“We really hope that Rodion Amirov comes back. The whole team is worried about him.” Interview with the general director of Salavat Yulaev

“We leave on the “hand luggage” Lamsya”

– Rinat Rashitovich, do you remember the last time “Salavat Yulaev” was the first in the East?

I don’t remember, honestly. Maybe it happened last season when we got off to a good start and had a winning streak. Then we were probably first or second.

But the start of the season is of course not an indicator. When a third has passed, then you can probably put in a few notches.

You probably didn’t count on it. Salavat Yulaev entered the season with Viktor Kozlov, who never worked as a head coach. And you started well.

– I agree, we did not expect that after a third of the championship we would be the first in the East. However, this is still an intermediate result.

– Why did everything go so well?

— The foundations were laid that year, when former coach Tomi Lamsya introduced changes in the team’s playing tactics. Each hockey player had more responsibilities, more attention was paid to defense and playing with the puck. Viktor Nikolayevich (Kozlov) has repeatedly said that there will be no big changes in tactics. He gives his results. To date, we have conceded the fewest goals (48 goals in 27 games). All players, including those who joined the team this season, are trying to complete training tasks. This is probably the reason for the team’s current ranking. The team is playing more carefully. Maybe sometimes not so bright. But it gets points.

– As they said that football “Spartak” became the champion on “Alenichev’s baggage” – are you now riding on “Lams’ baggage”?

– More like hand luggage. Nevertheless, the coaching staff introduced many of their improvements.

– Tommy is calling you from Finland?

– He Viktor Nikolayevich speaks with hockey players. I send my regards to him through his agent. Tommy periodically congratulates us on victories. We can say that practically the former technical staff is with us. I’m sure they would love to go back.

– Really?

– Under the right conditions – yes, of course.

“Timkin keeps the border closed”

– As we speak, a Kunlun fighter Gareth Hunt has passed behind your back. Did you see how strongman Yevgeny Timkin punished him during the warm-up because the Chinese crossed your “state border”?

– We took this episode positively. I think they responded well. Yes, Evgeny Timkin stood at our border, and it was closed. He told the Legionary that a second violation would be punished.

“I’m going to cut your head off!”

– Well, why? The goals were sanctioned. Now, when Danila Aimurzin received the best player in the dressing room, he said: “You have to respond to provocations with goals.” And all the guys unanimously supported him.

– Well it must be with the fists? Salavat Yulaev is a positive team, but if anything, you can fit in.

– Grigory (Panin) always follows this.

– His nose was broken, but he continued the season playing masked. Is this a sign of courage for you?

– Yes of course. Grisha looked brave even without a mask. And in the mask he usually looks like a knight. Gregory is the base of our team. His behavior is decisive for everyone. He leads the team.

– Is it an extraordinary event for him that he scored against Kunlun?

– Of course not. But he was very happy. I just congratulated him – he is in a good mood. The only pity is that Ivan Drozdov couldn’t score. Everyone wanted to see their hat-trick. They tried for him, they took him to an empty net. Chance prevented scoring…

– There is no cash bonus for a hat-trick in Salavat Yulaev?

There are no such bonuses. We have a team game. Bonuses are only awarded when the team wins. We do not reward individual achievement. But we write it down in a notebook and take it into account when concluding a new contract.

– You ironically run the Honey Fair Telegram channel. Where did you learn to joke with a serious face?

– Of course, I didn’t start joking the moment the channel was opened. I can’t say exactly how and where you can learn this. Probably, in a serious job, I had to do it so that there was no feeling of being taken too seriously. And you cannot say that I am the first to animate social networks. In recent years, I had to do a lot of politics. I know all of this, including how to properly respond to negative reviews.

And it’s my personal Telgram channel, it’s not a club. I write in it what I think is possible and appropriate. Of course, I try not to harm the organization.

– And if the league wants to impose a fine of 300,000 rubles, you can always say that you do not know any “Honey Fair”.

– I’m not hiding. In the name of the channel carefully posed the irony. As far as I know, the League is not against such means of communication with supporters.

“Of course we are waiting for Rodion. We believe that the treatment will not be delayed for long “

Your 21-year-old hockey player Rodion Amirov is battling cancer. To restore the chronology, how did he undergo treatment?

– Rodion was first treated in Germany, then prosecuted in Moscow. And then he took a course at the Ufa Clinic. There have been positive results. After undergoing treatment, colleagues in Toronto asked to send Rodion to them. Canadian doctors also wanted to see him. Moreover, they anticipated that he would train to the best of his abilities.

The Maple Leafs picked him in the draft.

– Rodion went there, now returned, continues treatment in a Moscow clinic. These days we wanted to take the opportunity that we flew to Moscow, we wanted to visit him. But so far doctors have not recommended it. Most likely, we will specially come to visit him.

“His agent Dan Milstein has now released a special statement…

– Of course, we are waiting for Rodion. We believe that the processing will not be delayed for a long time. And he himself conveys that he really wants to get back on the ice, play and help the team. When he left for Toronto, he said it: “I will come back and I will fight for the Cup.

We really hope Rodion comes back. The whole team is worried about him. We try to be constantly in touch.

“I think we will continue the discussion with Znark”

– Salavat Yulaev almost beat Ak Bars three times in a row. But that would also be an amazing thing – before, Ufa was considered Kazan’s younger sister in the Green Derby.

“Maybe someone thinks so. Certainly not us. Probably, they started to think so after our playoff loss with a score of 0-4. Everyone was only looking at the result. But even with such a scoreline, it couldn’t seem like the match was one-sided. The team fought every game. It turns out that we lost.

But Ak Bars and I are normal rivals, we respect each other. And for us, every Green Derby is very important. It’s already a tradition. And I don’t think once “Salavat Yulaev” passed in this derby in the category of younger parents.

– Their head coach Oleg Znarok said: “I don’t know who Bashirov is.” Insulted ?

– I try to answer it correctly. There was really no reason for him to know me. I think the discussion with the head coach, whom I know a lot, will continue with us.

– Teemu Hartikainen, Linus Omark, Juha Metsola and the rest of the top legionnaires keep in touch?

– Sure! They all left Salavat Yulaev with regret and even with tears in their eyes. Now, of course, they communicate with our guys. Constantly send greetings, congratulations. In the summer, I called Sakari Manninen and congratulated him on his marriage.

We ask, “Well, when will you come back?” They answer: “At the first opportunity.”

– This is not a joke?

– If suddenly something in the world changes, we will of course try to fire someone. I would like to believe it… Now Metsola, Markus Granlund, Teemu Hartikainen play in Switzerland, Philip Larsen – in the Danish championship, Sakari Manninen – in the Vegas farm club.

When Manninen was transferred to the AHL after training camps, I wrote to his agent: “Maybe to us?

He replied that Sakari would always make his way to the NHL through the farm club. He should be able.

– This once again shows that Salavat Yulaev is like a family.

– Everyone understands what role the guys played in the club. All are treated with respect. We understood them when they made the decision to leave. The reasons were obvious and we played the playoffs together. This continues in the current championship.

We have work to do, despite the fact that we are the first in the East. We will try to stay there longer. But now there is such a dense picture, so many games with unexpected results, that it is very difficult to predict even the most immediate future. Let’s just save our game. And then everything will be fine.