Mikhail Anisin: “We must go to the Olympic Games with our own flag and our own anthem. Stop wiping your feet on our country!

Mikhail Anisine – a unique guy. We remember how he won the Gagarin Cup with Dynamo Moscow in 2012 and scored 19 (14+5) points in 21 playoff matches. And then the “blue and whites” flew from Omsk on the championship plane, and Anisin sang with the guitar with head coach Oleg Znarok.

But the special thing about Mishani, as everyone calls him, is that he managed to play for around twenty clubs during his career. It took him from Tashkent to Romania, to Cheboksary and now to Norilsk! And almost everywhere Anisin gave concerts in the literal sense of the word. I just took the mic and went up to the people. And Misha’s voice is golden. And I can see very well how, after his career, Anisin can easily open his own karaoke bar, where hockey fans will come in droves.

From this interview with Mikhail you will learn:

— his opinion on the participation or not of the Russian team in the Olympic Games;

— Is Anisin himself ready to participate in the tournaments that will be held here in 2024;

— Should hockey players wear throat and neck protection?

— how did the meeting with the idol Pavel Bure happen;

– a powerful proposal to host a star-studded match between the KHL and VHL.

“I am ready to play for the Russian national team at the Spartakiad! Just call!”

— Mikhail Anisin’s opinion on sports geopolitics is always good. What do you think about the fact that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) included the Russian team in the preliminary list for the Olympics?

— Maybe at the IIHF they realized that without Russia, no one would be interested in either the World Championship or the Olympic Games? I don’t think it will be that simple. Maybe it’s still some kind of deception. You will not immediately understand where the truth is and where the lies are. But I see a ray of light there.

Well, think for yourself, what could a big hockey tournament look like without the Russian team? That’s right, fiction. So let’s wait. A lot can still change before 2026. I would like to see our team at the Olympics. But only on one important condition: our guys must play with their own flag and their own anthem.

Stop wiping your feet on our country! I understand as an athlete that it’s important to perform at the Olympics, and some people strive for it their whole lives. And that if there is gold, everyone will always know who comes from where.

But personally, I wouldn’t leave without the flag and the anthem. It is the honor of our country. The current geopolitical situation demands it. If we go to the international stage, then we must show Russia to the fullest – here is our flag, here is the anthem. And here are our champions. We will fight again for victory.

— Next year, many alternative competitions will be organized in Russia: the Friendship Games, the BRICS Games, the Spartakiad, the Children of Asia… Does that appeal to you?

— In this situation, any competition is interesting. It is clear that the level is not what we are used to. But we have to go through a difficult period. Have patience, practice, plow and work. And compete with each other. Previously, our hockey players took part only in the USSR Championship and the World Championship or the Olympic Games. Then the Goodwill Games were introduced.

I think we in Russia can organize our own tournaments, and it will be an interesting product. Here in St. Petersburg they opened the largest arena in Europe for 21,500 spectators. The national teams of Belarus, Kazakhstan and China will participate in the tournament at home. These competitions have a history, everyone loves the New Year’s snowman on the emblem.

— And if you are invited to play for the Russian national team at the Spartakiad, would you agree?

– I will go to the national team anyway. I will come on foot from Norilsk! If you need me at the Spartakiad or the Friendship Games, call me. I’ll even come just to train.

It’s my country. This is my team. Of course, I’m not sure if I’ll be called and I don’t know how the queues will be formed. But if you need Misha Anisin for the Russian national team, call and I will already be with you!

— Recently, a wild incident occurred in the United Kingdom, during which hockey player Adam Johnson died, his throat cut with a skate. Does this mean everyone has to play with necklaces from now on?

– It’s a terrible tragedy! Death of a man on the ice. My condolences!

But everything happens in life. And I think not every hockey player will wear neck and throat protection. I would not wear this necklace. I’ve had this habit since childhood and it’s hard to change. It’s suffocating and it’s hard to breathe.

We played with these necklaces when we were kids. But there we cut the protection and simply put a cloth around the neck so that the judges do not give a fine. Maybe a rag would have saved Johnson by softening the blow of the skate blade. Who knows? But we all walk under God.

“I will end my career, but on a victorious note”

— You recently met Pavel Bure on the ice. Why did they react so emotionally to “Russian Rocket”?

– So because Pavel flew to Taimyr, where I play! Thank you very much for paying attention to Russian hockey. Bure – “Russian Rocket” says it all.

He’s my childhood idol! If I remember correctly, 1998. I was 10 years old then. I’m watching the Nagano Olympics. He scored five goals against the Finns in the semi-final. I was madly delighted! I watched every NHL game and tried to copy Bure. His famous skate-stick-skate trick when he scored the puck in the game against Calgary.

My father spoke with Pavel and he gave me his stick and his hooks from America. Bure also arrived in Moscow in 1999, when he had a misunderstanding regarding his contract with Vancouver. And then Pavel trained with Vityaz in the Moscow region, where my father was the head coach. And I studied at the CSKA children’s school. Bure also came for a ride with the military team and he also removed the ice. And when I was a child, I often encountered him.

These are truly unforgettable memories! When I saw Pasha for the first time – live and not on TV – my arms and legs started shaking. Such a world-class star! But he is a very sociable person. I’m still a child, but it was easy for me to communicate with him.

He showed me feints and I practiced them in every training session. All of these outputs are “one to zero”. I also wanted to score five goals against the Finns! It’s very important when children have idols who ignite their passion for hockey.

– Who blackened your eyes?

“I was the one who was strong in the last match.”

— You didn’t fight?

— In general, there is no hockey without fighting. And I agree with that. I can fight. But I understand that my job is to score goals and provide assists. And there are people specially trained for fighting.

— You are already 35 years old, you have played in 20 teams during your career. Are you thinking of hanging up your skates?

— I understand that age wears itself out. I would like to play a little more. Thank you for giving me a chance in Norilsk. I would like to win something with this club. Maybe it’s funny to talk about that. But I think we have a good chance in VHL. My dream is to end my career on a winning note.

“We need to have a KHL vs. VHL game. The boys are going to commit suicide!

— By the way, about the grades. You recently sang in front of the entire arena after a match. Why did you choose the hits of Stas Mikhailov and “Nancy”?

— I could sing three or four hits. If the fans like it, I’m ready to sing endlessly. The most precious thing we have is the viewer. Any hockey player, when he steps on the ice, does not think about money or contracts. We are having a difficult pre-season, giving everything in the matches to bring joy to people. Otherwise, why play hockey at a professional level?

—You don’t sing on plywood?

– Well, what are you talking about? Only live, with accompaniment. The day before the game, I made a special trip to the arena, tested the equipment and did a sound check. It is serious.

— Your club scored four goals against Anton Khudobin himself.

— Yes, but Khudobin is a very high level goalkeeper. I can tell you that with certainty. Maybe he’ll return to the NHL. Or he will leave for the KHL now. It’s very difficult for him to score. In fact, I’m surprised that a big club that has problems with goalkeepers hasn’t signed him yet. On the other hand, when Khudobin plays for Sokol, it elevates the status of the entire VHL. This means we are not that far behind the KHL.

“But hockey experts don’t think so.”

– But I don’t listen to them. Like my friend Artemy Panarin, I advise everyone to turn away from all this inter-noise. So he switched to an old Nokia, no longer reads social networks – and is happy.

— You played together in the old school Vityaz. When was the last time you called each other?

— We haven’t communicated in about a year. Sometimes we talk on the phone. Otherwise, I would have been happy to see Tema.

— You played at the KHL All-Star Game in Riga, where you luxuriously performed the Italian aria “O sole mio” in front of the arena. And if you were invited to a KHL star game in St. Petersburg this year to perform a solo number, would you agree?

“I don’t think they’ll call me, and there are games going on in the VHL. Where will I stray from the team? But here’s an idea. Let’s play a game in the framework of the stars – “KHL Team” against “VHL Team”. We can even play in Norilsk!

Ultimately, the KHL All-Star Game is a spectacle. But here we will witness a real match with a powerful fight. The VHL boys will want to prove that they are not worse. Well, imagine: Anton Khudobin himself could be in our goal. We will find worthy defenders, attackers. Why do you think the KHL will definitely win in such a match? Let’s check it out!

And if such a match took place, I would happily give a concert there. We do everything for the public!

Watch live broadcasts of Fonbet matches of the KHL Championship on the channels of the Match! holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.