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Latvia Takes Center Stage—Mar. 21, 2021—VOL. 74, Issue. 03 - Ryan Kennedy

WHEN RUDOLFS BALCERS was nine, his youth hockey team travelled from the Latvian coastal town of Liepaja to the nation’s capital, Riga, to watch the 2006 World Championship. It was the first time the country hosted the prestigious event, and now, after originally having co-hosting duties, Latvia will be the center of the international hockey world all on its own – albeit in a pandemic-induced, fan-free capacity.

“It’s a big thing,” said Balcers, now a left winger with the San Jose Sharks. “It’s going to be different from all the other world championships because there will be no fans, and for us Latvians, when we play games the fans cheer us on and you can feel that excitement when you step on the ice, it’s going to be different. But it will be awesome to play at home. Everyone is excited.”

Riga will be hosting the 2021 worlds, which begins May 21, but the road to get there was bumpy – through no fault of the Latvians. Originally, the winning bid was constructed alongside Belarus, with Minsk as the other host city.

But the past year has been a humanitarian disaster in Belarus, with allegations of election fraud making president Aleksander Lukashenko – the only leader the former Soviet republic has ever had, and a huge hockey fan to boot – a pariah on the international stage. Sometimes referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictator’ by the press, Lukashenko’s regime has attempted to quash dissent with state-sanctioned violence, with mass protests of citizens encountering force from police and the military.

The fact the IIHF was standing by – or more accurately, standing on the sidelines – during the civil unrest did not sit well with many European nations, but the organization held onto its tenets of political neutrality well into autumn. “It is written in the IIHF’s statutes and bylaws that we cannot permit discrimination based on political association,” said IIHF president Rene Fasel in an exclusive interview with The Hockey News.

“The IIHF’s mission is to promote hockey throughout the world, and we have to be able to work with many different countries in order to achieve this.”

Eventually the heat became too much for the IIHF, however, and in mid-January, Belarus was stripped of hosting duties with the international organization citing safety and security concerns. Soon after, Latvia was awarded the tournament as singular host after the IIHF also considered bids from Bratislava, Slovakia, and Herning, Denmark.

The new plan is for Riga to host all 16 teams in one hotel, and with all the necessary rinks being close to each other, a bubble could be formed if necessary. The 2021 World Junior Championship, the IIHF’s other marquee men’s event, was held in a bubble in Edmonton and was relatively successful, despite some early outbreaks that hit Germany and Sweden. On the flip side, if the COVID-19 rates in Latvia drop to a safe level, the IIHF is prepared to welcome spectators into the arenas within three days’ notice of government approval.

Getting fans in the stands would be huge, since the small-but-proud nation is known for its boisterous and cheery supporters. “It’s a small country, and you could say hockey is the No. 1 sport there,” Balcers said. “Everyone loves it, and everyone is passionate. Every time games like the worlds come around, you feel that atmosphere. They love cheering us on, and we really appreciate them.”

Although Latvia has only made it to the quarterfinal twice since hosting in 2006, there is definite focus amongst the nation’s players to have a good showing each year, and to be fair, Latvia usually steers well clear of relegation. “I’ve played two times now, and we take it really seriously,” Balcers said. “It’s a big tournament with all the best countries, and you want to do as good as you can. Coming into those tournaments, we always focus a lot and try to make the playoffs.”

And while Latvia hasn’t pushed into the top tier of international hockey yet, the team has put some scares into opponents, much to the delight of their diehard fans. Remember Tampa Bay Lightning prospect goalie Kristers Gudlevskis stopping 55 shots against Canada in a 2-1 loss at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi? Latvians certainly do. “For sure that was one of the biggest games Latvia ever played, people talk about it all the time,” said Balcers, 23. “They don’t forget the big games we’ve had.”

The hope in 2021 is for Latvia to make some more history on the ice. The team’s pool group includes Canada, the U.S. and Finland, so effectively there is one more playoff spot open, barring some major upsets. Latvia’s main competition for that spot will be Germany, with Norway, Italy and Kazakhstan rounding out the pool.

Is a playoff berth in the cards for Latvia? Fate has certainly been on its side already this year.