The Head Coach”Ugra » Vadim Yepanchintsev in a conversation with , he expressed the hope that Khanty-Mansiysk would soon receive a club in the Continental Hockey League again.
In the 2022/23 season, Yepanchintsev left to work for Amur, and the Khabarovsk club did not reach the playoffs, although they fought until the last game. After that, the coach returned to Ugra.
– What are your emotions from Danis Zaripov’s farewell match? Shed a tear perhaps?
– A tear of happiness and joy that a great player and a good person ended his hockey career on such a note. The atmosphere in Kazan was amazing. Stalls full, and it’s worth a lot. Danis has done a lot for hockey and for Russia. Now grateful friends came to him for the holidays, and he thanked the Kazan audience. It’s not just a farewell match, but a big outlet!
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– Last season, Zaripov was no longer the leader of Ak Bars.
Yes, you don’t have to lie. Hockey is a traumatic sport and age is felt. Better to leave at 42 on a good note, when a new stage of life opens before you. With such and such friends, Danis will easily move on to a new life.
– How tall is Zaripov?
– I can easily put him on a par with those legends who played with us in the 70s and 80s. Zaripov is a great player of the 2000s. And if he had started performing earlier, he wouldn’t wouldn’t have been lost in the golden age.
– Did you immediately find the time to come to such a match?
– I would rush here from Africa, even from Antarctica. Not even discussed!
Tell us about your coaching career. That season you worked well with Amur, now you’re back in Yugra. What are the objectives ?
– The tasks of Ugra are always maximum, as evidenced by the leadership of the region, which does a lot for hockey. I won’t reveal a secret that a new team is being put together, and we’re starting from scratch. From the previous composition with whom I worked, seven people remained. The work done in the off-season should bear fruit, and over time we will return to the positions we had two or three years ago.
– Was it really worth going to Amur?
– After all, I went to work from VHL to KHL. And I don’t think Ugra is a downgrade. Because I know how management works, how a team evolves. I think over time Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk) will play in the KHL again.
– When will that time come?
– We will see, but I hope that our autonomous Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug deserves to have its own KHL club. And that time is not far off.
– Can Ilya Kovalchuk play for Spartak next season?
You’ve seen what he does on the ice. Ilya would help any club. Maybe persuade him to come to Ugra for the next season? And then you can play for Spartak. In fact, Ilya is a great player, and no more words are needed here. Keeps in great shape. A great professional, and in his case, anything is possible. It will be good if he ends his career in his native Spartak,” Epanchintsev told .
Yugra spent eight seasons in the KHL, playing in the league from 2010 to 2018. In the first two seasons, the Khanty-Mansiysk club reached the first round of the Gagarin Cup, where they lost to Metallurg (2- 4) and Traktor (1-4). In the 2020/21 season, Yugra, under Yepanchintsev, became the VHL champion.
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.
