November 22, 1999
Mika Hakkinen Playing Hockey in Russia
Are there any Canadians and Scandinavians who don't like
playing hockey?
Do you know that hockey is popular among Formula One drivers and vice
versa?
For example, did you know that Jacques Villeneuve, the BAR team racer,
has always been a fan of the NHL'ss Montréal Canadiens. During a break in the Formula One
Championship Jacques comes to his native Canada and if he has some spare time he likes to
attend a couple of games or simply play hockey with some friends.
Also, Buffalo Sabres' goalie Dominik Hasek tried to go for a drive with
David Coulthard last summer when he was in the Chech Republic, his homeland. It seems he
liked this kind of entertainment. It is also known that another representative of the
Chech Republic, Carolina Hurricanes' forward Robert Kron, 32, loves speed. The versatile
10-year NHL pro is perhaps the team's fastest skater. He is a fan of Formula One racing.
Michael Schumacher is his favorite driver. A teammate of his, Sami Kapanen, is a big fan
of Mika Hakkinen, and they have a little competition going. Sami is happy now because
Hakkinen is the world champion.
Recently Mika Hakkinen visited Moscow and can you imagine what he was
doing there?
Mika took part in the ice practice of HC CSKA
governed by
Viktor Tikhonov. He looked a bit tired but worked hard on the ice for about half an hour
wearing a Russian Penguins jersey with #1 and his name on the back.
He commented on his appearance on the Russian ice;
"It’s a pity I have only a couple of chances a year to step onto the ice. So I
ask photographers not to shoot the first two minutes of my appearance on the ice or people
will start laughing."
At first he tried not to fall down, but then he got accustomed
to the ice under his skates and started to work through breakaway, two on ones with a
member of team CSKA, Nick Pronin. He also tried a shoot-out. Mika tried to play with a
team for some minutes as well. He managed to score two times and was greeted with a loud
ovation by the fans and players of SCKA.
Who knows, maybe one day someone will invent the kind of sport
so people who love speed could play ice hockey without stepping out of the car or any
motor vehicle? Though Russians already practice some varieties of this kind called
"Motoball" and "Speedway". Why not take that plus some insufficient
hockey elements and then see what will come of it? Nevertheless I must admit that there is
no better game than real Canadian ice hockey! All the rest is only a matter of taste.
Denis Neznanov
HockeyZone's Russian Correspondent
