Why should we be happy? Because we defeated Norway? Guys, we’re not even in the finals yet, said Oleg Znarok, exhausted by the game. In the mixed zone he suggested the journalists not to overestimate the importance of our win over the Vikings. It is clear, that for our hockey squad these Olympics will begin the day after tomorrow, when we will play against the Czech team, which beat the USA students in a series of shootouts today. But the fact remains – for the first time in 12 years we will be participate in the semi-finals of the Olympic Hockey tournament. After all, who cares how the Znarok’s team got there! Only the result will stay in memory.
Before the match agains the Norwegians the most difficult thing was to find an intrigue in it. All the statistics raised by the journalists proved that we had defeated Norway, always and everywhere. For example, at the Sochi Olympic Games in 1/8 finals the score was 4:0 with the double of Alexander Radulov. Of those present that game must be remembered by Pavel Datsyuk (three assists) and Ilya Kovalchuk (a goal).
Within the past four years, the Norway squad has not been joined by new super talented hockey players . For many years their play has been built on the SKA forward Patrick Thoresen and his brother Stephen who joined the national team. And their father, Petter Thoresen, coaches the Norwegian squad. Wicked tongues would have said that the team is like a mom-and-pop store!