Athletistic/Hockey. There is very little time left before a major hockey tournament in Russia. We’re talking about the Channel One Cup, which begins on Thursday, December 14. In this article we have collected all the important information about this tournament.
What kind of tournament?
The Channel One Cup has existed since 1967. However, its current name was acquired in 2006. In modern history, for a long time it was one of the stages of the Eurotour, in which Russia, Finland, Finland took part every year. Sweden and the Czech Republic. However, in 2022 the situation has changed. The Russian national team was suspended from the stages of the Euro Hockey Tour. As a result, the Channel One Cup has undergone changes. It is now carried out with the participation of more friendly countries.
Attendees
This year, four teams will play in the Channel One Cup. First of all, this is the Russia 25 team led by Roman Rotenberg. Recently, it is this team that mainly plays international matches. In addition to the Russian 25 team, the teams of Belarus and Kazakhstan, which also participated a year ago, will take part in the tournament.
Initially, the fourth participant was the Chinese team, especially since the team of this country (Kunlun) is represented in the KHL. However, the Asian team later withdrew from the tournament. Instead, the Zvezda and VHL team was announced.
Location
All Channel One Cup matches will take place this year in St. Petersburg. The location will be the Ice Palace. Previously, the tournament was held mainly in Moscow and twice in Sochi. At the same time, Saint Petersburg was involved in 2018 and 2019.
Remember that the capacity of the Ice Palace is 12,300 spectators. Normally, home matches are played there by SKA Saint Petersburg. Although the military team from the banks of the Neva expects to move to the SKA Arena. Note that the 2023 World Hockey Championship was to take place in Saint Petersburg. However, the world championship was moved to Latvia and Finland.
Calendar
The Channel One Cup match schedule is already known. The matches will take place Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday December 14
2:00 p.m. – Belarus – Kazakhstan
6:30 p.m. – Russia – Stars and VHL
Saturday December 16
11:00 a.m. – Kazakhstan – Stars and VHL
3:00 p.m. – Russia – Belarus
Sunday December 17
11:00 a.m. – Belarus – Stars and VHL
3:00 p.m. – Russia – Kazakhstan
How the Channel One Cup went last year
In 2022, the tournament took place in Moscow on the ice of the CSKA Arena. Three teams participated in the Channel One Cup: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.
In the first match, the Belarusian team confidently defeated the Kazakhstan team – 4:1. In the second match, the Russians also defeated the Kazakh national team – 6:2. The winner was determined in the final match between the national teams of Russia and Belarus. Many expected a crushing victory for the Russians. However, regular time ended in a draw 4:4 and in the penalty shootout Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team won 5:4. Thus, the Belarusians won the Channel One Cup.
Forecasts
Bookmakers consider the Russia 25 team to be the favorite in all three matches. The probability of victory over the Zvezda and VHL team is estimated at 71%, over the Belarusian national team – 61%, and over the Kazakhstan national team – 79%.
Yaroslav Piatykh, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
