After Saturday’s extravaganza, I told Igor Larionov that Torpedo hadn’t won this big in 28 years. He even surprised himself: “Is it really that long?”
This young Torpedo, now first in the Western Conference, knows no ceiling. It seemed that with the score 7:1 in the third period, the guests had already calmed down. But if there was such a goal, then eight and nine goals would enter the Dynamo goal…
After meeting physical trainer Philip Arzamazov in the hallway, I casually asked: “Is the team at its peak now?” Is that why you tear everyone apart? Do you have enough strength for the second part of the championship? And he explained to me that the preparation was structured in such a way that it would run smoothly throughout the season, staying at the same level.
That is, these 7:1 are ordinary hockey from this “Torpedo”. Shaking hands with Nikolai Kovalenko, who did not play due to injury, I heard from him: “Don’t be surprised, this is our usual match.”
Today Torpedo is the main headliner and pioneer of the KHL. They want to know everything about this sensational team!
From an interview with Maxim Gafurov you will learn:
“They looked at us like we were crazy, but we have to give bread and circuses.”
— Can we say that this is Torpedo’s best match this season?
– No, not the best. There was another game – I won’t name it specifically now. And you must enjoy and rejoice in such a game with Dynamo. But the next day we will prepare a new one. After all, it’s a common thing. And the main thing will be in the spring, in the playoffs.
— Is it not by chance that in the parallel match Andrei Kozyrev and his Severstal won in Sochi with a score of 10: 1? Last season, Kozyrev worked as part of the Torpedo coaching staff.
—We have the same horoscopes, apparently. And one day, it happened. I’m glad that Andrei Leonidovich reciprocated – after all, he had a rematch with Sochi. Two days earlier, the Leopards had won with a score of 4:3. And we, in a good way, are looking forward to October 11, when we ourselves will arrive in Cherepovets. And in five days Severstal will fly to Nizhny Novgorod. Personally, I have not yet closed the Gestalt in Cherepovets, where I have not yet won.
— Torpedo’s playing philosophy changes the entire league. Every home game is sold out. People wouldn’t go to boring hockey?
– One hundred percent, and we talked about this before last season. We were seen as crazy. But we understand that we must provide bread and circus games – and we recognize our role in this. Yes, we are not removing the result from the agenda. But this is our internal dialogue. We want to bring spectacular hockey to the fans. Especially now when the team is forming and we have the opening of the stadium ahead of us.
Torpedo becomes a leading club. We don’t fly at night! »
— Torpedo eliminated Dynamo in the first round of the last playoffs. Your “blue and white” team is an extremely troublesome opponent. Can you say that Dynamo is your client?
— I have great respect for Dynamo. It seems to me that in this match (7:1) we were just great and Dynamo didn’t have their day. It happens.
I wouldn’t say who is whose client. Again, Dynamo didn’t have Eric O’Dell, we didn’t have Kolya Kovalenko. I would love to see this shootout with full lineups.
“Dynamo” has improved very dramatically. Ozhiganov and Gusev came… Look at the puck that Gusev scored in the minority. These are the kind of spectacular moments fans want to see.
— Torpedo striker Vasily Atanasov, 21, scored a hat-trick. With 17 (10+7) points in 15 matches, he ranks fourth in the KHL top scorers rankings. Do you understand what Vasya’s potential is? Who can he grow into?
– Usually this is followed by some sort of comparative response. The player’s level is indicated, and very often this haunts him. And I want to enjoy this day, to see Vasya smile – although you almost never see him without a smile. And he will get everything else step by step if he maintains that positivity, drive and attitude.
With this mood, he goes out to win every game. And his interview in the semifinals with Loko Yaroslavl last season in the MHL, when he said: “Now I will go out and score” – these words are not accidental. It’s Vasya.
And a lot of guys on our team are like that. And I would like to see such ambitions.
— Is Torpedo now receiving many offers from other KHL clubs so you can trade players for them? Their actions are increasing wonderfully!
– I would say we have grown. Everyone understands that Torpedo is not a one-day team. It sparkles and enters the shadow of the big clubs. We ourselves are becoming a top club, a top organization. We are heading towards that.
Yes, there is still a long way to go. But it is already important that the guys believe in this result. Their place is in Nizhny Novgorod. And there are other youth and junior hockey events to come. All experts will immediately understand what we are talking about…
— By the way, tell us about the 15-year-old prodigy Viktor Fedorov, who moves from Yaroslavl to Nizhny Novgorod. They say he is by far the best of his age.
— This is still an unofficial transition. A little later there will be all the information. And it’s not even this particular event that matters, but the fact that some change is happening. The one at the bottom is growing.
“Many of our players have small salaries, but there are bonuses”
— Recently it was said that Igor Larionov receives little – only 17 million rubles per season. And Torpedo doesn’t do anything about it. Although he is in the second year of his two-year contract, these contracts are not usually renegotiated. What’s your reaction ?
“Such agitation is rather unpleasant, even if we take it calmly. Igor Nikolaevich and I know what we are doing, what our idea is. Second, some information is not true. And the whole motivational and financial system works differently in the club.
Yes, many of our players also have small salaries. And I can honestly tell you that officially. Even if it seems to have certain consequences. But I explain it calmly…
— Because there are bonuses.
— Yes, the guys have team bonuses. If we are doing well, if we are playing – and winning, and not losing – then everything is fine. We have competitive salaries. And they will be bigger.
Of course, Igor Nikolaevich deserves the greatest respect. And I’m sure his salary will be good, don’t worry. But such comparisons in the press, when these topics are discussed, probably have slightly different goals than protecting Larionov…
— Do they want to undermine Torpedo?
– As practice shows, so be it. The more bad things they say about Torpedo and the worse the predictions, the better we play.
— Let me clarify: do you have bonuses every round? Or should we win the Gagarin Cup?
— Can I leave this without comment? This is an internal kitchen. And this is our know-how. When the time comes, I will be happy to share this. The most important thing is that it works.
— Is it true that negotiations on Larionov’s new contract with Torpedo will begin this fall?
— We have been having this dialogue for a long time. There are just certain circumstances. And for our fans, as well as the experts, I will open the light a little. In such processes, forward movement is always important. The question here is not: “How much money do you need?” – “So much,” they shook hands and separated.
No, we need a comprehensive understanding of the long-term nature of the project and the seriousness of these intentions. Whether they work or not. Igor Nikolaevich wanted to see how Torpedo would start the second season, how the team would react, what kind of reinforcement we had. In turn, I provide great equipment for our team to grow. And even with a perspective not of one or two years, but of five to seven years.
Having assessed all this, we will now calmly meet with the governor – Gleb Sergeyevich (Nikitin) has his finger on the pulse. I’m sure everything will be fine.
—And your fan base is growing. Look how many caps they gave Atanasov after his hat-trick in Moscow.
– Fierce. Simply fierce. Really fierce Torpedo fans.
— As I understand it, “the fiercest fans” is their nickname in Nizhny Novgorod.
—And you come to Nizhni yourself. Let me tell you, the city is hockey crazy! It’s an incredible pleasure to return to money – you can’t buy it.
Can you imagine, I’m taking my son to school and I see a girl walking. You can’t say that she follows hockey at all. But he arrives and asks how this or that hockey player behaved yesterday. They discuss the percentage of throw-ins for certain players. You buy coffee and they wish you victory in the evening game.
That’s why we do everything, coming back to your topic. We want to provide bread and circuses!
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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.
