In fact, this is a very rare case. Because when Igor Larionov started working as a head coach in the KHL, leading Torpedo this season, he established the following rules for communicating with the press:
The format is therefore very unusual. We scrupulously calculated all the numbers, and here is what we got.
Larionov on the road: 2 hours 56 minutes 15 seconds (average – 6 minutes 47 seconds)
On the road, Igor Larionov showed an ordinary result. And here the media cut is also interesting: how many journalists are in which city and their activity.
The anti-record belongs to Mytishchi. When “Torpedo” on New Year’s Eve beat “Kunlun” with a score of 7:3, the teacher was only held at the table for 45 seconds. He briefly said something about the game and left. We suspect there were no reporters in the sleepy Chinese kingdom that day.
On the last two trips – to Cherepovets and Sochi – Larionov was held in front of the press for exactly one minute. And even the score didn’t matter, there were simply no questions.
For a few minutes, Igor Nikolayevich was arrested in the Yaroslavl hockey spa and in the city of Sochi, where the nights are gloomy. But for more than 10 minutes he spoke philosophically in Moscow twice – after victories over Spartak and CSKA. And in the first case, he came to a press conference in a Peaky Blinders keparik.
13 minutes – St. Petersburg well-read and obsessed with journalistic hockey twisted Ufa. 14 minutes – Belarusian sports writers didn’t want to let Larionov go for a long time.
And the record was set – you won’t believe it – in Astana! And “Torpedo” lost there. Kazakhstan is a different country, it has its own heroes. But local journalists paid such attention to Igor Larionov as if Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev had come to them.
Larionov at home: 10 hours 30 seconds (average 22 minutes 14 seconds)
Interestingly, Igor Larionov was least present during a press conference right after the home game against Lokomotiv. He just didn’t come there, because he flew to America – for a hockey vacation in Detroit on the 25th anniversary of the Stanley Cup victory. At this time, “Torpedo” apathetically defeated with a score of 0:4.
But there, in the press center in Nizhny Novgorod, the greatest records were set. Kilimanjaro was brought under control after the recent victory over CSKA (3:1). 50 minutes, face to face!
However, the previous match, when Torpedo lost to SKA with the score 2:6, gave us Larionov’s press conference for 40 minutes. I asked a colleague who came to this match: “What was in the press room? There, a hundred journalists come to the game?
The answer was: “Yes, there was a small press. Just a very active and meticulous correspondent from the official KHL website took the microphone and asked questions one after another. And it lasted half an hour. I’ve been told it happens every time.”
You can listen for yourself on YouTube. Larionov comes to a press conference and strikes up a conversation with the press: “Ah, Alexei, are you doing it again? Well, let’s follow tradition … Oh, and Alena came today. There are already many of us.”
That is, Larionov keeps track of the number of people who come to see him in Nizhny Novgorod. Sometimes there are three people in the press room, sometimes six and sometimes eight.
But what is important, on YouTube, Larionov’s press conferences collect 5-8 thousand views. And it turns out that after the game Igor Nikolayevich works a few more periods of hockey, but already in the stand-up genre – especially for Torpedo fans who watch it on the Internet. The maximum capacity of the home arena of KRK “Nagorny” is only 5500 spectators.
Larionov overall: 12 hours 56 minutes 45 seconds (average – 14 minutes 39 seconds)
What can be the conclusion? Igor Larionov is the most talkative coach in the KHL at press conferences. He spent nearly 13 hours on it! But the championship is not over yet. 1:00 p.m. sharp will probably be Thursday, when Torpedo arrives in Moscow for the game against Spartak.
The paradox is that you won’t remember a single brilliant quote from Larionov. It was every gasp, grunt or wheeze of former Ak Bars head coach Oleg Znarka that went to people, increasing click-through rate and website traffic. According to Larionov, only two moments will be vividly and clearly remembered: when he appeared at a press conference, first with a plate of salad, and then with a box of raspberries from Nizhny Novgorod, further popularizing the region more actively. It was original.
In general, of course, I would like Igor Larionov to reconsider his attitude to journalists somewhat, starting to communicate not only with friends one on one. And don’t be afraid that the questions are the same. Believe me, we also have originality!
But in general, we estimated: nearly 13 hours in a press conference. Larionov sets new standards not only in gaming. Well done, Professor!
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
