The governor of the Astrakhan region, Igor Babushkin, told that a Youth Hockey League (MHL) team may appear in the region.
This season, 37 teams compete in the MHL, divided into four divisions and two conferences. Last season, the Kharlamov Cup was won by the Nizhny Novgorod “Chaika”.
— Recently, a new season of the amateur hockey league was opened in Astrakhan and a 32 kg cup was presented to the champions. What are the city’s prospects for hockey?
— The prospects are obvious, because hockey is incredibly popular among Astrakhan residents. Today we already have a lot of children taking lessons: more than a thousand people are interested not only in hockey, but also in figure skating.
And one rink is no longer enough for us. We plan to build several more. And this is the five-year perspective that awaits Astrakhan from the point of view of hockey development.
We opened the Caspian Cup and presented a magnificent trophy. And that means that every year the champion will be marked on this cup with a special engraving. Our friends Alexey Kasatonov and Vitaly Prokhorov came to our gala match. They really support amateur hockey. Although they have been great professionals and legends of our sport for a long time.
— Could a Youth Hockey League club one day appear in Astrakhan? It will be the transition of a city of half a million people from amateur to professional sports.
– It’s likely… To do this, we need to build a hockey box with the required number of spectators. We have everything you need to create and train a youth team. Talented young people are visible and there are already initial successes in the competitions in which they participate. The moment a proper hockey arena appears, our young people will grow up. And I really hope and I’m even confident that we will have a professional club.
— Well, for now, Astrakhan is participating in the Night Hockey League movement.
— NHL matches attract a large number of spectators here in Astrakhan. This is of considerable interest. The winner gets the right to participate in the NHL final. So far, our results have been quite modest. But we are growing and progressing. I am convinced that victories await us in the future.
— Are football and hockey an ideal combination for a big city?
— I grew up playing football and hockey myself. In addition, in Astrakhan there are also favorite sports – handball and water polo. Our teams play in the major league, showing a game that allows them to fight for high places,” Babushkin told .
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Source : MatchTV
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