Arena Riga honors hockey legends with a special match / Article

There is laughter and hugs. The joy is not only about the upcoming game, but also about the meeting. Most players continue their life after their national team career in hockey-related work. The captain of the white team of the veteran match is Rodrigo Laviņš, and the captain of the red team is Aleksandrs Nizhivijs.

“I hope it will be interesting not only for myself, but for the spectators,” Lavinš said before the game. Nizhivi, on the other hand, admitted that he is happy to return to the arena and play with friends of his own age.

A month ago, the captains of both teams selected their players.

“Nothing has been done for a long time. Such games are very rare, and it is a great pleasure to meet old comrades,” admitted the goalkeeper of the white team, Edgars Masalskis.

“I don’t think that victory is the primary thing here. The atmosphere is light, the guys have come to play hockey, it’s not like people want to watch them drag their feet,” added Herberts Vasilijevs, a player of the red team.

Tasks of team coaches are assigned to journalists. The coach of the red team is Anatolijs Kreipāns, and the coach of the white team is Jānis Matulis.

“It’s not my first time in the role of a coach, but I’m afraid that this game can ruin my career, because I once ended a game with 28-0,” said Matulis.

Two halves were played in the veterans’ match, which ended in a 7:7 draw, but the red team added a point to the game in extra time with 11 to 10. Today they were opponents on the field, but in everyday life they are still friends, who are looking forward to the hockey festival – the world hockey championship, in order to sympathize with their new change in the national team.

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