“I hope that Russia will be allowed to participate in the Olympics. And sport should be out of politics! Interview with Ilya Kovalchuk

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).

“Thanks to Tarasova and Karelin who made a speech”

– Ilya, five years have passed since winning the Olympics. What is the brightest story that comes to mind now, except the most obvious, when the gold was awarded?

– In general, it was an extraordinary Olympics, because a serious decision was made whether we would go there at all. Moreover, Russia performed without a flag or anthem, which imposed additional responsibility.

These Olympic Games will remain engraved in my memory all my life, especially for me. It was my fifth Games, and thank God I managed to win gold and bring joy to the country. It will always be a special day for me.

– And at this Olympic meeting, where it was decided whether or not to go to Pyeongchang, was everything really so critical?

– Well, of course, yes! Many thanks to Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova and San Sanych Karelin, who gave a speech. There were veterans, Olympic champions even in summer sports. Everyone supported us saying that we absolutely had to go to the Olympics and prove our worth.

No matter how badly someone wants to take our flag and anthem from us, everyone knows where we come from, everyone knows our names very well and what country we represent. And thank God it all happened. It is a historic moment. The Russian hockey team has never won the Olympics. I believe this is not our last gold.

— The tournament began with a defeat of the Slovaks (2:3). Did this failure shake our team?

“Only a bad horse gallops. At the Olympics, we always have tough schedules and playoff rivals. Again, there were a few surprises. There were difficult matches, we had several meetings where only the coaches and the team met. We talked heart to heart, and everyone finally understood where we were. This responsibility, because at these Olympics we had a lot of guys coming to such a tournament for the first time. It’s also an additional pressure, and experienced guys wanted to pass on their experience to the youngsters, to lead them at the right time.

“They don’t scatter people like Znarok”

– Were you happy that in the final we had the Germans and not the Canadians?

— No, and to be honest, I didn’t even watch that semi-final when Germany beat Canada. I don’t remember what we had – a training session or a meeting. Then they said we were playing with the Germans. But I can’t say that everyone was happy. Here is the merit of the technical staff. They set us up so it wasn’t a passing game. After all, the Germans defeated the Swedes and Canadians. They were very prepared, picked up, played.

And we were touched by a kind of nervousness. In the final, we were chained. We had plenty of chances, but we conceded optional goals ourselves. But we are not looking for easy ways. If we won with a big score, it might not be so interesting and memorable. And so everyone will definitely remember this ending.

— Nikita Gusev equalized in the minority 55 seconds before the end of the third period. But you wanted to go on the ice instead. Who made this decision and kept you?

– How can I know? There is a head coach Oleg Valerievich Znarok. I think he made the decisions. But I don’t know if the coaches consulted each other. I haven’t even seen it.

It is clear that at the beginning they told me to change goalkeeper. Then they changed their minds. But it’s great that everything went well. Because Goose played a little differently than I for sure would have. He is good, handsome. He picked a position, the puck bounced back to him and he scored a very important goal in the history of Russian hockey.

— How did you work with Oleg Znark? In the last five years at the club, his career has not been very good.

“I’ve never had any problems. Oleg Valeryevich is one of the best coaches in Russian hockey, and that’s for sure. Excellent motivator, he will be able to find a common language with everyone. Can communicate, support, if necessary. Find the right words. I felt very comfortable with him. The man who has won everything – both in the national team and in the club. He and I won the Gagarin Cups in SKA, in the national team he won the World Championship and the Olympics. What questions can we ask him?

– Do you think Znarok will return to the KHL?

I don’t know, you have to ask him. I think such personalities are not scattered. At least in my understanding. As far as I know, if he wants to, he will always find a job.

“The strongest should compete in the Olympics”

– The President of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Tretyak, said that you sewed a Russian flag on the inner lining of your jacket. Did it warm your soul?

– If Vladislav Aleksandrovich said so, then it was.

“You couldn’t even wear the colors of the tricolor.

Yes, there were a lot of restrictions. We feel a little uncomfortable because all the teams wear their national colors, with flags on the chest. And we had a red suit and a warm jacket. But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I think that’s one of the things that brought us together.

– There seems to be hope that Russia will be allowed to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Will the Russian hockey team make it to Milan 2026? And is it worth playing there without your flag and anthem?

— I hope that our athletes will be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. Because sports life is very short. For a lot of guys, this Olympic cycle will be the only one of their careers. Someone can have two of these tournaments. But the Olympics are the best sporting event on this planet. And it is important that sport is out of politics.

– Is the Russian team stronger than the others with NHL players? Or the Canadian stars would come and we wouldn’t stand a chance.

– The strongest guys available right now should be performing at the Olympics. You can’t tell which is better or worse. The Olympics are for the best athletes. And that’s the most important thing.

– You are recognized as the most valuable player in the Olympics. And if the title of MVP was awarded by you, to whom would it be awarded for Pyeongchang?

—Oleg Znarok. He was like a father to us. And many don’t know what he went through, what meetings we had, what words he said. It is very important to hear good things from the head coach, which the guys will always follow at all times. They will give everything they can, and at the same time they will unite.

“My father always dreamed of seeing me Olympic champion”

– What memory do you have left of the Olympic artefacts? Nikita Gusev said he didn’t even know where his lucky stick was.

– I have both the Olympic jersey and the final puck. This is also a very rare moment, as special pucks with a golden emblem are made for the final match. The gloves are from the Olympics.

– I remember how after the final the Leningrad group played in the locker room of the Russian national team.

– I don’t remember who was responsible for the music. But there are motivational songs that we always listen to after the victory and before going on the ice. And with the music we got a full order!

– Were you surprised by the hype that the Olympics were supposedly not real without the NHL players? How did they react to it?

“Everyone has their opinion on this question. May God grant all the skeptics who say so to participate at least once in the Olympic Games. Above all, the title of Olympic champion is given once and for all. And it is good that there are 22 more Olympic champions in our country.

– Is this the main victory of your career?

– As for the team, of course. Moreover, my father always dreamed that I would become an Olympic champion. I did a lot for that. For me, it was a huge motivation to conquer this height. Not only for me, but also for my family, for my father. I am very happy that this happened.

“I haven’t announced my retirement yet”

– Yesterday we saw the last game of Danis Zaripov in the KHL. And in the summer there will be another farewell game. Will Ilya Kovalchuk’s farewell match take place?

“And I haven’t announced anything yet!” Well, congratulations to Danis on his wonderful career. I hope I will receive an invitation for the summer game. I will certainly come to congratulate him.

To be honest, I didn’t see the Ak Bars-Magnitogorsk game yesterday. But he has a great career. Five Gagarin Cups, several victories at the world championships. He is loved and respected everywhere.

– That is, Ilya Kovalchuk did not announce his retirement? Interesting…

I played hockey on Saturday. We usually meet on Saturdays with friends. We play outdoors, like in childhood. We had a great time, it was snowing. Great!

– Mario Lemieux returned to big hockey after three and a half years.

Here is a good example to follow! So anything is possible.

Who will win the Gagarin Cup this year?

May the best win. In the West, Peter looks very good. Now Kazan in the East has gained momentum. I really like Lokomotiv. The team is great! CSKA is always a combat-ready unit. Dynamo, led by Alexei Kudashov and Slava Kozlov.

It will be interesting to watch the playoffs. Moreover, Spartachok did not lose his chances. Hopefully he makes it into the top eight.

– Yes, Ak Bars took off well.

– They have a good team and Zinetula Khaidyarovich came and fixed everything. The guys started from the stove, and with their skill there is a very good chance.

Vanguard is a good team. Let’s see who wins. Everyone is in a fever, we are waiting for interesting and unpredictable playoffs.

– Would you go out tomorrow to play in place of Alexander Radulov? On the one hand, he has a microtrauma. On the other hand, a bonus of 90 million rubles is at stake if he enters the top 3 of the top scorers in the regular season.

– You have to get out! But there are nuances. If Radulov plays on one leg, you need to understand that he is needed mainly in the playoffs. All medical personnel understand the risks. And you won’t make all the money. The most important thing is to stay healthy.

– “Spartacus” is a universal pain. They might not make the playoffs! Isn’t it time for Ilya Kovalchuk to save the popular club?

– How can I identify with such words? From now on, Spartak has a leadership. To be honest, I haven’t spoken to anyone. I wholeheartedly support the team. God forbid them to make the playoffs. I’m sure a club like Spartak is forced to play there.

Hope is not yet dead. We will worry, rejoice – and believe that Vityaz will play with dignity against Dynamo Minsk. And tomorrow Spartak will show character in the Moscow derby against Dynamo.

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