Sergei Zubov, the head coach of the Russian National team that competed at the World Juniors in Alberta and an NHL legend, is attempting to downplay an incident that got his team and the team from Czechia booted off a flight from Calgary to Germany.
"There is nothing special to comment on," Zobov told Match TV. "The team will fly home to Russia in an hour. All are safe and sound. Probably someone really needs to exaggerate what actually happened. Many guys from both teams were wearing masks incorrectly. After repeated reminders, the airline decided to remove both teams from the flight."
There seems to be much more to it than that, though. Police were called to remove the teams from the plane after reports of unruly behaviour and attempting to smoke and/or vape on the plane. Zubov is among those accused of trying to skirt the rules on smoking, something he's denying.
"Come on, what kind of cigarettes? I quit smoking three years ago," said Zubov.
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An earlier report stated Zubov had a vaping device up his sleeve that he was attempting to use before the plane took off from Calgary.
A person who was on the plane stated both the Russians and Czechs were causing problems with their behaviour. The team from Finland was also there, but were allowed to stay on the flight as, apparently, they were not acting up. The flight was delayed at least two hours while the two teams were removed.
Related:
Czechia team manager says case of mistaken identity got his team booted from flight in CalgaryWorld Juniors teams removed from flight leaving Calgary after reports of unruly behaviourSource:
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