Yesterday correspondents of “” attended the presentation of SKA, which took place in the country club “Repino-Leninskoye” near St. Petersburg. This season, the St. Petersburg club signed up under the chivalrous motto “Without fear or reproach”.
Alexander Medvedev, who worked as KHL president, returned to big hockey this summer, beginning to combine a stint at soccer’s Zenit with a stint at SKA.
“If you ask what is the secret of Zenit’s victories – we have won the country’s gold medal five times in a row, then I will answer you,” Medvedev continued. – Without the support of Gazprom, there would have been no victories. But from a managerial point of view, it is about the correct placement of personnel, delegation of authority and a strict requirement for all positions. I’m sure it will be implemented at SKA, and the third Gagarin Cup victory is not far away. Namely, in the spring of next year. Go guys!
After the official game, I spoke one-on-one with Medvedev.
“The bonus for winning the Gagarin Cup will allow you not to lose salary”
– Alexander Ivanovitch, during the presentation I was struck by the composition of the SKA. In your memory, is this the most impressive set of stars in a team before the season?
– The team is very strong. I wouldn’t compare it to previous compositions. Previously, there were also many superstars, stars and young talents. But as the pre-season preparation showed – the matches of the Sochi tournaments and the memory of Puchkov in St. Petersburg – the team prepares for the season very seriously and focuses on the main result: victory in the Gagarin Cup .
The composition of the SKA is diverse in both age and experience. There are Gagarin Cup winners from previous years and repeat Continental Cup winners for winning the regular season. There are also young people who have won the Kharlamov Cup in the MHL, which is no less difficult than winning the KHL playoffs.
At the same time, we expect very strong competition. Look at the compositions and the play in the pre-season tournaments of clubs such as CSKA, Dynamo, Spartak, as well as Avangard, Metallurg, Ak Bars – the competition in the KHL, I think, will be stronger than in recent years. three or four seasons. But it’s more interesting that way.
– The strength of CSKA lies in the stability of the composition. Only three people left them off-season, but SKA has a high rotation again and the roster has been drastically updated. Is it a plus or a minus?
– Judging by Euclidean geometry, it is undesirable to change more than a third of the composition. But there is also Lobachevsky’s geometry, which is confirmed by the successes, for example, of a club like the Vegas Golden Knights. This team gathered a team from all over the world, and the composition was significantly updated, including in the winning season.
It all depends on how relations develop within the team, how the leaders show themselves not only on the ice, but also in the locker room. There are such guys at SKA, and they are ready to lead the team not only with easy opponents, but also with the most principled ones.
– Where does the altruism of SKA players come from, who voluntarily agreed to break their contracts?
“Now there is no point in discussing the salary cap. Even if the question arises: where is it better to equalize – in the basement or at the level of human growth? In other words, what should be taken as a guideline: the floor or the ceiling of wages? The idea is good to increase competition. At the same time, the level should not drop.
Bonuses that don’t count towards the salary cap, but are under the control of the league, could well be used. And the main bonus, as we know, is associated with winning the Gagarin Cup. The SKA guys know what the task is ahead of us and that there is an opportunity not to lose anything by winning the playoffs. Therefore, someone will deliberately reduce the contract. What is surprising here? And everyone knows that it was not only Vasya or Petya who had their salaries reduced, but also Dima’s. No, it’s usually the kind of team approach that seems to work. And after all, no one posed: “That’s it, I’m leaving.” There were none.
“I believe we will return to world sport”
– Our hockey always excites the Fedotov case. If he enters the CSKA team already on September 1 for the match against Ak Bars, what awaits us – the armageddon of hockey or will it cost?
– The situation is extremely unpleasant since the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has suspended us from participating in the world championships. In general, team sports should serve to build bridges between countries and peoples, to work for the cause of peace and friendship between peoples. But we are confronted with the fact that the IIHF tells us, contrary to its charter: “We fired you not for political reasons, but for your own safety”.
But that’s an excuse, and we understand why they did it that way. However, in football, we manage to maintain a dialogue with UEFA by hosting and participating in international competitions ourselves. Our boys play with guys from England, Poland, and there are no conflicts there. I say this with authority because I am in control. The guys calmly communicated with each other, giving hope that the historical truth will nevertheless triumph, reaching the ears and minds of everyone who has played and will play with us.
It is difficult to predict how the “Fedotov affair” will end. There were and are various options for the development of the situation. I will not say how this problem could be solved. It is clear that we live in a difficult moment which requires dialogue. But at some point, hockey players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Vyacheslav Voynov and Vadim Shipachev stopped their NHL careers. And that didn’t stop them from getting into the NHL. If they decided to come back, most NHL clubs would support him.
I don’t know all the details, and it’s better to ask CSKA President Igor Esmantovich a question. But I remain optimistic about our return to world sport.
“Without fear or reproach” – this also applies to “Zenith”
– Recently, there was an incredible news… Do you really want to play for the media club Pure Peter?
– There is no typo here. I continue to play football and my opponents are often much younger than me. But I speak from experience, as they say. If I get into the team at least as a substitute, I will definitely play.
— Did the initiative come from you or from the team?
– I submitted an application, and the coach said to me: “Come and train”. And I answered: “Let him who does not know how to play practice. »
– Zenit have changed in the last two RPL matches. Is there any certainty that the Saint Petersburg club is aiming for a sixth consecutive title?
– Have you seen the new slogan of the SKA: “Without fear nor reproach”? This also applies to Zenith.
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.
