Head ice hockey coach CSKA Sergei Fedorov said he defended the team goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov pressure due to the current situation.
On Friday, CSKA lost to Ak Bars Kazan in the opening match of the KHL in Moscow – 2:5. Fedotov, who is under sanctions from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), entered the ice in CSKA’s starting lineup.
– Unfortunately, we played occasionally, not every 60 minutes. Oddly, we had some excitement. Especially at the start, in the first half. We became the majority – twice to enter the zone. They gave themselves their chance at 2:3. The guys wanted it, but it didn’t work out. There have been many unnatural actions on our part. “Ak Bars” with a victory. We understand where we are. There is some work we can do before the next game and add.
— The team only played the fifth game after the holidays. Maybe not enough “physics”?
“The physical condition did not bother us. The team is screwed. There is room for improvement in this regard. There are many or few games, you can chat as much as you want. Today we had the opportunity to recover. There is a gray area that the technical staff will talk about. On the physical level… Psychology extinguishes “physics”. Maybe a little worried, which is not natural for our guys. But we also have young players. We will improve a lot in a short time.
– CSKA players said they don’t feel any pressure in connection with the situation around Fedotov.
– For me there was no such stress, because I was aware of all the events. In terms of legal aspects and in terms of decisions taken. Some journalists did not want to take note of it. A month ago was a big milestone for me. When they started to meet Vanya, I had to say a few words so that people understood that together we would defend against the incomprehensible words addressed to us, ”the correspondent reports about Fedorov’s remarks.
During the meeting between CSKA and Ak Bars, it became known that the IIHF had fined the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) 5,000 Swiss francs for Fedotov’s participation in the match. The IIHF also said Fedotov’s case would be referred to the organization’s disciplinary board for review. And if Fedotov continues to play for CSKA without a valid transfer, the IIHF will turn to the Disciplinary Board, which can apply additional sanctions to the parties involved, including Fedotov, CSKA and the FHR.
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Source : MatchTV

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