KHL Medveščak returns to the ice today in preparation of the 2015/16 KHL season.
The new season format takes shape this year with six preseason games that start today against Banska Bystrica followed by the start of the regular season on Aug. 24.
Each team will play every other team twice, once at home and once on the road, giving a total of 54 games, plus 6 additional games (3 at home, 3 on the road) to be played by each team against rival clubs from its own conference. Thus, each team will play a total of 60 games in the regular season.
Medveščak’s first regular-season game will fall on Aug 26 against Amur.
The Bears have a few familiar faces training with them in the preseason with the return of Swedish second-division star, Ivan Šijan and current member of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Borna Rendulić.
Šijan and Rendulić grew up playing next to each other on the Bears and return for some off-season training with their former club.
Rendulić will spend some more time in Zagreb before heading to Slovenia where he will participate in a training camp hosted by Slovenia’s own, Anže Kopitar where several other NHL players will be training and where Rendulić will continue to develop his skills.
Rendulić also spoke with Ante Margetić for a story on Medveščak.com and mentioned his time with NHL legend and Croatian-Canadian, Joe Sakic.
“Yeah, it’s unbelievable how approachable he is, you never have a feeling like you’re talking to one of the best hockey players ever, he’s done a lot to help me adjust to me to the life in America and the NHL,” Rendulić said in the interview.
Rendulić also explained how much of a fan of the Croatian National Soccer team Sakic is.
“You wouldn’t believe that Joe Sakic stays up all night watching football every time our national team is playing, every morning after a game he would come up to me and ask me if I watched the game and then we would comment on the players and the result. He speaks very little Croatian, but he’s proud of his ancestry and often spends his summer on the Croatian seaside,” Rendulić added.
The Bears play their first preseason game today at 11 am EST and play again tomorrow against Slovan Bratislava at 12 pm EST.
@poglavnik……..no need to hate. You should always be objective and fair.
I am one of those that always was a Bilic fan and always will be a Bilic fan. I actually backed West Ham at 10 to 1 in a five leg multi bet , won $220 on a $5 investment. This year West Ham is my team.
^^
Nah, I’m just continue hating on all successful Hrvati.
So, are some you back to being Bilic fans again? Front runners gotta front, right???
While I like that we are competive in handball and water polo.
It is now time for our basketball program to re-establish itself has a European power.
I am all in for EuroBasket 2015.
ZDS
No, every two years, like now, is fine.
Using your logic, then they should hold it every year. Better yet, several times a year then.
Holding it every two years allows them to make money. Water Polo and handball governing bodies are not cash machines. They need this.
Should be every four years.
This dilutes the value of each tournament.
Nothing wrong with a major tourney every year. Handball does the same. Either a Euro and World Championships alternating every two years.
These waterpolo tournaments are way too frequent. Every year there is a Euro tournament or a World Cup. Serbs have done very well at these annual Waterpolo tournaments but have never really replicated that at the Olympics. They’ve never won Gold.
Actually, they’ve never even won silver either. Just a couple of bronzes.
At least Cro has a silver and a gold.
Hmmm, good question. To me choke artist in the sporting sense means they choked and were favored to win. I never considered than a favorite to beat the Serbs. For me mental midget means not performing up to the usual task. While I didn’t think we would win today, I did think we could keep it tight until the end.
Either way, bad performance.
What’s the difference between mental midget and choke artists…I thought they were synonymous.
Late in the 4th and our guys just gave up. Fuck it, at this point losing by 3 goals or 8 goals is the same shit I guess. Mental midget disease in effect.
Understood, but I wouldn’t go that far. In water polo, if we play the serbs 10 times, they will win 6 or 7 of those matches. Today just terrible play with the man advantage.
In soccer if we play them 10 times, we would win 7 or 8 of those matches; same thing in handball, possibly 8 or 9 wins in 10 tries.
They are slightly better than us in water polo. If we play our “A” game and they player their “A” game, they will win.
Yeah but we’ve hit so many posts that we can build a cabin. We are choke artists.
Tough to beat the serbs. Over the last 10 plus years they are the best in the world in water polo
Looks like the typical Croatia showed up first half of the game. Up 2-0. Down 5-2. Showing absolutely zero offense and think you get a point by waving the ball.
U think there is an ISIS version of this site, something like ISISsports.com.
Either way, it is a VERY sensitive topic.
Should these IS militants kill Tomislav then Egypt should kill 10 of the prisoners that IS wants freed, or something along those lines.
The picture is of a previously killed hostage
@Ante
Heavy.com posted an image yesterday, but has since taken it down.
There are some news outlets reporting him as dead. I hope they are all wrong, but it’s unlikely.
Mandzuka with a Mandzuka-style goal for Juventus.
According to the ISIS message boards, he was killed. I have viewed a photo of a headless body, let me know if you want me to post it.
Maminjo,
Where did you read that?!
On an unrelated note,
Will the Hajduk vs Liberec game be televised on HRT?
I don’t think MaxTV has the rights for Europa. Just the HNL.
Easy on the jadan, mali i nemocan hajduk talk……..they have gotten by a bunch of teams none of you have heard of before.
ISIS cut off Tomislav’s head. Fucking cigos.
As far as KHL Medvescak is concerned, Patrick Kane might be available soon.
Hajduk! Croatia’s team – with REAL Croats playing on the field!! Wait till you see Poljud at the next home match! Great draw today! Group Stage, here we come! Even Jefferson is one of our “nasi mladi”!
Watched the whole game. Nikola Vlasic impressed me more than Balic. Chemestry wise, this is the best Hajduk team in quite some time.
Where are the HAJDUK headlines ! Come on ! Beautiful 2-0 Win by Naši Mladi Bili !! Bog , Hrvati , USA , HAJDUK , i HNS !!!
^ ^
His parents are good people.
Hercegovci from Imotski.
Joe was sent away at a young age to chase his dream.
Probably didn’t help him retain the language.
You’d think it would come back to him with all those trips he takes there.
I’m quite sure he grew up like like my sister and brother in the late 60’s – early 70’s speaking only Croatian in the household.
Actually I’m pretty sure he barely knew English when he first went to elementary school.
I guess his parents failed him.
Watching a national soccer team plays does not mean you are Croatian. Just means you are a fan.
And, you are correct, I wouldn’t say that to him…..Why?????? Because I wouldn’t be the one going up to him to talk. I don’t know the guy, why would I intrude on his life and talk to a stranger.
Percent chance that if Ziva Istina, upon meeting Joe Sakic, would talk to him about the “za dom … spremni” lifestyle and the fact that his inability to speak the language is not conducive to a ZDS lifestyle?
0%
Good one! I was waiting for that comment!!!
“You wouldn’t believe that Joe Sakic stays up all night watching football every time our national team is playing, every morning after a game he would come up to me and ask me if I watched the game and then we would comment on the players and the result. He speaks very little Croatian, but he’s proud of his ancestry and often spends his summer on the Croatian seaside,”
Wonder how his ordering skills are? 😉
someone referencing/referring to Glas Istre on this site?
well I’ll be damned
The KHL is a joke in general. Medveščak isn’t the only team in that league to be behind on paying players.
I have heard some outlandish stories from players who went over from N. America to play in that league.
They should go back to the EBEL. More suited for that league and they can keep costs much lower.
Thanks for proving once again that there are morons in every nationality on this planet….well done!
Sranje, just like all the rest of the CRO businesses out there don’t pay their employees….
http://www.hockeyvips.com/2015/07/canadian-khler-dekanich-club-owes-players-back-salary/
Other than homegrown “talent” not one player is back from last year’s roster….and the President was recently quoted as saying they were turning their focus to young Russian players to round out their roster….meaning, they couldn’t get as many North Americans given news has spread they don’t pay.