Tatarstan team beats Philadelphia flyers in a friendly match

The Tatarstan team has won a friendly match against legends of the Philadelphia Flyers HC, which took place at the Sport Palace in Kazan on 15 February. The final score was 7-6. The winner was determined through a series of penalty shots.

This year, Philadelphia Flyers celebrate their 50th anniversary. Before the match, the team's captain Joe Watson, two-time Stanley Cup winner and winner of the National Hockey League All-Star Game, noted, “I am happy to be here, we have received a very warm welcome. I already played against the Russian team in the seventies, but they were not as friendly as during this game. We intend to continue our hockey relations with Tatarstan,” added Watson.

“We are thrilled to welcome this world-renowned team. Our countries do not have the best relationship right now, and your visit is a serious step towards building bridges. Sport, and hockey in particular, brings us together, so such meetings should become a constant practice,” stressed Rustam Minnikhanov, captain of the Tatarstan team.

The first goal was scored by Lindsay Carson of Philadelphia Flyers, while Tatarstan's Dmitry Korotkin scored the second goal in mid-period. During the 19th minute, Martin Zarybnicky upped the American guests' score by one more point.

During the intermission, Sergei Gimayev, professional ice hockey player and Honorary Coach of the Russian Federation, shared his joy over contributing to the friendly game. “Kazan always has such a pleasant atmosphere, I adore this city. And I come here whenever I get the chance,” he confessed. “During such games, you set out knowing that you will have a great time playing and hanging out with everyone,” said Gimaev. “I don't think that Tatarstan team are giving a hundred percent, they still have it in them to do even better. The guy who minds our net (Frédéric Cassivi - ed.) is a fantastic goal tender.”

In the second period, Rustam Minnikhanov added one goal for the Tatarstan team, and the Flyers’ Jeff Chychrun scored a penalty shot.

After another intermission, Andrey Pisarev received a pass from Andrey Ryabov and evened the score (3-3). The puck was also shot into the guests' net once by Evgeny Frolov, who had recovered from a failed penalty shot, and twice by Alexey Chupin. Philadelphia Flyers, in turn, earned more points thanks to Al Secord, Andrey Nikolishin, and Chase Watson.

During a series of penalties, Albert Kildeev and Dmitry Bezrukov delivered clean, precise shots. The American guests were not so lucky, failing to hit the net of the Tatarstan team.

“I am very happy to be here, at the Sport Palace, where we became champions in the nineties. This is such a nostalgic experience for me; every corner of this palace holds precious memories. And it's a joy to play side by side with everyone who helped us win the championship – with Alexey Chupin and the others. There are many more guys with whom I would have loved to play, but they were too busy to take part in the game. It's so nice to know that, despite the tensions between our countries, hockey, once again, has proved to be a sport beyond politics,” Dmitry Balmin, the legendary Ak Bars player, noted after the game.

“We are overjoyed to hold such friendly games, since hockey brings people closer. It shows that politics have no place in sport. Today, we are just here to appreciate the skills of these amazing hockey players, who are in great physical shape,” said Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan. “Philadelphia Flyers are an outstanding hockey club, and they came to Tatarstan thanks to the connections that our republic has established with some of the team's players.” “The game was incredibly thrilling to watch, in spite of being on friendly terms, and the score board indicates that the competitive spirit was real,” he added.

During their visit to Kazan, the legendary hockey players held a series of training sessions for young hockey enthusiasts in Kazan and across the republic.