The ensemble performed at the CSKA Arena Ice Palace before the start of the Russia-Sweden hockey match

Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Russia. According to various sources, the audience of hockey fans in our country exceeds 57% of the adult population. It is clear that the importance of the Euro Hockey Tour, an annual ice hockey tournament among four European countries: Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, cannot be overestimated for Russians.

This year, as part of the Euro Hockey Tour in Moscow, the CSKA Arena Ice Palace is hosting the now-traditional Channel One Cup 2021 ice hockey tournament from December 15 to 19. This year's ice hockey tournament has expanded to include the Canadian national team for the first time, although matches with it will not be counted in the overall standings of the tournament. This tournament is an important stage in preparing the best teams of the Old World and Canada for the 2022 Olympic Games.

The tournament opened with the match Russia — Canada, in which our team won with a score of 4:3. The next opponent of the Russian team in the tournament was the Swedish team. The last stage of the Eurotour was held by the Swedes on "excellent". The wards of Johan Garpenlev won three victories out of three possible, including the Russian team with a score of 4:2. However, then the Russian team was selected from the youth. Today, the composition of the Russian team has changed almost completely. The team includes Vadim Shipachyov, Nikita Nesterov, and other experienced hockey players.

On December 16, 2021, the Russian and Swedish national teams met on the ice of the CSKA Arena. From the very beginning, it was clear that the game would not be easy. The first two periods did not bring success to either team. In the 48th minute, Russian defenseman Vyacheslav Voynov scored the only goal against Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg. In the final minutes, the Swedes replaced their goalkeeper with a sixth field player and launched a fierce assault on our goal, but the Red Machine held firm.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Russian ice hockey. To celebrate this event, the Russian national team took to the ice in the same uniform that the USSR team wore in 1956, 65 years ago, when they won their first Olympic Games.

According to the established tradition, the artists of the choir of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation came to support our Olympic hockey team, led by the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev.

Before the start of the hockey match, the Russian National Anthem was performed by the renowned artists of the Rosgvardia Choir.