Place: Bern, Switzerland.
Time: 8 p.m. local time., Dec. 18, 2017.
Weather: -1 degree Celsius and cloudy.
Outside Mahogany Hall on Klosterlistutz near the banks of the Aare River, the ratio of men to women is 2 to 1 as they file in for the Monday Blues Dance. The main topic of discussion? Not Stevie Ray Vaughn. Not Buddy Guy nor Muddy Waters. Instead, Nico Hischier, Reto Suri and Sandro Zurkirchen were mentioned again and again and again.
“In a few years, for sure. Not now though for Zurkirchen and Suri,” said a rugged-looking gentleman wearing an Interrail T-shirt under an unzipped winter coat. “Reto blew his chance with the season he is having this year.”
“He can at least make the fourth line.” claimed his smaller, lively buddy. “Who is going to beat him out?”
“Loic Lamperier, for one. He took Suri’s job away from him on the Madrid Royals and his will do the same on Team Europe,” chimed in a third member of the little group of friends.
That third guy is right. Lamperier, a Frenchman, has a better shot of playing in the World Cup than does the Swiss-born Suri. Both will be considered to represent Team Europe, a group of players from countries in Europe and Asia not named Russia, Sweden, Finland or the Czech Republic. Switzerland’s best chance of being represented will be Roman Josi of Prague, with Timo Meier of Berlin and Sven Baertschi of Minsk having outside chances.
The conversation outside the Mahogany Hall is a good example of the interest that the tournament has generated in Bern. Interrail management is making improvements at the arena (above) and local business owners are gearing up for increase business in Bern’s hotels, restaurants and shops.
“I can’t wait,” said Margaritha Hanni while working in the Hermes store in Bern’s main shopping district. “I hope the place is crawling with Canadians and Americans during the tournament because they tend to overspend. I was going to throw away some of my old inventory, but I will just sell it to them. Maybe if I’m lucky, Justin Haines (Athens GM) and his family will pop into the store. I bet I could unload half that stuff on them.”
“I am just happy the league chose Bern for this tournament,” said Sandra Helfenstein, a PR person for the Swiss Farmers Union. “I wonder why they did,” with a smile and knowing wink. The league’s Director of Discipline and Player Safety Sepp Blatter is from Visp, about an hour’s drive south of Bern.
Blatter said the league is looking for more general managers willing to pick the 8 teams in the tournament. Only 4 have come forward so far. He said the duties will include picking the roster and setting the lines for the team. Paja Jansson will take it from there.
Anyone interested may message Paja and League Commissioner Chuck Massaro, who will pass on the message to Blatter.
