The coronavirus will have stalled the borders of the KHL countries for at least some time. In the case of “Dinamo” means two alternatives: to start the season in Russia and hope that sometime around the year the spread of the virus will be slowed down, or to skip this season. In both cases, the deniers of the “Dinamo” project can only rejoice: even if the check project moves away to Russia, either – once it had to die a natural death!
Knowing what is behind it all – including Russia’s soft power – let’s try to look at the processes rationally.
Is it a bad thing for Latvia / Latvian hockey that we have (had?) A team KHL, moreover, for Russian money?
The money is, in principle, our own, because, unlike in Lithuania and Estonia, gas in Gazprom is more expensive in Latvia, and thus we pay for our own pleasures. Should Latvia maintain cultural and sports ties with Russia after the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbass? If we want to be completely honest, then maybe in the autumn of 2008 we (Latvia) should not have started this KHL race. When the great neighbor had annexed South Ossetia. If we (Latvia) had already shown a strong stance, I would have joined. Now? I know that there are journalists who hate the Russian anthem before every game in Riga, some try to see that the Russians are in the audience, another lame the Chekist past of the team’s nominal owner Juris Savicks. We dismiss these political or pseudo-political moments. Do we (Latvia) need Riga “Dinamo” playing in Russia?
Real politicians would answer: a stupid question. If the Russians give money, then it is a sin not to take it. More than 10 million euros every year. Which one way or another, but ends up in Latvian hockey. Yes, the return of millions could be more effective, Dinamo could not be fooled around the tail for years.
Also in the first seasons, when Kirov Lipmans was an active Dynamo player or a denier of it all, he wanted the interests of “Dinamo” and the Latvian national team to coincide. But it doesn’t happen in life! Because everyone has their own interests.
Let “Dinamo” play under the leadership of the head coach of the Latvian national team, who, going to the world championship, is without major problems in the quarterfinals and sometimes also shoots in the semifinals. During all these twelve KHL seasons, we have had two quarterfinals – Oleg Znarok in 2009 in Bern and Bob Hartley in 2018 in Copenhagen. There could have been more with “Dinamo” as a base club.
However, it would be foolish to deny the contribution of “Dinamo” to the Latvian national team. In each of the eleven world championships, there have been eight (2013) to fifteen (2009) dynamics in the national team. Dynamics – 15, 10, 13, 14, then 8, 9, again 13 and 13, 10 and in the last two years again 9. Can it be concluded from this chain of numbers that “Dinamo” worked better in the first years? Yes and no. In 2009, Znarok invited Sergejs Naumovs, Krišjānis Rēdlihs, Guntis Galviņš, Rodrigo Laviņš, Oļegs Sorokins, Georgijs Pujacas, Kristaps Sotnieks, Ģirts Ankipāns, Armands Bērziņš, Mārtiņš Cipulis, Aigars Cyprus, Lauris Dārziņš, Lauri Dārziņš Red meat. Most of them – with the experience of world championships, but only one dynamist made his debut – Kristaps Sotnieks.
.
