For the uninitiated, the 2014 documentary Red Army goes some way toward explaining how seriously Russians take their hockey.
A dual demonstration of their prowess for the sport, and the way such excellence can be manipulated for the benefit of the state, it's Cold War setting would appear to offer some reassurance that things are now a little different.
However, according to Russian sports journalist Slava Malamud, hockey remains the purview of a Russian hierarchy keen to demonstrate their brilliance on a global stage.
Orchestrated by Vladimir Putin himself, Malamud has claimed in a lengthy Twitter thread that the Russian president has rigged this year's KHL (Russian hockey league) to assure SKA St. Petersburg win no matter what.
1/ So, here is what's happening in the KHL, for those who still can't quite grasp the banality of evil, Russian style... The entire league has been set up this year to allow SKA to win. It's Putin's team, this is Putin's election year, it's chock full of OAR Olympians...
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
In an election year, Malamud has suggested that in an effort to retain his strangle-hold on domestic politics, Putin is willing to compromise whatever small amount of morality remains in Russian sport for his own ends.
2/ SKA is allowed to ignore the salary cap, its payroll is 6 times that of an average team, it has dibs on every star who considers the KHL. Most of its players are rabid Putin supporters who took part in his campaign rally last week. I repeat: SKA must win. It's not an option...
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
Allowed various advantages that make the prospect of success inevitable, Malamud has claimed that the league itself is struggling to find adequate means of denying Putin's involvement.
In an official response to such concerns, the KHL offered the following rationale:
Allowing all the best players to concentrate in one team has created unique chemistry that transitioned seamlessly to the Olympic squad.
Making the KHL season easy for them has safeguarded against injuries and bad morale. This is why we won the gold.
Despite not being able to compete under a Russian flag at the recent Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the delegation of hockey players from Russia allowed to compete at the games did indeed go on to claim the gold medal in their final against Germany.
At the expense of Russia's domestic hockey league, they have garnered national success. Operating under the remit that such results are "for the honour of the Motherland," Malamud had identified a potential issue for Putin's team.
6/ However, there is a problem... In the first round of the playoffs, SKA has drawn Severstal Cherepovets. It's not a problem because Severstal is a strong opponent. Not at all. It's an eternal minnow, which has been bad for so long, the league is considering it for contraction..
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
7/ And this is precisely the problem. Severstal has nothing to lose and nothing to fear. If they bow out to SKA easily, it will prove the league's case and the axe will swing. Giving SKA trouble may at least create enough of a scandal to make the league reconsider...
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
10/ So this brave little team from a hockey-mad industrial deathscape is being fed into SKA's maw as a playoff appetizer. And it's totally refusing to go down easy! If this wasn't Russia, where evil always wins, it would've been Hoosiers, Miracle and Bad News Bears all in one...
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
Although however faint the chances are that Putin's plans could be disrupted, Malamud concedes that in Putin's Russia, "evil always wins" - as was demonstrated throughout the playoff tie.
A goal that was awarded to Putin's SKA was unquestionably offisde (see here), yet, even after the request for an official review from Severstal's coach, it was decided that the goal should stand.
16/ The replay officials saw exactly what you just saw. They conferred for several minutes and announced their verdict: good goal... Forget making this look plausible, Severstal has become more trouble than it's worth. Better get them out of the way safely. This was too much...
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
17/ The above video was posted by Severstal's official Twitter account. The word "winning" in "game-winning goal" was in parentheses. The fans' mentions are untranslatable. This, again, is all out in the open. Everyone knows what's going on. Everyone! And nothing can change.
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
With little or no hope that anything can be done to query or halt Putin's efforts at holding to ransom Russian hockey for his own political ends, Malamud described the grim reality of life in Russia under such tyranny.
21/21 "For the glory of the Motherland"... All I have to say is this, guys. If you learn nothing else from Russia, please, learn to always, always run as fast as you can from the motherfuckers who say they want to bring glory to your country. I am done for tonight.
— Slava Malamud 🇺🇦 (@SlavaMalamud) March 8, 2018
