“Kovalchuk’s arrival at Spartak is not about money. We have a mutual interest, we will talk about it specifically in early December. Interview with Jamnov

— How special are the matches against SKA for Spartak in this championship routine? In addition, we remember how Spartak recently beat SKA (3:2), scoring a goal at the last second – this was done by Alexander Belyaev.

— From now on, every match is important for us. So let’s get ready. What happened happened. We are preparing for a new game.

— Spartak had a powerful attack. But how has center forward Ivan Morozov’s injury affected you?

— It is clear that the Goldobin-Morozov-Poryadin line was the leader in the KHL. Alas, Vanya gave up. We try to find a balance in all three. This is why we are considering different options. Let’s see how it works today.

— Burmistrov and Loktionov come out in the center.

— Yes, we try different guys, look at defense and offense. The main thing is that there are normal combinations in all four links and the team looks balanced.

— Ilya Kovalchuk said he was going to tell you about his return to Spartak after the home series.

– Yes, we talked. And we’ll talk about it again. In principle, he should be present at the match today.

— What points do you need to find out?

– Yes, everything is clear to me. But we will have a concrete conversation at the beginning of December.

– It’s not a question of money?

– No, no, money is not a question here.

— Question about his role in the team?

— We understand Kovalchuk’s role in Spartak. But we will have to sit down and discuss all the nuances when Ilya is ready for physics. As we communicate, we speak. He has an interest, and so do we. Let’s see how this all develops in the future.

— Spartak is a fast team. How will a 40-year-old veteran who has already missed two and a half seasons fit in?

– Well, why? Kovalchuk has been fast all his life.

— SKA sent goalkeeper Dmitry Nikolaev to Neftekhimik, and Spartak took him almost immediately. Were you immediately interested in this goalkeeper?

– Well actually yes. We reviewed the situation with him this summer. We will now try to restore it. Because the boy only played in goal last summer. He was just practicing. But this is not comparable to match training, especially for a goalkeeper. So we will return to Nikolaev.

– In addition, he knows how to score goals.

– Well, I don’t know. I remember how in May in Tula he scored the goal of the Belarusians in a friendly match (of the Russian national team). We also keep this in mind.

— Before the deadline, can Spartak strengthen with someone other than Kovalchuk?

– Let’s see. We know we need reinforcement. So we are looking for options. The selection continues until the deadline, and there is still time until December 27.

— The KHL All-Star Game will soon take place in St. Petersburg, where you will be the head coach of the Bobrov Division team. Tell us a secret: why did you choose Alexander Mostovoy as your assistant?

– Yes, I didn’t choose. I just read on the website that Most will be by my side. Well why not? Sanya and I have been communicating for a long time and are friends. It will be interesting, I think.

– He doesn’t have a trainer’s license!

– So what? We love that word: license. But I think Mostovoy has a lot of experience. And he plays hockey pretty well. I saw it myself. We are friends. And it is also important that he is a Spartak. In general, all Spartak players should be friends.

— What do you think of the fact that the NHL wants to organize the World Cup with four teams, without Russia?

“I don’t even want to comment on that.” Someone wrote, someone said something. Nobody understands exactly what will happen.

— This will be a test tournament for Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden.

– But without Russia.

– And without the Czechs.

— To be honest, I really hope that the NHL will ultimately make a decision that the Russians will participate in the World Cup. Even only hockey players who represent the Russian Federation in the NHL. They deserve to participate in the World Cup.

— Very soon, Alexander Ovechkin will score his 1500th point in the NHL. What does this number mean to you?

– That’s a huge number. Simply space. And I understand how difficult it is. In the history of the league, fewer than 20 hockey players have reached such a peak. But behind that, there is a lot of work. I am very happy for Sasha and I hope he not only breaks this record.

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