Vladislav Tretyak: "We are in expectation of a big hockey event"

- We are all in expectation of a big hockey event which will take place in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This will be the third World Championship that our country will host, and the world's best teams will travel here. We hope that they will show excellent hockey, and we will of course support our national team.

- How ready is the country for the World Championships?

- Members of the International Ice Hockey Federation is constantly travelling here, and they have been assessing the preparation both in Moscow and in Saint Petersburg. Apart from inspecting the arenas, they have been looking at issues such as hotels and transport links. Overall they are satisfied, and in an interview Rene Fasel expressed his satisfaction himself. The main thing now is to create a good team, and our coaching staff are working over this now. We are expecting our team to perform well.

- What work is being carried out to ensure every match will be a sell-out?

- We are always working in this direction. Already today, it's difficult to purchase tickets for Russia's matches. However, we want there to be full arenas for other teams too. We will try to achieve this.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation