Funny story about today's #WorldJuniors final. Lots of posts on Russian internet today celebrating victory, congratulating the Russian team with gold, very celebratory, very patriotic, all taunting hapless Canadians. Why, do you ask? Well, here is the reason...
The game was shown on Channel 1, Russia's main state-owned station, not on Match TV, the main state-owned sports station. So, Match TV made a brilliant decision to broadcast the replay of the 2011 Juniors final at the same time...
At one point the score of both games was 3-3, adding to the confusion. So, while many fans saw the actual game end 4-3 in Canada's favor, many others saw a 5-3 win for Russia, never realizing they were watching something that happened nine years ago...
So, as the final siren blew in both broadcasts, the ones who watched Channel 1 sulked and logged off, but the ones who watched Match TV flooded the interwebs in jubilant gloating. "Thank you, lads! You've ripped Canada again!" Some prominent Russians were among the revelers...
This includes a Russian lawmaker of a very patriotic lean and a soccer star famous for being Putin's number 2 fan (after Ovechkin, of course).
This is funny and sad, yes, but you might wonder how did all these Russians miss Tarasenko, Kuznetsov and Panarin, established NHL stars?
This is funny and sad, yes, but you might wonder how did all these Russians miss Tarasenko, Kuznetsov and Panarin, established NHL stars?
The answer is simple. A great majority of Russians knows next to nothing about hockey, other than "yay, we've shown the evil West!" Most folks don't know who Tarasenko and Kuznetsov are. Russia's love for hockey has always been a marriage of political expediency. Funny. And sad.
This reminds me of how all the hockey dads at my sons' club would tease me good-naturedly about the Miracle on Ice, and I would joke back: "What are you taking about? According to the highlights we saw, we won the game!"
In Soviet Russia, joke tells you. Always.
In Soviet Russia, joke tells you. Always.
As an addendum, here is the soccer star's celebratory Instagram post, complete with the Match TV screen grab. 
And here is the lawmaker posting on Facebook. "Let's congratulate our juniors with the World's Gold! A real Red Machine! The new model! Great job! Russian character!"
And here is the real kicker. I have saved it for last. The lawmaker in question is Mikhail Degtyaryov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on... ta-da!.. sports!
Say one thing for Russian parliament members. Some of them make Louie Gohmert look smart.
Say one thing for Russian parliament members. Some of them make Louie Gohmert look smart.
PS... This story just keeps getting better. Match TV had exclusive rights to broadcast the entire Worlds, so the folks understandably tuned in to their channel. But, according to my sources, the decision to take the final away and give it to Channel 1 was made the night before...
... by the Putin administration. The contract with MatchTV didn't matter, Ch 1 has a bigger audience, the game had political significance, and since both channels report to Putin, the decision was made authoritatively.
MatchTV, not knowing how to plug the hole, aired the old game
MatchTV, not knowing how to plug the hole, aired the old game
So, there you have it. In the background of all those poor misled Russian fans we have a TV channel which had to violate its contract with sponsors and lose millions because Putin wanted the game on his favorite channel.
This is Russia in a microcosm, friends.
This is Russia in a microcosm, friends.
It's already being memed. Team Russia Beats Team Sweden!, proclaims the banner under the illustration of tsar Peter the Great defeating the Swedish army in the early XVIIIth century. The MatchTV logo is in the upper corner.
The fallout continues. MatchTV director defended the airing of "the beautiful 2011 final" by saying... "The weather report doesn't absolve you from looking out the window before heading out. If you got wet, it doesn't mean someone is manipulating you."
Russia, friends. Russia.
Russia, friends. Russia.
