2010-02-09_PR Comm Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Players on the ice at the Guidant John Rose Oval in Roseville, Minn., the only full-size outdoor bandy rink in the United States. But by the late 1920s, warmer winters and the more manageable logistics of hockey — with about half the players on a rink about half the size — took their toll. Bandy disappeared from England and the Netherlands, and the Czechs switched to hockey. The last holdouts were the Nordic countries, and especially Soviet Russia. Dinamo Moscow was that nation’s top bandy club in 1946 when it staged an exhibition of “Canadian hockey,” which caught on quickly. The Soviets became so good at hockey so fast not because of any government-backed effort, as Westerners tend to believe, but because Russians had played bandy through long, cold winters for decades. Bandy, known as ball hockey or Russian hockey, is still popular there today, mainly in Arctic cities like Arkhangelsk and across Siberia. But this year’s world championship is being staged in Moscow at a six-year-old indoor . stadium, the 10,000-seat Krylatskoye Arena Russia has won 23 championships, and Sweden, the defending champion, has 9. They could meet in Sunday’s final if Russia beats Kazakhstan and Sweden defeats Finland in Saturday’s semifinals. The Americans face a Saturday showdown against Canada, after losing all five of their group matches. But the United States did respectably well, scoring 22 goals over all, led by midfielder Darren Richardson, who had 7. If the Americans defeat Canada, which finished first in the lower group, they will stay in the top group for next year’s tournament.