Russian Super Fans in Philadelphia?

[KaleebtheMighty 1,509]

"Ублюдок, это была поездка!" a fan cried out in the 2nd period of the Philadelphia Reapers recent 2-1 win over the Mississauga Hounds. A few other fans nearby turned their heads to the call out in Russian, some in disgust and others with confusion. Russians were not commonplace in Philadelphia, especially in the stands of a VHLM game. But one thing drew them here. "GRACHEV! GRACHEV!" They cried out after seeing the Reaper defenseman connect with a solid hit on a Hounds forward. When asked who they were, hardly any of them gave a response. Mostly laughs, other Russian phrases until finally their name was called out in unison by the group.

They call themselves The Pucking Russians.

None of them stayed around for any sort of interview after the game. In fact, most disappeared fairly quickly when the final horn called out the end of the 3rd period, seemingly headed for bars in the surrounding area. Any sort of clarification of the group could only be described by the Reapers defenseman himself, Victor Grachev. "My guys! They support me as I come here to play!" Grachev said with a large grin after the game in the locker room. "Best buds around, make Philly home away from home. Sorry, were they loud?"

The Pucking Russians hail from Grachev's hometown of Cherepovets, Vologda Blast, Russia. Some hail as childhood teammates, others as friends according to Grachev. The group grew up together playing both competitive and recreational hockey in the surrounding region. Although Grachev is the only one who has made the jump over to the VHLM to play, he swears he isn't the best of the bunch. "Honor belongs to Aleksandr. Very good with puck, very scary hitter. But lot of.....drunk," Grachev laughed. "Take away bottle, well he kill you, but he would play very good. Very good." When asked if any others from his area would think about making the jump from Russia to the big leagues of the VHL, Victor stated that many considered it, but it would depend on how much he himself makes in terms of money. Why? "They need a LOT of drinking, you know how much vodka Aleksandr has? Scary amounts, I don't know how he stand sometimes," Victor said with a cheeky smile.

It might help Grachev to have some hometown support during the playoffs. Although the Reapers are winning their series 3 games to 1, Victor has one of the team's worst +/- ratings at -3 in the first 4 games. It could be nerves for the russian prospect, being that this is his first playoff run in his first season with the VHLM. The coaches of the Philadelphia Repears seem to grasp that fact, limiting Victor's ice time in the playoffs to around 14:08 compared to his regular season cap at around 18 minutes. Whatever the case, Grachev does have a small but loyal group of fans cheering him on every step of the way. If the Reapers do win this series, it might surprise nobody if The Pucking Russians try to grab Grachev after the game for some hometown celebrations in Philly.

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

Review: It's nice to see Grachev is already making such a big impact in the hockey community! Glad to hear he already has devoted fans. This media spot is well written and the quotes sound pretty genuine. Like, maybe the accents are a tad bit exaggerated, not really sure, but the general flow seems natural. It's also nice to see how he is progressing and the writer has good insight on Grachev's playstyle. I also really appreciate how you use italics to help the quotes stand out. This was just an overall fun read, seeing Grachev talk about his friends and about Aleksandr. There were some real hidden gem quotes in here like "Take away bottle, well he kill you, but he would play very good." The only real feedback I can give you is to maybe add a visual. It would help prevent this from being just another block of text, though that's not much of a problem as I feel like this is a good size for no photo. Other than that though, great MS!

 

9/10