Defender of OmskAvant-garde » Semyon Chistyakov told in a interview how he played on the same team with Ilya Kovalchuk .
Chistyakov signed a new three-year contract with Avangard on Wednesday. The defender has been playing in the Omsk club since 2019, in 2021 he won the Gagarin Cup.
– Ilya Kovalchuk played a big role in this Avangard champion.
– Ilya Valerievich is such a person in himself that he was always rolled up in goal-scoring matches. He never needed any special motivation. He played with heart and soul, helped young guys, said important words in the locker room. When there were no games, we worked together in the gymnasium as well. They asked Kovalchuk something, learned something. It was interesting in the NHL, in the world championships, where he scored. A great partner and a pleasure to play on the same team with him.
– Do you and Kovalchuk work with physical training coach Dmitry Yashankin in the summer?
– Not really, Ilya studied with Yashankin after us. But in general, the formation of Kovalchuk leaves a strong impression. A kind of iron man, can pull incredible weights, as if not hard. Very functional. He particularly enjoys swinging his powerful legs, Chistyakov told .
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Source : MatchTV
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