Hockey not for Spartak fans during elections?

As the 4 March 2012 president elections were held in Russia, the police of the area where Sokolini ice-place is situated and MHL officials sent a letter to HC Spartak with the prescription to play without spectators this evening.

One interesting fact: at this day 8 games were played in the KHL, 11 games in MHL and 1 game in MHL-B. More than 5 MHL games were played in Moscow or the Moscow Area and 1 KHL game was held in Moscow where CSKA faced SKA.

The average attendance of the MHL teams that are located in the Moscow Region is near 300 people for a game; only in Stupino and Voskresensk, which are located from Moscow near 100 kilometers, attendance is higher. 700 people came to the games of Kapitan in Stupino and nearly 2000 to Khimik Voskresensk games. That’s why the decision for a game without spectators seemed to be so strange.

When the main team HC Spartak didn’t get to playoffs in KHL MHC Spartak became the last hockey team from Spartak still playing. The Spartak management tried to change the schedule of the game from 17:00 to 19:00 in the workdays and from 13:00 to 17:00 at weekend. But it was rescheduled only one game that was played tonight.

Some weeks ago the game of football club Spartak Moscow against Rubin Kazan which should be played at 5 March in Moscow was moved to Kazan because most part of policeman will be involved in ensuring order at meetings and Moscow police hasn’t people who can provide the order at football games. But at the same day will be a football game between Dynamo Moscow and Anzhi Makhachkala in the Moscow suburbs. This game didn’t move to any other place.

Returning to hockey, MHC Spartak Moscow wins tonight 3-0 and get to the play-offs first time in MHL history. And it was the first game in Russian hockey history that was played without spectators because of elections. That’s why some questions appeared why the games were scheduled at this day if it was known so long that president elections will be that day? Why only Spartak teams were involved in moving games and ban for spectators? Was it difficult to find 10 policemen and send them to Sokoliniki for 3 hours?

The game CSKA-SKA was visited by 3269 fans, the MHL games in Moscow area were visited by 3030 spectators in a sum. In protocol of game MHC Spartak Moscow – White Tigers Orenburg we could see 250 people who really support their own and find a way how to get on the stands. But why these 250 people should look for a way how to get to the game if it’s a simple regular season game?

 

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