If Ray Emery is looking for a crash course in what to expect during his exile in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, he need look no further than the National Post.
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The newspaper posted an interview with Fred Brathwaite, who has become kind a trailblazer for goaltenders with Canadian passports traversing the Russian hinterlands. Brathwaite, who is now happily ensconced with Dave King (also one with more than a bit of familiarity with the Russian ways) in Germany, expanded on his days and cold, cold nights while backstopping the local heroes of Omsk Avangard.
The newspaper posted an interview with Fred Brathwaite, who has become kind a trailblazer for goaltenders with Canadian passports traversing the Russian hinterlands. Brathwaite, who is now happily ensconced with Dave King (also one with more than a bit of familiarity with the Russian ways) in Germany, expanded on his days and cold, cold nights while backstopping the local heroes of Omsk Avangard.
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From discovering a few familiar restaurant locations in a foreign land to cultural observations of a very different place, he provides a fairly good thumbnail sketch for Emery as to what life away from the rink might look like.
From discovering a few familiar restaurant locations in a foreign land to cultural observations of a very different place, he provides a fairly good thumbnail sketch for Emery as to what life away from the rink might look like.
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A quick on line search for life in Omsk finds something called the Siberian ice marathon, a large number of universities with a wide range of specialities should he wish to seek out higher learning, one ominous looking large monument to Lenin and a rather lengthy list of links for young Russian ladies looking for a husband (one describes Omsk as the city of brides!), perhaps a good thing for Ray, perhaps not....
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On the plus side, they seem to be in the process of building a fairly ambitious and far reaching Metro system in Omsk, so maybe Ray can leave the (uh, Hummer?) behind and catch the train to the game.
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Stuff like this Rayzor won't be finding in the local Fodors guidebook that's for sure.
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While the action on the ice may seem familiar to the former Senators goaltender, it's a safe bet that once he's spent a few weeks wandering the lanes of Omsk he'll be thinking "we aren't in Ottawa anymore Toto"
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