find out that they are talking about hockey.....even finnish hockey
Personally, as i live in Finland, it's almost impossible not to follow hockey at all, but i do hate the fact that hockey is the number one sports in Finland, and not football.

But at least there are more kids playing football than hockey in Finland, that's something at least. And the finnish football league had an increase in the average attendance amounts this year (i think it went from 2000 to over 2500).

Btw, the hockey team you have been watching (Jokerit) is basically the "Manchester City" of hockey in Finland. A team that always had the biggest budget when playing in the finnish league, and that's why it was also the most hated hockey team in Finland.
Even today many finnish people (like myself) find it difficult to wish any success to Jokerit in the KHL league.

It's a shame that Jokerit does not play in the finnish hockey league anymore, because for many people the highlight of the season was the "Helsinki derby" game Jokerit vs HIFK.
When the two teams played against eachother at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium at best there were over 30 000 people watching the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhBGAXB5No

But those days are over now, since Jokerit do not play in the finnish league anymore. Used to support HIFK, the "swedish" team of Helsinki, everytime they played against Jokerit.
Although maybe it's good for finnish football that hockey is not as popular as it used to be.

But surely you need a decent budget to compete with the top Russian and other teams? Jokerit are having a good season. And I see Finland beat Russia in the recent mid-season international tournament.

Seems like a very parochial view, Litmanen. BTW, really enjoyed visiting Helsinki, it's a beautiful city.

PG

Notters · Nov 10, 2015

symyjym said:
Reading are building one next to the Madjeski. We need to keep up.

Thunder Bolt · Nov 10, 2015

el punal said:
Anyone remember the Brighton Tigers? They used to appear regularly on BBC Grandstand in the early 1960s. I seem to recall a certain Rupe Fresher. All a long time ago. Zzzzzz.

I was a Tigers fan. Football on Saturday and Ice Hockey on a Sunday. That was my weekend sorted. I went as an away fan to watch us win the title and the cup against our rivals Wembley Lions.

litmanen · Nov 10, 2015

Peter Grummit said:
But surely you need a decent budget to compete with the top Russian and other teams?

I was talking about the time when Jokerit were still playing in the finnish hockey league. They always bought expensive players and expected to win the league, so many people just couldn't help being a bit happy when Jokerit failed to gain success in Finland despite their money.

Btw, for many finnish people the biggest sports moment was when Finland won the ice hockey world championship in 1995, but for me (and for most finnish footballfans, i believe) the biggest moment was in 1998 when HJK Helsinki became the first (and currently the only) finnish footballteam to have played in the Champions League. I guess i was a bit happy when i saw Finland win the hockey championship, because my country doesn't usually win that many titles in sports.....but obviously hockey is not as popular around the world than football.....so seeing Finland gaining some success in football is something completely different. Obviously i can never expect Finland to win the football World Cup or European Cup.....but even getting to either of those tournaments would mean the world to me, and to so many others too.

helipilot · Nov 10, 2015

I'm going to a game tonight... Huntsville Havoc - the only pro hockey team in Alabama and play in the Southern Professional Hockey League here in the USA..... go Havoc!!

RandyWanger · Nov 10, 2015

Allez Cham!

Love a bit of ice hockey, except when we play grenoble, they have a drum and a megaphone. Tin pot.

downham seagull · Nov 11, 2015

Absolutely love ice hockey, spent most my child/teenager years supporting Romford Raiders. A league 2 side who never made it to the big league but had some brilliant seasons trying. Used to get 1500 in their rink down Rom Valley Way on a Sunday which was a sell out and regurly would take 100-200 supporters to an away game on a Saturday. The double header weekends where you would play a Scottish team sat then travel south to the places like Blackburn/Trafford on s Sunday were legendary, had to drag the players out the nightclubs at 3am lol. Went 3 whole seasons without missing a game and once flew to Glasgow with British Midland for a game against Paisley as their was no supporters coach.. Happy memories. Sadly the team folded after 10 years and was never the same after. The council swapped the land to Morrisons who duely knocked the ice rink down and have stalled on building a store which in turn has delayed the building of a new rink in the Town centre. Sad

Jesus Gul · Nov 11, 2015

Slovan Bratislava at the Slovanaft Arena vs Dukla Trencin a few years back. Top cheerleaders. Cheap beer.

Blue Valkyrie · Nov 11, 2015

Out thoughts in 2003...

http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?6438-brighton-tigers-ice-hockey-team

Goldstone1976 · Nov 11, 2015

I'm a big Sharks (San Jose, CA) fan. When I lived in the States, I went to every home game for 4 seasons and maybe 10% of away games (distances are soooo much longer in the US). Absolutely love the game - fast, skilful, relatively easy to understand, lots of fights - what's not to like?

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Ice Hockey - away fans

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