I found myself thinking that Vladislav Premierov look in “Torpedo” as a veteran, he is a solid, detail-oriented striker.
And then I looked at the data and I couldn’t believe my eyes: he’s only 22!
These are the guys on whom Igor Larionov’s hockey is based. This season, Vlad has already scored four goals in 10 matches. This was noticeable yesterday in Balashikha. True, Firstov was sent off until the end of the match for pushing the referee. But all Torpedo showed incredible combined hockey. The light-footed players flew around the field so much that they did not seem to notice their opponents from Vityaz (4:1). It was really beautiful. A delight for hockey aesthetes.
“Well, why should I get up and hug the referee?”
— Torpedo scored some very good goals against Vityaz. Is this a typical match for your team?
– Well, yes, we play our own combined hockey. We pass passes to each other, play for our partner. It’s good that we converted a lot of chances. We could have scored even more. In principle, the game worked for us. I’m glad we won and are moving on.
— You received a disciplinary fine until the end of the match. Why did you push the judge? Emotions?
“It’s not about emotions and I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” It’s not like I want to hit anyone. There was just one episode where a Vityaz player ran away. A dangerous moment could arise. The referee was standing near the boards, I hit him. He’s not leaving, I have to run. I thought I should give him a little push to get him to move away. It wasn’t just out of malice. But the judge ruled it was worth 20 minutes for unsportsmanlike behavior. Even though I approached the head referee and told him I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. I was just thinking about how to get around the judge. Well, why should we stand there kissing? I don’t understand. Well, that’s how it all happened.
– The main thing is that you and the referee later find a common language.
– Yes, I said I didn’t want to do anything bad. There was no thought of hurting or offending anyone. I want there to be less of that in hockey.
“We are motivated when they don’t believe in the Torpedo”
— “Torpedo” is now first in the KHL standings. But a lot of people didn’t believe in you. In addition, the composition is young and the talented assistant Andrei Kozyrev left the seat. But how do you manage to be so efficient?
— First, our system works. Second, and more importantly, we enjoy the game. And they didn’t believe in us last season, even when we made the playoffs. And during the regular season, they were waiting for our failures. Now they don’t believe in us anymore either.
On the contrary, it is good – it motivates us not to have faith. But we show spectacular hockey, which makes everyone happy. Now we have a difficult home series ahead of us, where we will play against Ak Bars, Sochi and Avangard. All teams are on the move, so there is no need to stop there. We’ve only played 10 league matches, we still have some left. More fun and games!
— You have seen different teams. Name who plays in the same sparkling style as Torpedo? If we take your second and third goals against Vityaz.
— It’s hard to compare with the NHL… Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl probably play like this all the time in Edmonton. They try to find themselves with passes, they make very nice, spectacular passes. Here there is more link play. This question is also relevant for us today, especially as the injuries have piled up. But we don’t watch it. It was a little easier in that regard when we were playing in our own lines.
And Edmonton, or Carolina, play in a similar style, especially when Teuvo Teräväinen was there. They made great combinations in the majority, people scored in three or four touches. The masters play it, they know how to do everything. And we strive to achieve this.
“Larionov is like a second father to me”
— Igor Larionov is not just a coach, but a mentor for the guys? Can you say that?
“He only wants the best for us.” Igor Nikolaevich is our head coach and wants us all to play at a high level. This is why, for example, sugar is banned in our locker room.
Larionov is like a second father to me. Gives very practical advice that you should listen to and follow. It’s not like riding on rails. On the contrary, our hands are free. We are told that we have to enjoy the game. That’s what we do.
What can I say ? Go to YouTube and watch Larionov’s matches, how he played for the USSR national team and for Detroit when the Russian Five were rumbling there. The way they moved the puck there was awesome to watch! This way you spend less effort and the hockey turns out to be more spectacular.
— In your locker room there are two masked players: Nikita Artamonov, 17, and Anton Silaev. How to receive them in the locker room and help them?
– They feel confident. Artamonov plays on the front line and plays in the majority. At this age it’s very important, when you don’t climb the fifth lines, don’t sit on the bench like the 13th striker waiting for your chance, but when they trust you. You become a player faster and reach a new level.
It worked for Silaev and Artamonov, as they immediately joined the team and continue to score points. We are happy for them and remember myself at their age. And no one gave me such chances. I had to work my way into the team through America, through universities, in order to get contracts and advance. Igor Nikolaevich is a great guy who gives young people chances.
— There are three major clubs in the KHL in terms of composition and budget: Ak Bars, SKA and CSKA. Last season you lost in the second round against SKA with a score of 0-4. Maybe you respected them too much?
— Our first season was the same as Larionov’s. But now we already understand what the KHL is, how to play here, how other teams behave. And we don’t adapt to anyone, but we show our hockey. That season, SKA beat us in the playoffs. We bit, we had opportunities to catch up.
But this year we are a different team, we have different goals. And we have to live up to the fans’ expectations, without them being afraid of us. In any case! And so that we are treated with respect, so that they believe in us. And we would attract more attention from hockey fans.
We will try, it all comes through work and work. But we strive for it.
Watch Fonbet matches of the KHL championship on the channels of the Match holding company, 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.
