On Friday, September 19, Kazan’s Ak Bars hosted Ufa’s Salavat Yulaev at their home arena. The match ended with a score of 3:1 in favor of the club from the capital of Tatarstan and became a breath of fresh air for the underdogs of the East.

By the start of the match, Ak Bars’ statistics were causing concern and nervousness among fans — they had already demanded the dismissal of the general manager and the resignation of the head coach. The Kazan team had already lost four out of five matches at the start of the KHL season — there had not been a single home victory yet.

Both opponents were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings of the Kontinental Hockey League, each with three points. Unfortunately for the teams and to the delight of their opponents, the clubs in 5th to 9th place each had six points, meaning today’s victory did not significantly change the situation.

Fans of Kazan's Ak Bars wrote petitions urging the club's management to dismiss the general manager and head coach
Tickets for Ak Bars matches against Salavat Yulaev are sold out in advance
Tickets for Ak Bars matches against Salavat Yulaev are sold out in advance
Fans of Kazan's Ak Bars miss victories of their home club
Fans of Kazan’s Ak Bars miss victories of their home club

Lineup for the Match

Defenseman Albert Yarullin returned to Ak Bars’ lineup, replacing Wyatt Kalynuk. In the first line, Kirill Semyonov and Vladimir Alistrov were placed together with Alexander Barabanov, Nikita Lyamkin, and Alexey Marchenko instead of Ilya Safonov and Artyom Galimov.

The second attacking line featured Brandon Biro and Dmitry Yashkin together with Grigory Denisenko, accompanied by Ilya Karpukhin and Mitchell Miller. The third line included Stepan Falkovsky, Yarullin, Alexey Pustozerov, Ilya Safonov, and Artyom Galimov. The fourth combination announced was Artur Burovkin, Mikhail Fisenko, Dmitry Katelevsky, and Radel Zamaltdinov.

Mikhail Berdin is announced as the starting goaltender for Ak Bars, with Timur Bilyalov as the backup
Mikhail Berdin is announced as the starting goaltender for Ak Bars, with Timur Bilyalov as the backup

Mikhail Berdin was announced as the starting goaltender for Ak Bars, with Timur Bilyalov as the backup. It is worth noting that in the previous match against Neftekhimik, the coach responsible for power plays was absent from the coaching bench. Today, he was also not present, leading fans to speculate that the specialist might actually be replaced.

How Ak Bars Defeated Their Neighbor

The first

Ak Bars

Ak Bars is a prominent cultural and sports complex in Kazan, Russia, best known as the home arena for the Ak Bars hockey team. The name, which translates to “White Leopard” from the Tatar language, is a symbol of the Republic of Tatarstan. While the modern arena was constructed in 2005, the Ak Bars sports society itself has a much longer history, dating back to the Soviet era.

Salavat Yulaev

Salavat Yulaev is a major monument in Ufa, Russia, erected in 1967 to honor the Bashkir national hero and poet of the same name. He was a key leader in the Pugachev Rebellion (1773–1775) against Catherine the Great, fighting for the rights of the Bashkir people. The equestrian statue is one of the largest in Europe and is a powerful symbol of freedom and national identity for the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Kontinental Hockey League

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is a major professional ice hockey league founded in 2008, succeeding the Russian Superleague. It was established with the goal of becoming a pan-Eurasian counterpart to North America’s NHL, initially featuring teams primarily from Russia but also from several other countries like Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Latvia. The league’s history is marked by its high level of competition and its role in showcasing top European and Russian hockey talent.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference is not a place or cultural site, but a sports league within the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was formed in 1970 when the NBA realigned its teams into Eastern and Western Conferences following the addition of new franchises from the American Basketball Association. It consists of 15 teams, primarily located in the eastern half of the United States.

Kazan

Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan, Russia, and a historic meeting point of Tatar and Slavic cultures. Its most iconic landmark is the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which uniquely features both an Orthodox cathedral and a large mosque. Founded in the 15th century as the capital of the Kazan Khanate, the city was conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1552 and has since evolved into a major cultural and economic center.

Ufa

Ufa is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, founded as a fortress in 1574 by Ivan the Terrible. It is a major industrial, economic, and cultural center situated at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa Rivers, known for its mix of Russian, Bashkir, and Tatar cultures.

Tatarstan

Tatarstan is a federal republic of Russia located at the confluence of the Volga and Kama Rivers, with a rich history as the home of the Volga Bulgars and later the capital of the Kazan Khanate. Its most famous cultural site is the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that uniquely features a 16th-century Orthodox cathedral alongside a mosque, symbolizing the peaceful coexistence of its Tatar and Russian cultures. This history reflects its identity as a region where Islamic and Orthodox Christian traditions have intertwined for centuries.