KHL Season 2017/18

Rigafan

Registered User
Jul 28, 2016
902
195
Europe
I've heard this about CSKA, and Dynamo being, I think, Putin's team. Are Moscovites, apart from Spartak, very apathetic to hockey are just those teams along with Vityaz in the Moscow Oblast?

As has been said before it would be logical to lose some of those teams there but for upper KHL echelon influence I've read before.

Putin is from Petersburg so its clear who his team is (and maybe why they are unstoppable... joking!)

Dynamo are basically bankrupt. Although they have a very nice new soccer/hockey arena being built so crowds will likely increase.

CSKA was mentioned how old and uncomfortable their arena is. Plus Im told traffic is so bad that moscow games usually start empty then fill up near the end
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
Putin is from Petersburg so its clear who his team is (and maybe why they are unstoppable... joking!)

Dynamo are basically bankrupt. Although they have a very nice new soccer/hockey arena being built so crowds will likely increase.

CSKA was mentioned how old and uncomfortable their arena is. Plus Im told traffic is so bad that moscow games usually start empty then fill up near the end
[Mod]

The SKA thing has nothing to do with Putin's birthplace. Try Gazprom.

Btw nothing wrong with 2nd largest city in the country having wealthy corporate residents sponsoring sports. And if SKA just wouldn't be breaking every rule out there because "there has to be a club to build the NT around" and for that purpose they can fleece the rest of the league for Reasons and The Greater Good, then it all would work just fine. I mean they have no issues selling ticks or something(unlike the other "basic franchize for the NT" that dwells in a storied old barn that should be a museum by now and still can't get it sold out not to mention they don't have an actual modern arena.).

Look, on the off-ice-side SKA is doing a good job while the other Croesus in the league can't even provide that.

On the ice or better to say hockey operations SKA is an absurd monster that kills the competition in the league, doesn't play by the rules if it doesn't feel like it and probably does interfere with officiating(just the eye-test from each SKA game I whitnessed).

As for the traffic in Moscow it's not that big of an issue. Moscow people do get wherever they want by car if they really want to go by car and Moscow has one of the best public transportation systems in the world. I for my part would never go by car. The problem with the CSKA arena is it is inbetween 2 Metro stations. And yes, Leningradskiy Prospect is jammed at game time so one would have to walk from the Metro to the arena. Probably scares off some lazy a.. casual fans.

But the real problem is CSKA doesn't have a proper fanbase of die hard and regular fans which is mindboggling in a city that big. Usually an arena that small should be full every single game just with the utter die-hards.

Something's foul in the CSKA marketing department. For years... No better times in sight.

And Riga can't seem to find the right recipe with the roster actually. There are other teams with money issues who manage to build something.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Rigafan and Exarz

cska78

Registered User
Nov 27, 2006
12,755
326
USA
www.fc-rostov.ru
when today's fan base was being born and growing up CSKA was poor broken up into two clubs, neither one of each was doing well at all But of course even then, the marketing is to blame here. they do everything possible to alienate fans, closed the fan forum a few years back as well, because they were being criticized there.
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
when today's fan base was being born and growing up CSKA was poor broken up into two clubs, neither one of each was doing well at all But of course even then, the marketing is to blame here. they do everything possible to alienate fans, closed the fan forum a few years back as well, because they were being criticized there.
The pricing is also alienating. I have a clear case to present. Casual fan from Moscow I know who is actually not that interested in hockey wanted to go to a playoff game last year with his kid. And decided othewise after learning about prices. And they are used to Moscow prices, so he was obviously comparing to what a usual entertainment program with a kid in Moscow would demand. The CSKA management should do the same. They have a small arena and can't make a lot through admisssion anyway, but alienating casual fans is not going to help.
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
The pricing is also alienating. I have a clear case to present. Casual fan from Moscow I know who is actually not that interested in hockey wanted to go to a playoff game last year with his kid. And decided othewise after learning about prices. And they are used to Moscow prices, so he was obviously comparing to what a usual entertainment program with a kid in Moscow would demand. The CSKA management should do the same. They have a small arena and can't make a lot through admisssion anyway, but alienating casual fans is not going to help.

Well you have a point but they sold out both games during the finals so the prices must have been right
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
In what sense?
If you do realign teams, why leaving Spartak and CSKA in different divisions? If you care for attendance numbers that's the one Moscow rivalry that would help. I get it, there are 3 Moscow teams. Somebody has to give, but why not putting Vityaz in that North West division? It's not like there are no weak AND strong teams there.

The eastern divisions have not the same number of teams. So there is no way to even out anyway. Again, why realligning and not putting Ufa in our division? The Rivalry? Never heard of it. We have Ekaterinburg but not Ufa in the division. They tried to divide the teams geographically? Then how does that make sense? Ekat is a much better fit to the sibirian-far-eastern division. I get it with Torpedo. They are practically neighbors.

They missed out on the opportunity to make it a relly good one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Exarz

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
I think the league tried to put at least two great teams to every division - SKA/Jokerit/Dynamo Msc, CSKA/Loko, Magnitka/Ak Bars + based on this season all teams are good, SY/Avangard. If you switch Avto-SY, you have really strong division with Magnitka/Ak Bars/SY & weak one with Avangard. Avto is good, but not on level of SY yet.

The league considers 6 divisions of 4 teams in the future. We will see how it will look like ... if happens.
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
I think the league tried to put at least two great teams to every division - SKA/Jokerit/Dynamo Msc, CSKA/Loko, Magnitka/Ak Bars + based on this season all teams are good, SY/Avangard. If you switch Avto-SY, you have really strong division with Magnitka/Ak Bars/SY & weak one with Avangard. Avto is good, but not on level of SY yet.

Yes I also think they didn't want to have a "Moscow" division to have teams a bit more spread out
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
Yes I also think they didn't want to have a "Moscow" division to have teams a bit more spread out
Biznis Online is a Russian media which follows KHL attendance closely. They have a database of attendance since the league´s establishment, even from CCCP times. BO in their latest article wrote that Dynamo-Spartak is the most attended Moscow´s derby. I guess, they mean this season. If so, it is not a suprise, because both clubs played at 10+ arenas. CSKA has much smaller arena. According to BO, the league wants to benefit from this Dynamo-Spartak series of matches.

 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->