On Monday, “Florida” beat “Anaheim” (4:3 OT) in overtime, the Russian parried 29 of 32 shots on his goal. I immediately called Yevgeny Nabokov in San Jose, where he works as the Sharks’ director of goaltending training. And we talked not only about Bobrovsky, but also about Andrei Vasilevsky, Ilya Sorokin and other Russian NHL goaltenders.
By the way, the historical list of victories looks like this: Nabokov and Bobrovsky (353 each), Nikolai Khabibulin (333), Semyon Varlamov (271), Andrey Vasilevsky (255). So this is not the final version, and the same 28-year-old Vasilevsky can generally beat Marten Brodeur’s eternal record (691) – Nabokov said it plainly.
“The main feature of Bobrovsky is diligence”
– Sergei Bobrovsky caught up with you in the list of the most successful Russian goalkeepers in history (353). What does this moment represent for you?
– I think this is just one of the milestones in Bobrovsky’s career. God forbid him to reach 400 wins, go higher. Well, 353 is a small step on Sergey’s path, he can break other records as well. Let him continue in the same spirit, he has a good age (34 years old). And this is not Bobrovsky’s last victory, not his last achievement.
– What is the secret of Sergei Bobrovsky, who was not even chosen in the draft?
– If we don’t talk about the technical qualities of a goalkeeper, then the greatest characteristic is his diligence. Thanks to this, he achieves a lot. Bobrovsky does not want to stop, constantly trying to take a step forward.
Previously, he had injuries, there were obstacles in the way. But despite everything, Sergei goes through it, still remaining one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
– Bobrovsky took two Vezinas in Columbus, being recognized as the best goaltender in the NHL. Is it difficult for goalkeepers to adapt to a new club? Because now in “Florida” he looks different.
To be honest, it all depends on the character, on the person himself. It’s hard for some to change when you’ve been on the same team for many years, living in the same city. And someone will not pay attention to it. The most important thing is to get into a good club and a good organization, where they not only care about who scores how many goals, but also think about team play in general.
But the goalkeeper is a little easier in this respect than field hockey players. He doesn’t need to get used to new systems, to coaches. The philosophy here is simple: if you get thrown, you catch. And if they don’t throw, then you don’t catch,” laughs Nabokov.
“Vasilevsky is the perfect goalkeeper”
– Andrey Vasilevsky, in terms of potential, can top the list of Russian goalkeepers. You played together in Tampa, passed on your experience to him. What do you think of the Big Cat season?
– Here are the same characteristics as Seryozhka Bobrovsky – efficiency. But Andryukha has many other qualities given to him by God. His height, constant stretching, reaction … In such cases we say “full package”, that is, a person is equipped from all sides.
There are goalkeepers who have a lot, but who do not have the height. Or they are tall, but without stretching. But Vasilevsky has everything. We can say this about him: he is the perfect goalkeeper. And I won’t be surprised if Andrey continues in the same spirit and starts breaking the biggest records, which now belong to Martin Brodeur. Bypassing all the legendary goalkeepers, including Patrick Roy, other stars of the past – yes, Vasilevsky is capable of this.
– This year, Vézina’s big favorite is Linus Ullmark from Boston. But Ilya Sorokin can be one of the nominees. Do you like game keeper “Islanders”?
– Ilya is playing very well and I am watching all our guys closely, trying not to miss the highlights of the evening. Sometimes I even watch matches. Many Russian goaltenders have reached a very high level now – Vasilevsky, Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin and Bobrovsky, especially in the last month… They can be safely listed among the top five goaltenders in the NHL. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebak also plays very well there.
Yes, there is Ullmark, but he and the team are very successful. I don’t want to put it down, but Boston is threatening to rewrite all-time highs in points and wins. So there are enough other goalkeepers in the top too. But our goalkeepers excel in technique, in stretching, in their reading of the game. It’s downright excellent!
“The reform of the Tretiak goalkeepers also played a role”
– Do you have an explanation, thanks to which there was a boom of Russian goalkeepers in the NHL? Three Russian goalkeepers went to the star game at once – Vasilevsky, Shesterkin, Sorokin. Previously, this was unimaginable. Is it because every KHL club has a goalie coach?
— I don’t know in detail what happened in the KHL over the past 10 years, how exactly it works. But I think the Finnish goalie coaches who came to the KHL gave a lot. We showed Russian goalkeepers and Russian coaches how to work. They contributed to the system.
Our goalkeeper coaches show up at almost every club. And they continue to work, to develop this system. Previously, there were one or two goalkeeper coaches in the league, there was no comprehensive program to train goalkeepers. And now there is such a program in its maximum form – how to define the technique for them, how to configure it psychologically. This topic has been raised to a high level.
– FHR president Vladislav Tretyak says the limit on foreign goalkeepers in the Super League, which he once introduced, has worked.
“Maybe there is some truth to that. Through games you gain experience. But when you look specifically at the technical part of the guys – where are the hands, what kind of position they have, how they move crosswise, how they play on the bars – all of that is honed in training. And it’s only through games that it won’t come. And that’s the result of the work of the goalkeeper coaches who worked with the guys. Ask the Russian goalkeepers yourself – they will tell you exactly who helped them the most.
Preparation is one of the biggest changes over the years. But the playing practice provided by the reformed Tretyak also helped.
– When the NHL was still going to the Beijing Olympics, you were responsible for the Russian goalies and had to form a three-person team. But it’s quite a headache, given the number of good goalkeepers we have.
– Yes, you are absolutely right. But I relied on my intuition and a certain vision of the qualities that I liked in such and such a goalkeeper. Just like that, because the choice is really big. Anton Khudobin also played very well there when he led Dallas to the Stanley Cup Finals. Yes, and Varlasha (Semyon Varlamov) performed very well, with him the Islanders reached the conference finals twice. And Bobrovsky?
No, it’s not a choice of three. There were more than six candidates. So I also relied on intuition. It was necessary to take into account the fact that the Olympic Games are ephemeral. And everyone understood who would start this tournament. But how would it evolve and who could replace it if necessary? It’s interesting.
“But how it happened, it happened. I hope the NHL will go to the Milan Olympics.
– I hope too. I told my dad about it once. And he said, “It’s just awful. If you look at Andryukha Vasilevsky, he never had a chance to play in the Olympics. He was taken to the World Cup in Toronto, but he did not compete there. And it is hard to see what Vasilevsky could do for the country in the big arena, in a tournament against the strongest hockey players in the world. Or how Kuch (Nikita Kucherov), Panara (Artemy Panarin) would play…
All this now sparkling youth remained without major international matches. And you can’t see it in all its glory. It’s a shame, and God forbid everything works out in Milan in 2026. Let’s believe in the best!
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.
