Edmonton Oilers No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov (Getty Images)Nail Yakupov refuses to speak to the media at the world junior championship in Ufa, Russia. Yet, he still managed to get sucked into a media-scrutinized scandal.

Two weeks ago Yakupov told R-Sport that ‘Canadians play dirty’ but Team Russia is ready for it. After going unnoticed, untouched and basically just ignored by both Russian media and fans, the story blew up on the first day of the world junior when it was translated and published in English.

Canada's beloved Don Cherry making borderline chauvinistic comments on it was expected. Say what you want about Cherry — he gets his job done day in and day out. It’s not the first time he has made an insulting comment about a Russian hockey player. He is yet to offend one. He did make many laugh, though.

Cherry addressed sentiments of many hockey fans in Canada. For generations Canadian fans have thought it is the Ruskies who play dirty and get wimpy. In Russia, it’s been the other way around since the 1972 Summit Series.

Russia's Nail Yakupov

Sports – especially hockey – are a breeding ground for all sorts of superstitions. Surely you’ve heard a bunch of them. Some players always lace up their left skate first, some don’t talk to the media before the game, some have to tap their goalie’s pads a certain number of times before the puck drops.

It is widely believe that whatever country hosts an international tournament is cursed. Stupid, right? Come on, Canada, back me up.

Of course, it makes little or no sense in the context of World Juniors. However, the last team that won the gold medal on home soil at the IIHF world championship was Team USSR back in 1986. So 26 years of failure would make you believe in all sorts of things.

And if you’re modern Russia, that scares you. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian team has been unable to deliver at home on any level.

The first international tournament post-Soviet Russia ever hosted was ironically in Ufa with 1996 European Hockey Championship. That was the

The monument to Salavat Yulaev

The 2013 world junior championship kicks off in Ufa, Russia next week, but what do we know about the host city? Here are 10 things you need to know about Ufa, both hockey-related and not.

1. Ufa is 11^th largest city in Russia with slightly over a million residents. It was founded late in the 16^th century and is currently the capital of Bashkortostan – a region of Russia located next to the Ural mountain chain that geographically separates Europe from Asia. It’s a two-hour flight from Moscow to the east – that should give you some perspective.

2. While Russia’s primary religion by far is Orthodox Christianity, Bashkortostan is one of the few regions where Islam is a fairly common practice. So don’t get surprised when you see all the mosques around the town.

3. Most of Bashkortostan's residents speak Russian, while some speak both Russian and Bashkir. There are even a few of those who speak only Bashkir, however, they are hard to come by in big communities.

The marten

4. The marten (lat.

Valeri Nichushkin is up for the 2013 NHL draft (Derek Leung, Getty Images)

If you have followed the Subway Super Series enough, you must have caught yourself thinking — who's the masked guy? No, we're not talking about goalies. The guy wears #15 on his back and a full-face mask on his head. That would be Valeri Nichushkin — one of the hottest Russian prospects this season.

North American fans and media would know him a little bit better if he opted to play in the CHL this year. Nichushkin, who was ranked first by KHL scouting bureau this past spring, said in May he's willing to cross the Atlantic but instead he stayed in his hometown of Chelyabinsk.

"I was going to play in Canada but then I signed a contract with Traktor," explains the 17-year-old.

Nichushkin signed a three--year contract but hasn't played a game in the KHL yet. Clearly being too good for the MHL — Russia's major junior league — he now plays for Chelmet, Traktor's VHL affiliate team. How is he too good for a junior team? He has four goals and four assists in nine games for Belye Medvedi this season. In the VHL he scored eight goals and 10 points in 15 games.

That doesn't really explain the full-face mask, though.

Russia's Nail Yakupov at the Subway Super Series

Russia lost a hard-fought game to Team OHL but captain Nail Yakupov didn't disappoint Sarnia fans as he scored a big goal and sent them an unusual present over the boards. What else was there of interest in Game 4 of the Subway Super Series?

• Despite a stellar performance in Game 3 Igor Ustinski was replaced with Andrei Vasilevski in goal.
• Defenceman Alexei Vasilevski — Andrei's older brother — was the only healthy scratch for Russia in Sarnia. Belleville's Daniil Zharkov and London's Nikita Zadorov weren't eligible for this game by CHL rules as they would have had five games in five nights. Team OHL's Scott Harrington and Max Domi played four games in four nights.
• The crowd cheered loudly when Nail Yakupov's name was announced. The boo-birds stayed home.
• Yakupov was clearly fired up for Game 4 but the OHL did a good job of tying him up and leaving him little room to maneuver.
• Russia had trouble early getting three minor penalties in the first period, including when they had to play 5-on-3

Nail Yakupov is returning to Sarnia in Russian colours (Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

In 2008, Steven Stamkos did not get to say goodbye to Sarnia when he became the first-overall NHL pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The next big Sarnia Sting player, Nail Yakoupov, will be more fortunate.

Edmonton's top pick, Yakupov, played 107 games for the Sting, scored 80 goals along with 170 points. On Monday night, as Team Russia's captain, he returns to the town where he matured into that top pick.

"Honestly, this town has become my home. These two years opened the doors to pro hockey," said Yakupov, whose squad leads the Subway Super Series 6-3 entering its second game vs. Team OHL. "I loved playing hockey there. I felt comfortable. Now a lot of folks text me things like 'Hey, we're waiting for you, come here soon! The arena's going to be packed!' It's great."

"I'm glad to come back," adds the Oilers prospect. "Everyone says it's going to be a fun hockey game. The people are waiting for it. I appreciate the opportunity to play once again in a town I spent my last two years in. We had a great team, great arena and terrific fans. I loved it. Everything was just great."

Yakupov also believes there will be no ill will from fans despite the fact that Sarnia tried to keep Yakupov following the NHL lockout, by saying he still had one year left on his OHL contract.  Yakupov was let out of his contract and went to play the KHL. In 13 KHL games, he has scored 10 goals and notched four assists with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.

Igor Ustinski, 18, won his first Super Series start (Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

When you play three games in four nights you have to rotate your goalies.

Team Russia head coach Mikhail Varnakov's biggest dilemma was when and whom should he start his backup in the Subway Super Series. Go with hulking Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Andrei Vasilevski in both games against Team QMJHL or do you split the series with Vasilevski and Igor Ustinski?

Varnakov trusted Vasilevski to start both in Blainville-Boisbriand and Val-d'Or, so Ustinski got the nod on Wednesday in Guelph. The 5-foot-10 netminder stepped up by stopping 23-of-24 that night, including a point-blank snapshot from Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Josh Leivo late in the third that preserved Russia's 2-1 win.

That was one of those saves you look and go 'How did he stop it?!'. Cut the drama, it was easy. Really it was.

"He shot it right at me. I didn't do anything," said Ustinski after the game.

For someone who made his debut for his nation's junior team on such a high level, Ustinski looked surprisingly confident and solid throughout the game.

Chicago Blackhawks pick Maxim Shalunov (left, Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

Maxim Shalunov scored a lot of goals in his junior career. Across the past two seasons, he scored 52 goals and had 96 points in 87 games for Belye Medvedi of the MHL — Russia's major junior hockey league.

However, his biggest goal so far is probably the one he scored on Wednesday night in Guelph, Ont., in Game 3 of the Subway Super Series. It came with 6:55 to play and proved to be the game-winning goal. It was the first win for Russians against Team OHL in the history of the tournament.

How did he get it in?

"I went for a five-hole, like I was taught to," says Shalunov, a 19-year-old whom the Chicago Blackhawks drafted in the fourth round in 2011.

Wait, they teach you how to aim for five-hole these days?

"No," explains Salunov with a chuckle. "It's something I learned. When you coming down on the left wing it's better to shoot under goalie's support leg. It's your best bet. If you're going to try to go top-shelf you can miss the net, or you can hit the round part of the net and cause a counter-attack."