Captain S.K.A. Dmitry Yashkin told that having become the KHL’s top scorer in the regular season, he proved that his performance was not dependent on help from his former partner in Moscow”Dynamo » Vadim Shipacheva .
Yashkin scored 62 points (40 goals + 22 assists) in SKA’s 67 KHL regular season games with a utility rating of +21. On Monday, the club held an open training session ahead of the first-round playoff against Dynamo Minsk.
– Dmitry, you haven’t won any club trophies in your career at the age of 29. Now you look like Alexander Ovechkin, who at 32 won his first Stanley Cup. Is this a strong motivation for you to finally become a champion?
– Certainly! In general, every year I have a strong motivation. Especially when you’ve never won a cup. Therefore, I confirm your idea that my motivation is very powerful now.
“You are the captain of the SKA. And who for you personally has always been a model of a true captain in hockey?
– I can say that there were examples in the Czech Republic when I was 17. Well, in the NHL, the best example was David Backes in St. Louis when I got there. He was the perfect role captain.
– You became the second player in KHL history to score 40 league goals. Do you think it’s realistic to score 50 goals in our league? What do I have to do?
– I think it’s realistic if the number of regular season matches increases. Of course, the odds will increase even more. But for the same 68 matches per club in the regular season, it is quite possible to knock out a fifty-kopeck coin.
— What does the title of top scorer in the KHL in the regular season mean to you? They used to say that Vadim Shipachev pumps you up. Can we say that now you have refuted the skeptics?
– Well, yes, it’s true. When I came back to the KHL, everyone had a certain opinion that everything was because of Vadim. Yes, we worked very well together at Dynamo Moscow. And he helped me, and I helped him. But it had to be proven that this was not the case. I’m very happy about it. The title of top scorer in the KHL is a great achievement that makes me happy.
On Wednesday, SKA will start the series against Dynamo Minsk. Each series of the Gagarin Cup qualifiers goes up to four wins.
Watch live broadcasts of KHL matches on the federal channel , thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
