Some of Russia's hockey stars have been forced to venture out into Stockholm's furniture stores to buy pillows and televisions because the hotel where they are staying for the world championships does not offer the comfort they are accustomed to.
The team is staying at the Globe hotel, next to the arena of the same name where the tournament begins Friday in the Swedish capital.
Players including goaltender Konstantin Barulin told a RIA Novosti reporter staying at the same hotel that the rooms are too small, the pillows tiny, and the racket from nearby construction work bothers the team from dawn to dusk.
"Not everything suits us, but the question of moving to another hotel has not been raised," said Valery Belov, a senior team coach.
"In the KHL, not to mention the NHL, all teams always have good living arrangements, and here, of course, is just mid-level," he said.
Some of the players have even bought plasma televisions because the sets in their rooms are too small.
The team was offered three options for hotels during a summer visit, Belov said.
"At the time building work was just starting, but we were told all the noisy work would be over by the start of the world championships," Belov said.
The quality of the food also failed to make the grade, he said, adding: "But there are problems with that everywhere."
"Nonetheless, when we chose the hotel, it seemed the pluses outweighed the minuses."
Russia is chasing its first world championship title since 2009, starting against Latvia on Saturday.
