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[np_storybar title=”Russian fans should make for ’emotional’ atmosphere” link=””]

When there was still a chance that Canada might face Team North America in the semi-final on Saturday night, some wondered who would get the biggest cheers.

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Canada was obviously the host country. But North America not only had Canadian-born players such as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, but also Auston Matthews and Johnny Gaudreau, who played for Canadian-based teams.

As the World Cup of Hockey went on, the Under-24 team was gaining more and more popularity to the point where it might have been difficult to gauge who had home-ice advantage.

That’s no longer a question now that Russia has advanced to the semi-final.

Or is it?

“It’s going to be great and very emotional,” Russian defenceman Andrei Markov said of Saturday night’s game. “The crowd is going to be on our side probably.”

Excuse me? Did he just say that Russia might have more supporters than Canada? Was he kidding? Well, not exactly.