KHL hockey writer eats own paper after playoff bet

A hockey writer in Belarus has been forced to literally eat his own words after his playoff predictions proved incorrect.

Vyacheslav Fedorenkov, who covers the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for a leading Belarusian sports paper, Pressball, claimed Dinamo Minsk would fail to make it to the postseason, but the team’s strong results left him eating more than humble pie.

With a paper napkin tucked neatly into his shirt as he sat at the Minsk Arena press centre, Fedorenkov worked his way through an unconventional pairing of soup and a four-page issue of Pressball from February 2016, when he first made the fateful promise, according to the website Naviny.by.

The journalist didn’t manage to finish the paper, which he washed down with a bottle of cola, and was reportedly advised by a doctor on how best to avoid any negative consequences.

Minsk have won nine of their last 10 games in the regular season, which wraps up Saturday, placing fifth in the Western Conference. The KHL is traditionally dominated by Russian powerhouses.

Dinamo coach Craig Woodcroft, from Toronto, On., watched on alongside local reporters. “I will remember his deed every time I enter this room,” the former Team Canada player said, according to BBC Sport.

For his part, Fedorenkov said he will be more careful about his promises in the future. “Don’t joke like this and don’t make such promises, because they are pretty difficult to deliver.”