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KHL in Zurich, Vienna, and Tallinn.
Another novelty of the 2018/2019 KHL calendar are games played abroad. Last year the KHL had its first open-air games and this year the fans will have a chance to attend games in new cities. If the KHL already played in Tallinn, where Jokerit will play against Spartak (on October 26) and Severstal (October 28), Vienna and Zurich are new territories for the league.
In the Austrian capital, Slovan will play two games (on October 26 against CSKA and on October 28 against SKA), and their fans won’t have a hard time in reaching Vienna. Dinamo Riga will meet the same opponents (on November 26 and 28) in Switzerland, where the KHL will have to win the attention of the local fans against a strong local league. It’s interesting to note that Dinamo Riga, just as SKA, represented the league in the 2010 exhibition games against NHL teams.
The Hallenstadion Zurich can host 11,200 spectators, while the Vienna arena has a capacity of 7,022 fans. Jokerit’s games in Tallinn can be attended by a maximum of 5,840 people.
This per source - is KHL attempting to test the markets for future expansions.
Riga will continue the tradition of the open-air games.
The Latvian team will not only play twice in Zurich but also the traditional open-air game. Last year the KHL had two such games, even if in different formats, played in Riga and Helsinki. In spite of the North American traditions, the teams didn’t try to beat the attendance record, even if the Helsinki Ice Challenge between Jokerit and SKA had 10,554 spectators. In Riga, instead of an attendance record, the fans had a great game and a comfortable hockey party.
In the next season, there may be another open-ice game between Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk. The Belarusian team will visit Riga on February 15 and that would be a great date, considering the city’s climate. But that’s not the only variant. Such a game may be played also against Slovan as it’s another European team. The Slovaks will get to Riga three days later, on February 18. No matter the opposition, the open-air game will become a true tradition and no fan will leave it disappointed.
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