The Head of State came to show his support for the hockey players ahead of the second round of the KHL playoffs.
«Guys, thank you for the first round. This is just the beginning. I really hope... I’ve already communicated through the supervisors: if you need anything to prepare for the second stage, just let us know. Medical support, good masseurs... In general, if you need anything, speak up,» the Belarusian leader said.
The President expressed some concern about the extended gap between games, emphasising the importance of players maintaining their physical fitness. «That’s why I told our top hockey players: if you need to set up some practice matches — choosing the best players from Belarus — and play within a day or two, we will do our best to organise it. Whatever you need, we’re ready to do for you. This is not charity, because you truly deserve to be called the people’s team. You are loved not only in Minsk but across all of Belarus. This is a great achievement,» the Head of State stressed.
The Belarusian leader had a warm interaction with the players and coaching staff and personally took part in the training session, making several shots on goal.
As usual, there were also gifts. Aleksandr Lukashenko presented the hockey players with bread, lard, sweets, and honey, while the coaches were also given strong drinks.
On March 24th, Aleksandr Lukashenko attended Dinamo Minsk’s opening playoff game of the current KHL season at Minsk Arena, watching the match between HC Dinamo Minsk and HC Dynamo Moscow from the stands. The Minsk team performed impressively in the series against their Moscow rivals, winning four straight games and securing their place in the next playoff round.
In the quarterfinals, Dinamo Minsk will face Ak Bars Kazan. The best-of-seven series will start at Minsk Arena on April 9th, with the second game also held there on April 11th. The teams will then travel to Kazan for games on April 13th and 15th. If necessary, games five through seven will take place on April 17th, 19th and 21st. This will be the first playoff meeting between Dinamo and Ak Bars.
Dinamo Minsk has reached the KHL quarterfinals for the second consecutive season, marking the team’s best performance to date. Last season, they competed for a semifinal spot against Traktor Chelyabinsk but were defeated. Notably, this year Ak Bars was the squad that eliminated Traktor from the playoffs.
Additionally, Dmitry Kvartalnov, who currently serves as head coach of both Dinamo Minsk and the Belarus national hockey team, was previously the head coach of Ak Bars (from 2019 to 2022) before joining Dinamo Minsk.
