Sweet Victoria: Kazakhstan team says thanks with video tribute
From Astana to Victoria, with love.
The Kazakhstan junior hockey team has posted a YouTube tribute to the B.C. capital, which adopted the squad as underdog darlings of the IIHF 2019 world junior hockey championship at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Several Kazakhstan players and supporters in the video say: “Thankyou Victoria.”
They also sing an uneven rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, the song played after every Kazakhstan goal, with fans singing along during the Dec. 26-Jan. 2 tournament.
“Only one player spoke English and that was the only issue they had in Victoria,” said Bruce Tuck, who, with Gary Jackson, was the Kazakhstan team’s host liaison for the games.
“They really liked Victoria and were very appreciative of the crowd response here. There were big smiles all round because of all the attention they got. They especially took to Sweet Caroline. That really brought the crowd into it in support of the underdogs.”
Each team was asked to pick a goal song, to be played after it scored. Kazakhstan, making its first appearance in the world juniors in a decade, didn’t have one, so they asked Memorial Centre music DJ Tom Grainger to pick one for them. He chose Sweet Caroline. None of the Kazakhstan players or coaches had heard it before, but all said they would download it and cherish listening to it.
Although Kazakhstan was winless in pool play, its tournament ended well when it avoided being dropped from the elite group by defeating Denmark in the relegation final played in Vancouver.
“It was more relief than exhilaration,” said Tuck.
“I don’t think they expected to beat the Danes.”
That means Kazakhstan is good to go for the IIHF 2020 world junior championship in the Czech Republic.
And just waiting to be adopted by the hockey fans of host cities Ostrava and Trinec, theme song included.