Finland vs Russia Icehockey Photo-gallery

The Finland vs Russia icehockey game was played in a crisp -15 Celsius degrees winter day. That didn't scare of the spectators though - judging by the 25.000 viewers in the Olympic Stadium keeping up a good spirit.

Before the game started there was tons of activities. Below are some pictures from the yesterdays "pre-game" ibify-live-gallery.

Leo Lion and Angry Bird posing with the cheerleader girls

The sauna was already warm with smoke coming from the sauna-trucks chimney

Despite it's name this is not an army-vehicle: A "soup canon" cooking pea soup

Two hours before the game there were already a lot of people at the event

Hall of Fame player and Team Finlands general manager Jari Kurri on the stage

The ice was being prepared before the game

Outside the stadium area a balloon was being launched

Spectators trying to get the puck behind Pitsburg Penguing goalie Marc-André Fleury

Nokia was there with a big screen promoting the fruits of their partnership with Microsoft...

...the Lumia 800 mobile phone running Window Phone 7 "Mango"

Judging by a short test the phone still worked prtty well in -15 degrees.

90 minutes before the game the stadium was still empty...

View from the the stadium. The area was already starting to fill with people.

The Helsinki Olympic Stadium tower

Meanwhile the "Popcorn" band was keeping the crowd warm

The cheerleaders dancing along...

... with the crowd and "Leo the Lion"

30 minutes before the game the sun had already set...

... and expectations were high for the finnish fans.

The interior of the olympic stadium before the game

The cheerleaders were leading a warmup exersice for the spectators before the start

The live TV-broadcast studio was behind the rounded glasses

Teams lining up for the game.

Spectators standing up for the national anthems.

The game is GO!

The finnish crowd was silenced 2 min before the end of the first period by Stanislav Tshistov who scored 1-0 for Russia.

Between the second and the third period

Between the second and the third period

Despite the temperature sinking below -15 degrees the spirit was still high

The teams changed ends at 50 mins into the game to ensure equal conditions for both teams

Russia won the game 2 - 0. The complete gallery can be viewed on the www.ibify.com webpage or on android phones using the 'ibify' app from the android Market.

Icehockey: Finland vs Russia at the Olympic Stadium

The Euro Hockey Tour continues with the Finland vs. Russia game on February 9th 2012. The fact that it is played in the Olympic Stadium, the arena of the 1952 Olympic Games, makes the game legendary and surely one to remember.

The last time finlands national icehockey team played outdoors was in 1969 against the USSR.

The game will be ibitioned live in the live-gallery. If you want to see more about the venue or the entertainment and activities at the olympic stadium then tune in to the pre-game event live-gallery. Both galleries can be found at www.ibify.com when zooming closer to Helsinki, Finland. Android-phone users can also download the 'ibify' app from Android Market and watch the live-galleries on their phones.

The following facts make this game unique and a feast for icehockey fans:

• It's played at the Olympic Stadium: The arena of the 1952 Olympic Games.
• It's played outdoors, with special outdoor-game rules.
• The last international icehockey outdoor-game that the Finnish national team played was in 1969 against the Soviet Union.
• The last time international icehockey was played at the Olympic Stadium was in February 1941 against Sweden. Finland faired miserably and lost 0-11.
• This is an official game of the Euro Hockey Tours tournament.

Paavo Nurmi lighting the olympic fire in 1952.

Olympic Stadion during olympics in 1952.

Outdoor Icehockey Rules

The outdoor icehockey rules are slightly different from the usual rules. The following rules apply:

• The breaks between the periods are 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes.
• In outdoor games the teams will change ends in the third period at 10 minutes. This ensures that both teams get to play the same amount in the same conditions.
• If there is heavy snowfall during the game then there will be extra breaks to clean the ice.

The game probably gets television coverage in some countries but if you don't have the chance to watch it on TV you'll definately want to check out the live-gallery during the game. No registration and it's free. Just open the gallery (click the link) when the game is about to start. Or get 'ibify' from Android Market to watch in on the go on your mobile.

For hardcore icehockey fans there will be some interesting material in the pre-game event live-gallery. Rumors are that theres quite a bit of material about the coming icehockey world championship...