Before the encounter with Ak Bars in Dubai, Avangard head coach Bob Hartley spoke about the most bizarre match of his career (UAE).
«During our time as AHL coaches, Jacques Cloutier and I watched the most unique circumstance I can recall. The Cornwell Aces were my team, and we played the Greensboro Monarchs. They brought a well-known NASCAR driver, whose name I can’t recall right now. He drove his automobile to the ice after the first period. In previous matches, there were few people in the grandstand, but on that day, the stadium was packed with around 18 thousand supporters.
The car then travels to the very center, where people are ecstatic, and they beg the rider to get out, which he does, and walks around the whole ice rink, greeting the fans for a few minutes, before returning to the car, waving to the stands, and driving away. And because the engine was so hot and so near to the ice, a massive puddle developed under the car.
All conceivable measures were taken to restore the ice, but the damage was so severe, and it occurred in the very center of the ice, that the match had to be canceled in the end. We ended up traveling 10-12 hours by bus for a 20-minute game. It was simply fantastic! «The match has been rescheduled,» Hartley says on the Omsk citizens’ official website.
The Avangard vs. Ak Bars match will take place on December 3 in Dubai as part of the KHL World Games.
