CSKA Forward Anton Slepychev in an interview with , he said that in the finals of the last two Gagarin Cups, the psychology of the teams that led the series played a big role.
CSKA has won two Gagarin Cups in the last two KHL seasons. In the 2022 final, the army team defeated Magnitogorsk Metallurg in seven matches, losing 1–3 in the series.
— When did Magnitka miss its chance in the 2022 final?
— I heard a story that when the series score became 3-1 and we went to the fifth game in Magnitogorsk, the hosts had already filled the locker room with champagne. And they began to measure where they would place the Gagarin Cup so that it would look good after the final. Thus, this information reached the Metallurg players.
— Didn’t you bring champagne and championship caps when CSKA was leading 3-1 with Ak Bars?
— If our staff did this, none of the CSKA players knew about it. Whatever anyone says, a treacherous thought comes to your mind that there is only one last step left and we will definitely win one of the three matches. Yes, yes, let’s measure the Gagarin Cup. We have already beaten CSKA three times in a row. I stayed there for the fourth time, and then – for champagne.
Did not work. Psychology is a tricky thing. And we did everything to avoid such mistakes,” Slepyshev told .
Watch live broadcasts of KHL matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Find the full version of the interview with Anton Slepyshev soon on the website!
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.
