“Once asked to trade a club for candy!” Kaprizov talked about USA, NHL, KHL, Golovin, Dota2 and even Real Madrid

The top Russian scorer of the last NHL regular season (108 points, Minnesota Wild club record!), winner of the Calder trophy-2021 and author of 7 goals in the Stanley Cup-2022 Kirill Kaprizov gave a long interview in Moscow. The first official press conference in 2022 with a Russian NHL superstar was organized with the help of Liga Stavok, the only Russian bookmaker that provides comprehensive hockey support at the global level.

About the season

— It was a good season, but I wouldn’t say it was great. If you look at the points, then yes – I scored a lot, broke club records. But stay, “Minnesota Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs (losing the series against Saint-Louis), so not particularly happy. Personal statistics are immediately forgotten. Look, other guys are still playing hockey, and you’re already resting…

However, this season was much more fun. That year, due to the pandemic, they played the regular season and the playoffs with the same teams. Everyone knew each other so well that it wasn’t even interesting anymore… Now there was a lot of travel. If you play a match, you immediately fly to another city. And last season they stayed after the game for the next, second in a row… Now at least I looked at the cities and saw all the players. It’s much harder.

About North American Cities

– I remember you fly to Florida or California – it’s always hot there. New York is interesting, in Canada I liked Vancouver, a good city. Las Vegas stands out from the general context, although it is not as interesting on the street as in the casino. By the way, visiting them is allowed, you can throw a token at least on the day of the game! But I haven’t been there, I just know that because we stayed at the Caesar Palace Hotel. The fountain is nice there, but I saw enough of it in the first season when we played 15 games with Vegas.

About star status

– I wouldn’t say that in my first season in the NHL, I hit anyone hard. Yet he came at the age of 23, he has already achieved something. Usually they arrive at 18-19, everyone is immediately surprised. I got it later. Do I consider myself a superstar? I was asked the question in the United States after the season. I don’t feel like that. Looks like he didn’t do anything supernatural.

Although there is always a hype in the city. You go out to the street, enter a restaurant or a shopping center – people recognize, climb up, take pictures. This year more often, it’s true.

And the club media don’t get much, because so far I don’t know English very well and I don’t have to do separate interviews for the press service, unlike others guys. There was more media activity at CSKA.

Of course, the club wants me to start giving interviews in English as soon as possible. Sometimes I try to say something, but it’s still not right. I communicate with the guys in the team, they understand my English. And if anything, I always ask Dima Kulikov, he helps.

About Memorable Banners

– Usually the children stand behind the glass next to the playground, you read: they say, it’s my birthday, give me, pliz, a T-shirt or a stick. I try not to refuse. We distribute the pucks during the warm-up. They wrote in a way, exchange a stick for candy. They probably know that I like sweets (laughs).

About adaptation in the United States

– For two years I have become friends with all the guys, everyone knows me well. There is also Ilyukha Kravtchouk, who translates my interviews. Help often. And the first year was difficult. I didn’t know anyone, I lived in a hotel for the first few weeks…

It’s easier now. But it’s always boring to live alone. It’s good that this year the parents received a visa, they came in the middle of the season. But there was no brother – he did not apply for a visa.

About hobbies

– If I have a day off, I sit at home, play on the computer. When I wake up in the afternoon, the guys in Russia haven’t gone to bed yet – I have time to play with them a bit. And not only do I play myself, but I also watch Twich all the time. When Team Spirit won the International, I followed them. I also sometimes watch CS:GO, but mostly Dota2.

I can also go for a walk or have dinner. In general, nothing special.

About his teammate Kulikov

– We communicate a lot with him, I know his children well. He invites home, or we go out to dinner. And on the road with him constantly together. A nice guy, helps me with everything.

About the Olympics, the World Cup and Real Madrid

– If the NHL allowed it, then, of course, I would go to Beijing. They asked the national team coaching staff, but these were general conversations. And with the World Cup, it would be more difficult. In the club’s last games, he suffered damage. However, the team was still not allowed to participate in the tournament. So, I didn’t particularly follow this championship, therefore, in snatches. But they were invited to the final of the Russian Football Cup. But I didn’t go.

But I watched the Champions League final, it turned out to be an interesting game. I didn’t encourage anyone, only for the beautiful football. But Real Madrid are still great.

The KHL also often watched CSKA and Chelyaba games. I followed Sergei Kalinin all the time. I liked how Mikhail Vorobyov held the playoffs. For Ufa? Especially for the results. When you wake up, you can’t cover all the matches at the same time.

About CSKA in the NHL

– When I played for CSKA, the guys and I often discussed if we could make the NHL playoffs. I think we had a strong team. Knocked down in the playoffs? Maybe. There’s no point in waiting for anything – the favorites can fly away immediately, and those no one bets on can go all the way. How it will go…

When CSKA won the Gagarin Cup, I wrote to Nikita Nesterov and congratulated him. Other guys too. They are great, they made such a comeback in the final. Before the decisive match did not know who would win. But I think Game 5 was a turning point, which CSKA put under pressure in extra time. Then the thought arose that the army team wouldn’t miss theirs. Although I also have a good attitude towards Magnitogorsk. There, Misha Pashnin plays, we communicate.

About Valeria Bragin

– Constantly writes to me when playing normally. In his youth, we talked a lot with him. More about life, there were good, worldly relations. And when it comes to hockey, he tempers everyone with his character. Knows how to teach the collected game, fight to the end and show the best qualities on the ice.

About Alexander Golovin

– My brother played football with him in Leninsk-Kuznetsk, so we know each other, but my brother knows him better. I came to France for the Monaco matches… When we see each other, of course, we say hello, we can wonder how things are going.

When the pandemic was just beginning, Sanya gathered her friends, just guys, to play football. I also ran, but it’s not my level: I lasted 20-25 minutes out of 60… The rest did it seriously or even played. Although I even scored! .. In general, Golovin is a handsome man. He regularly comes to his homeland, spends a lot of time there, pays attention.

On contract extension with Minnesota last year

– The negotiations then dragged on a bit, but I don’t want to divulge any details. The amount was really important, and at the beginning, when at the beginning of the season I couldn’t score a few matches, I felt pressure. Yes, by the way, I constantly went to read the news, saw comments: they say that Kaprizov does not score, because he signed the contract … I tried not to pay attention, but to at some point, I stopped reading all that… I decided to focus on the game. And off we went right away!

About Shesterkin

— For me, his rise was not a surprise. I always knew he was a very good goalkeeper. I trained with him often that summer. I threw it – and Sorokin. Rightly, Panarin said that Igor only needs to start scoring goals himself … However, Soroka is a good guy, and in general all Russian goalkeepers in the NHL are very good.

And so, with the Russians of the other teams, we only meet on the court. Cool, you can poke yourself, say something else. But sitting somewhere after the game… There’s no such thing. We always leave right away.

About the end of the Stanley Cup

– I will not give forecasts. We can expect anything! Everyone said the Carolinas would beat the Rangers – so what? They lost the decisive match 2:6. So I’m not guessing.

About the next Calder Trophy winner

– All the guys are great, Trevor Zegras scores great goals, the technique is cool. And even more like Detroit defender Moritz Seider. Good.

About returning to the United States

“Now I’m going to go home, I’m going to stay there for a while and gradually start training. You can run football, do cross country, play hockey with your brother. As for getting a visa for the United States I’m not worried at all. NHL is well connected. I’ll be back in America in late August – early September.

About Charity

– Respect to all those involved in charity work. I know that Liga Stavok, together with the Constellation of Good Foundation, is preparing a big project to build sports grounds and help children. I think it’s great and very good for our country. And myself, I will not mind participating.

Source : MatchTV

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