Hockey Day In Kolpino

Greetings all:

Left the hotel this morning at 8:30 am and arrived in the town of Kolpino around 9:15 am. It was still dark outside as expected (and freezing cold....my fingers and toes actually just got feeling back). This time of year one can expect to see the sun (or a glimpse of it anyway) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Kolpino rink reminded me of the old Kipling rink in Littleton, only colder. The majors played first and kept it close through the first period (down 2-1). Then the Russians turned it on in the second period and went ahead 6-1. Our boys made a little comback in the third with three quick goals but the Russians scored late and the game ended with a 7-4 final. The minors were ready to play some hockey and scored first and never looked back and beat the Russian minor team convincingly 9-3. Afterwards the boys went to the player's homes for some lunch and some Russian hospitality. As I write this, Aaron and Cujo have just arrived back to the hotel as the last players to come back. They had an exciting and scary trip as they drove an hour and a half away from the ice rink after the game. They were taken to McDonalds for lunch and did a tour of the city......museum, park, ice cream shop, etc. finally ending up at the home of the two players in St. Petersburg. At their home they got schooled in a game of floor hockey and played a little NHL 2009. Meanwhile, the parents enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon visiting the Pavlovsk Palace. This was the summer home of Catherine the Great's son Paul and his wife Mary. The day ended with a banquet back at the hotel with players and parents of both the Russian and American players. Lastly, we were lucky enough to have Barry Smith, former NHL coach and current coach of the St. Petersburg Russian elite league team join us as the guest of honor. Great day!

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/pavlovsk/

Alan Lewis