#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Norilsk hockey club started the All-Russian Hockey League championship with a victory. The northernmost team in the world hosted Magnitka, a farm club of Magnitogorsk Metallurg and a newcomer to the VHL.
Nikolay Utkin, senior vice president and the Nornickel’s Norilsk Division head, shared his impressions of the season start and plans for sports development in Norilsk.
“Hockey has finally returned to our life, this is a long-awaited event. The fans and Norilsk residents’ expectations energize me and, most of all, the team”, Nikolay Utkin shared. “The first season, to our surprise, was bright and successful. The team broke into the playoffs and demonstrated unity. Expectations for the new season are doubling, and so is the responsibility. A lot is expected of the team, Norilsk has a new coaching staff, and many new players have appeared. We are seriously determined not only to enter the playoffs, but also to be as high as possible in the table”.
The Norilsk Division head also noted that Nornickel supports not only hockey, but also professional and mass sports in general, including the mini-football club:
“We love any kind of sport! Norilsk is a sports city. And the hockey club is a clear confirmation of how much the city wants to be even more sports-oriented”.
To the question: “Is it possible to see Norilsk in the CHL?” he answered:
“We are currently building a new arena in the city, which will meet all the requirements of the CHL. A lot of design work is underway, the location and design of the future sports facility have been chosen. For us, this is not just construction, it is a large-scale project as part of the general renovation of the city. The future arena will not only focus on hockey, it will combine several ice sports at once. We are doing all this for the residents of Norilsk in particular and the entire Krasnoyarsk region in general”.
Recall that HC Norilsk debuted in the All-Russian Hockey League last year. The first season was successful for the club – the northerners became the only new team that was able to make it to the playoffs.
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Text: Tatyana Ermolayeva, Photo: Roman Kruchinin
