Home!

Well...we have been home for four days now it's still hard to comprehend what an amazing experience we have all been through.  I feel confident in saying that every one of us feels like this was a once in a lifetime opportunity; from the people that we were able to meet, the sites that we got to visit and the relationships that we formed...everything about this trip exceeded expectations.

 

We can honestly say that the NHL lockout was good to us! :)  We all had hopes of meeting Ovechkin when we left on this adventure, but there is no way we could have predicted just how far our hosts would go with the celebrity encounters.  Oveckin, Datsyuk, Bryzgalov, Kovalchuk, Tretiak, Federov, Myshkin, Yakushev, Tuzik...it was essentially a "who's who" of Russian hockey.  Every single one of them took the time to interact with us, whether it was on the ice, for pictures, or signing autographs...they left us with great memories.  Note: NHL - it's okay to start now!

 

Moscow is a beautiful city and not only did we get to see it, we got to see it in a way that the casual tourist or visitor would not be able to (thanks to our amazing hosts). The buildings are full of history and rich with tradition - I can't tell you the number of times someone in our group said "if only these walls could talk." We were given access to some of Moscow's greatest treasures and had the opportunity to learn about them from private tour guides and legendary athletes and public figures.

 

 

 

Our Russian hosts went far above and beyond what their responsibility was in guiding us.  Not only did they act as our tour guides and lead us through Moscow, they made sure our experience was one to remember.  They got to know us and became our friends.  They wanted to learn from us just as much as we wanted to learn from them.  They felt responsibility in the airlines losing our luggage and for being stuck in traffic. Their first and only priority was to make sure we all left Russia with great memories.  There is no way to properly thank them for their efforts!

 

From a coaching standpoint, we were all very impressed with how quickly our kids formed relationships with the Russian players.  It truly is a testament to the fact that, at the end of the day, they're all just hockey players and kids, and that mentality has no boundaries.  There were many tough goodbyes at the end of the trip and they will undoubtedly remain in touch via Facebook, Twitter and email.



We would also like to thank the U.S. Department of State, specifically SportsUnited, USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey for the work they did in making this trip a reality.  This was an experience that we will never forget!

Day 10 - October 13

Today was our last day to enjoy Moscow and we made the most of it!  We started the day off with a quick breakfast and headed out to visit the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (WW2).  We got to see the Hall of Glory and the Hall of Remembrance, which honor those that fought and those that gave their lives. 

 

Unfortunately, we were unable to go to the second level because Moscow's military students happened to be getting commissioned  at that time.  Great honor for them, bummer for us.  Nonetheless, it was a great experience for the kids and one of which they will never forget.

 

 

Luckily, we were able to use the extra time for some more shopping in Red Square.  We cannot get enough of this place.  The kids and coaches all split up into small groups to do their last minute shopping.  Many of us frequented the Bosco store, which is the brand for all of the Sochi '14 Olympic apparel.  The kids all scooped up a bunch of souvenirs and other items they felt "worthy."  :)

 

We left Red Square around 1:30pm and headed to a small restaurant - it was a small place owned by one of our Russian hosts' friends.  They served an incredible mix of Russian and American cuisine and it was way more food than any of us were prepared for.  However, it was a great meal and we all had a great time.

 

When we finished eating, we boarded the bus again and headed to our second KHL game - Dynamo vs Metallurg.  This stadium was much more impressive than the first and many of us stopped to spend our last Rubles on team merchandise.  Dynamo won 3-2 and it was a great venue to watch some pretty good hockey.  It was a great end to an awesome day.

 

We are all pretty bummed out that we are leaving tomorrow.  This has been such an amazing experience - we have met incredible people and had a chance to be a part of some unbelievable experiences.  No one expected it to be like this.  We are all very proud and honored to have been selected to be a part of this trip.  Off to America tomorrow!



Day 9 - October 12

Our first stop today was one of the most desired places to visit in all of Moscow and is one of the largest architectural ensembles in the world...the Kremlin.  It was more than anything we could have expected.  The buildings were so beautiful and majestic - it was like we were on a movie set or something because it just didn't seem real.  The Kremlin has been formed around many centuries and features many palaces, chambers and gold domed buildings. 

 

We walked around inside the Kremlin for a short time, taking pictures and just checking everything out.  The detail that went into these structures is absolutely unreal.  We also found out that we would have the opportunity to tour the inside of the Grand Kremlin Palace (not open to the public).  This is the building where much of the government business in Moscow is conducted and is also considered a residence for the President.  The tour was incredible!

 

Following the Kremlin outing, we headed back to Novogorst Training Center for lunch.  We also packed up our equipment from the locker rooms as we would be skating at the Megasport Arena tonight.  This is the same facility (different ice sheet) where the Red Army plays their games.  Everyone was pretty excited for a change in venue and also because we would actually get a chance to compete.

 

Before we arrived at the arena, our Russian hosts had yet another surprise for us.  We stopped at a municipal building and found out that we would have the opportunity to pose with the IIHF World Cup Trophy.  Russia is the current champion.

We arrived at the arena shortly after 6:00pm for a "charity game" with some Russian players.  These were different players than we have been training with and their ages varied.  We shared some players between teams and enjoyed a fun, yet competitive scrimmage.  The event included media, as well as opening and closing ceremonies.  It was a great way to end the hockey portion of the trip.  The kids all exchanged jerseys and other items from home and everyone had a great time.

 



Day 8 - October 11

This morning we had our last ice session at Novogorst Training Center.  The Russian coaches and American coaches collaborated on a practice plan that included many skating sequences, puckwork and some 2 v 0's and 2 v 1's.  Per usual, it was very high tempo.  We ended the session with about thirty minutes of 3 v 3 with a passing option.  It's really fun to see the different styles and habits of American hockey vs those of European hockey when they are meshed together in this type of setting.  The Europeans tend to play more "east / west" with great support and fluid passing.  The Americans typically want to go "north / south", get the puck up ice right away and attack the net. 

After practice, we noticed some speedskaters working out on the second rink.  It was incredible to see that up close.  Supposedly, one of the Russian male skaters is considered one of the best in the world.  They removed the boards and added portable padded pads to complete the track - it was a really cool set up.

 

 

Following a quick lunch, the group walked over to the Dynamo practice facility.  Dynamo Moscow is currently number one in their division of the KHL, and they are the reigning KHL champions. 

 

The facility was incredible.  The interior was covered with jerseys, trophies, pictures...so much memorabilia.  It covered past players and their incredible accomplishments - Olympians, NHL'ers and so much more. 

 

 

We also caught the tail end of their practice and were able to watch the team as they played 3 v 3 and then a little bit of 4 v 3.  Of course, all of the kids were scouting out Alex Ovechkin and he didn't disappoint...he scored a great goal in all alone with the goaltender.  He even shot a puck up into the netting when he recognized our group up in the stands.  After their practice ended, he invited us down for a group picture.  He also came out to the lobby after he changed and signed more autographs for our kids.  He has been awesome to our group and we are looking forward to the Dynamo game on Saturday.

We are all still trying to process the incredible people we have met and the opportunities we have been given on this trip - it certainly is a once in a lifetime experience!

 

Following the Dynamo outing, the group got on the bus and headed downtown Mowscow for some shopping on Old Arbat Street.  It was a beautiful setting, although it is always cloudy here, and everyone was looking forward to buying souvenirs and food from the various street vendors.  We had a great time. 

 

Unfortunately though, the dreaded Moscow traffic got the best of us on our way home.  Our 45 minute trip took well over two hours!  Regardless, we made it back and had dinner and a short meeting before saying goodbye to our Russian hockey friends.  They are returning to school tomorrow.

 

It was another great day, still so hard to believe we are here and experience all of this.  Can't wait for another great day tomorrow!  Here are some additional sites to check in on periodically for updates on the trip:

Facebook - SportsUnited
Facebook - U.S. Embassy Moscow
Twitter - Sports Diplomacy
Twitter - jchristo14



 



Day 7 - October 10

Today was amazing.  There is no way to properly summarize the things we had a chance to experience and the people we were able to meet.  We started off the day with breakfast as usual.  Kids are getting into a steady routine and adapting nicely to the food and meal schedule.  After breakfast we headed over to the rink for our ice session and learned that we would be joined on the ice by Olympic Champion Vitali Prokhorov.  He was awesome - he put the kids through some great skating drills, emphasizing edgework and form.  It is really interesting to see our American kids in these situations because most of them are not used to these types of skating sequences.  We are learning a lot about how the Europeans train and I think many of us will be taking this stuff back to our own teams.

 

After practice, we rushed through lunch and got dressed up for some special events.  First, we headed downtown Moscow to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation.  The crazy Russian traffic made things difficult once again, but we eventually got there.  We were able to walk through the museum and see some incredible memorabilia from Russia's sports history.

 

Then we were seated for a press conference with the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry.  Sergei Shelpakov, Deputy Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, gave a great speech about building relationships through sports and the importance of coming together as a united group for the greater good. Emily Kenealy, Assistant Cultural Affairs Office for the U.S. Embassy of Moscow, also spoke and expressed heartfelt gratitude on behalf of our group.

 

Lastly, all of the players and coaches signed an authentic Russian jersey to be displayed in the museum.

 



 

After the reception, we got back on the bus and sat in traffic for another 90 minutes...you cannot even imagine what this traffic is like.  Six lanes, sometimes more, bumper to bumper ALL THE TIME.  It is insane.  However, it has actually been great for the kids as it has gives our kids a lot of extra time with the Russian players and they are quickly becoming friends.

 

We arrived at the U.S. Embassy and waited in line to get through security.  As we were standing there, a car pulled up and out comes Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals & Dynamo of Moscow during the lockout).  That was pretty cool for a group of high school kids! 

 

The surprises didn't end there.  The reception, held for our program and in honor of our group taking the trip to Russia, was basically a "who's who" of Russian hockey.  In addition to Ovechkin, Sergei Federov, Pavel Datsyuk, Vladislov Tretiak and Igor Tuzik were also there to greet, talk, sign autographs and take pictures with us.  It was absolutely incredible and humbling to be amongst such legendary players, past and present.

 



Day 6 - October 9

This morning we got to visit a secondary school in Moscow.  We were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of kids and teachers - they even made us necklaces with handprints to signify the "hands of friendship."  We listened to a history lesson on Moscow and then the group split up to attend actual class sessions.  After that, they put on a play, sang some songs and recited poems for us.  It was a great introduction to the Russian culture.

 

After the school visit, the kids came back to Novogorst with us and we all went into a conference room to watch a video on the 1972 Summit Series.  We were honored to be joined by legendary Soviet player Alexander Yukashev, who was gracious enough to go through a question and answer session with our kids and coaches.  He talked about the pressure of playing for the Soviets in a time where there great tensions around the world.

Following the question and answer session, our teams took the young students over to the arena and gave them a tour of the locker rooms.  Our kids are doing a great job of interacting and breaking down the language barrier with their Russian counterparts.

 

After the tour, our kids met for lunch and then headed over to the arena for practice.  Our session today was run by the Russian coaches and featured a lot of skating and fundamentals.  It is an honor to be on the ice with the Vice President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, Igor Tuzik.

 

Following practice, we headed to dinner and then a team meeting.  At the meeting, all of the kids and coaches were presented with some gifts from our Russian hosts.  Items included in the gift bag included:  Summit Series notebooks, a patch commemorating our program here in Russia, a commemorative pin & a limited edition hardcover book about the great goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.





Day 5 - October 8

Today was our first day on the ice!  We got up and went to breakfast as usual and then headed over to the rink.  It is a nice facility and the ice is wider, but not longer, than an NHL sheet.  The longer rooms are nice as well and we will be keeping our stuff there for the entire week.

The American and Russian coaches collaborated on a practice plan last night and ran the kids through a series of skating sequences to get warmed up.  There were some obvious differences in styles and you could tell pretty quickly which kids had done skating specific training.  After that we moved into some passing and shooting drills and even worked in a shootout game before we resurfaced.  We split the girls and boys up for the second part of practice and did some 3 v 3 and other small area games.  It was a good practice - good pace and there are definitely some skilled players in this group!

After practice we ate lunch and headed out on a bus tour of Moscow.  The Russian kids and coaches joined us and the kids are quickly becoming friends.  Our tour guide pointed out several historical sites, like Moscow State and we stopped in a couple of places for pictures.  This city is beautiful and full of so much history. The picture below is taken from a stop called Sparrow Hills.

Our main stop, however, was at Red Square.  We explored, shopped and took pictures for a couple of hours - this place is incredibly amazing.  We did have a couple of nearly pickpocketed kids, but luckily the group handled those situations and everyone was fine.

At about 6:15pm, our bus picked us up and we headed to our first KHL game of the week.  HC CSKA Moskow v SKA St Petersburg.  In addition to Bryzgalov and Datsyuk, the game also featured NHL'ers Kovalchuk and Prucha.  It was an awesome game with SKA winning 4-2.  Datsyuk had two points and Kovalchuk had a hat trick and an assist. 

After the game, we were ushered down to the media waiting area where we were presented with two jerseys - one of which was signed by the entire team.  We also got to meet and take pictures with Ilya Kovalchuk!  It was an awesome experience and he was so nice to our group.