On Saturday February 25, five years have passed since the day the Russian team won the Pyeongchang Olympics by beating the German team (4:3 OT).
“Try to find quality meat in Korea”
What’s your mood like on a day like this?
– Brilliant, optimistic. I remember how everything was in Pyeongchang. We got a major victory, which was given very hard. Everyone worked perfectly, they implemented all the ideas – the coaching staff, the staff and the doctors. Everyone helped us.
Initially there were a lot of difficulties – we might not get to the Olympics. But we are grateful for the trust of those who have helped. We were allowed to play there.
The tournament started hard. In the first game we lost against the Slovaks. Then everyone was able to regroup, make various modifications, work on the bugs, which gave a result. And that is understandable when everyone is working as a whole.
How did you manage to organize everything like that?
– That’s a separate issue. So we had training camps in Korea beforehand. We were able to solve everything. For example, they provide food. We had a Russian house on the coast of the Sea of Japan, we had our own chef.
The guys could eat familiar dishes during the tournament – dumplings, steaks, Russian cuisine. Everything was organized at the highest level. Not only preparation for matches or OFP, but also food is the most important part of preparing a team for any tournament. There are no small things in a big victory. And everyone helped us, starting with the presidential administration and the sports ministry.
Do you think it’s so easy? Try, for example, finding and ordering lots of high-quality meat from Korea for the base. How to find suppliers, deliver everything, cook everything. It was quite a story!
“We are ready to return to the international scene at any time”
– What thoughts arose when Russia was finally inferior to the Germans 2: 3?
– I can honestly tell you that the tournament itself is not easy. The Olympiad is very short, only seven matches. And you have no room for error. One match – and you are eliminated, and the tournament has gone wrong. It is at the World Cup during the group stage that there may be passing matches. And the Olympics do not even forgive a second of relaxation.
Of course, we believed in victory until the end. And it helped us that there were club ties played. We even took the entire SKA staff to the Olympics, and everyone knew each other. Teamwork is very important. Even the time to give the player a new club instead of a broken club has an effect.
We have developed all the staff over the seasons. This influenced the fact that there were 15 SKA players, which we played enough for the national team in the KHL championship. But let’s not forget the role of CSKA and Magnitogorsk. It cannot be said that only the Saint Petersburg club contributed. Everyone contributed.
Many clubs provided players during the season. It was a constant competition in the composition. And then the played ligaments have already worked. You saw at Beijing 2022 how difficult it is to win the Olympic Games.
We all have to work together so that at the next Games we take into account all the organizational aspects – the preparation, the players. And when the Russian team goes to the Olympics, everything must be done so that the team can show its best hockey.
– International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Luc Tardif appears to have said that Russia will be allowed into the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes the decision there.
— It is still difficult to comment on what Tardif and Thomas Bach will say. But we are now preparing for the Olympics and doing everything that depends on us. Ready tomorrow to return to the international scene. We influence everything we can change. All of our work is aimed at the fact that we can go to any game against any opponent at any time and win.
“Not going to Canada or the United States, but staying in Russia is the right choice”
– Luger Roman Repilov said that Alexander Ovechkin, if he beats Wayne Gretzky in goal, should receive the title of Hero of Russia. Would you have awarded the title of Hero of Russia to striker Nikita Gusev for this Olympic final?
Hockey is a team sport. And we have our own incentives, including government ones. For victory in the Olympics, awards are also given – gold medals. I don’t think it’s necessary to modify this hierarchy in any particular way. In our country, everything is built and works, and the price will always find its hero.
Is it better to compete in the Olympics with NHL players or without them?
– Now we work with hockey players who play in Russia. And then time will tell. We have never turned down the best players. We are always for the strongest to perform.
At the same time, we are proud of those we currently work with in the KHL. You should have seen how they plow and grow every day! Many of them decided to stay and play in Russia, although they received many offers from different countries – Canada, USA. But they stayed at home and are developing in Russia. And for us, it’s the right choice.
– What is the fate of the famous red hat with which you went to the Olympics five years ago?
“She is waiting for the next Olympics, safe and sound. I think we’ll go to Italy with this lucky hat.
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.
