December's last chance: will Rotenberg's national team be able to cope with the powerful Belarusians

While the KHL championship has gone on hiatus, the traditional Channel One Cup starts in Novosibirsk on December 12. The participants include three national teams: Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. For the last two years, the tournament has been held in St. Petersburg. Then the Russian national team became the winner, and it will not be easy to take the highest step of the podium for the third time in a row. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

Basic clubs

In 2023, the Russians, Kazakhs and Belarusians were joined by the Zvezda and VHL team. The team consisted of hockey players playing in the second most important national championship, as well as representatives of the KHL who did not make it to the Russian national team. In 2024, the KHL world team was an extraordinary participant compared to other teams. It consisted of legionnaires from KHL clubs. At the upcoming CPC, the organizers returned to the three-team format.

"We will have an extensive hockey festival program in Novosibirsk," said Roman Rotenberg, head coach of Russia 25. — We are waiting for everyone in Novosibirsk, we invite you. There will be matches, the Channel One Children's Cup, sledge hockey, heroes of their own. There will be a master class that we are doing all over Russia. We will do an open training session in Novosibirsk with the involvement of the stars of our hockey. We are waiting for the full stands. We are very grateful to the Governor of the Novosibirsk region. We are grateful to everyone who is helping us now, because this is a huge project, and it will give us the opportunity to promote hockey in the regions.

There are no global intrigues in the formation of the squad in any of the teams. Belarus is based on Dinamo Minsk, the only club that represents this country in the KHL. The main backbone of the Kazakhstan national team is the hockey players playing for Barys. This is also not surprising.

In recent years, the Russian national team has also often been formed from one or two clubs. It's about CSKA and SKA. It's not worth delving into the reasons for this, but fans are used to this pattern. However, this year there are only three Moscow army men in the national team, and none from the Neva River. The composition of the Channel One Cup hosts looks balanced in terms of the ratio of representatives from the Eastern and Western conferences.

— A call-up to the national team was expected. My name is Viktor Merkulov (General manager of Sibir. — Ed.) he warned that he might be called up to the national team," defender of the Russian national team Timur Akhiyarov told Izvestia. — And that's what happened. It's really cool to be here. Nowadays, yes, these are fundamental games for us. And with the Belarusians, they have a very strong team. And with Kazakhstan, too, of course.

Without walking

Since the national teams of Belarus and Russia are suspended from international competitions, the Channel One Cup is a priority hockey tournament. Players should have a clear understanding: without a PDA, they cannot represent the colors of their country. The importance of the chance received in Novosibirsk is very clear. Especially for young people. Bogdan Belkin, Alexander Zharovsky, Roman Kanzerov, Egor Surin — this is their debut call-up to the adult national team.

"I'm very glad, I appreciate this moment, I'm enjoying it," Russian national team forward Egor Surin said before the start of the PDA. — This is the main national team, all the grown-up guys here are uncles compared to me. You just have to learn something from them and benefit from it. I will try to play good hockey, even be a leader somewhere, try to lead the team, give an impulse, because I am young after all. And so, the main thing is not to harm and be useful. Of course, it would be much more interesting to play with foreigners who play in the NHL. It would be very interesting to test your strength internationally with top teams. Especially with Finns and Swedes. I have never had international games with Belarusians or Kazakhs. That's why it's doubly interesting for me.

The game looks good: KHL records record attendance of matches

On average, slightly less than 8 thousand spectators attended the meetings of the first half of the season.

On December 12, the Channel One Cup will open with a match between Belarus and Kazakhstan. The central meeting of the tournament will be held the next day. Belarus will play its second match in the Siberian capital against Russia 25. And the coaching staff of our national team should keep in mind the defeat on December 18, 2022, when the Russians lost to the Belarusians in a shootout, giving victory not only in the match, but also in the tournament. Now, given the excellent progress of Dinamo Minsk in the KHL championship, the Belarusians can give a very good fight to Roman Rotenberg's team.

By last name, the composition of Belarus is slightly inferior to the hosts, so you should not expect an easy walk for Russia 25. It is very clear that the match will not be a one-way match. Belarusians can cheerfully start the first period, because Dinamo Minsk conducts the starting segments well. Talented Belarusian youth can offer their opponents a high pace. And if Kvartalnov's team creates a reserve in the score, it will be very difficult for the Russians to win back.