Alexey Morozov: “So far, the league has not received Kovalchuk’s contract with the KHL club. But there is still time”

The WHL All-Star Game gathered in Tula an impressive audience – a sold-out crowd of 3,050 spectators who attended not only the concert of the IOWA singer, but also a hockey match in which the team of the East beat the West team (5:4). Interestingly, presenters Natalya Clark and Alexandra Lyskova acted as assistants to the head coaches.

During a break in the star show in Tula, I spoke with KHL President Alexei Morozov.

From this interview, you will learn:

“We had no doubts in Tula”

— To what extent is it justified that the WHL All-Star Game and the MHL Challenge Cup are not held in St. Petersburg, like the KHL All-Star Game, but in Tula?

– We now see that the idea is justified, and we have already done it before – for example, the KHL All-Star Game in 2019 took place in Kazan, and the WHL and MHL All-Star shows have took place in Nizhnekamsk.

This year we understood that in St. Petersburg it would be difficult to fill the arena for 21,500 spectators, hosting the star matches of the WHL and MHL. Well, the Tula region is developing, they love hockey here and are moving forward by leaps and bounds. There are two MHL teams and one VHL team, and they fill the stands during their games.

That’s why we decided it would be a good idea to hold two of our events here. This can be seen by fans. The arena was full. Generally speaking, the organization is excellent, we know the palace well. The Night Hockey League played here and I came here with the Legends of Hockey. So we had no doubts in Tula.

— How do you see the format next year?

– We will still work on this. Some regions hold all three events. Like Chelyabinsk in 2022, because all three leagues are represented in the city – WHL, MHL, KHL.

— Is it already clear where the KHL All-Star Game will take place in 2024? There are new arenas in Omsk, Novosibirsk, a palace will soon open in Nizhny Novgorod…

—You correctly described the shortlist when talking about new arenas. It is our advantage now that there is so much choice in Russia. New modern and efficient arenas are appearing. We always encourage our fans to come to such events so that they feel comfortable in the palace. We haven’t named a specific location yet, but there are enough new arenas and we have choices.

“Hockey has always surpassed football in terms of attendance”

— What do you think about the idea that football players will act as assistant coaches at the KHL All-Star Game in St. Petersburg?

— Tickets for the All-Star Game are selling very well and actively. We should all be friends. So we decided to see how the collaboration with football would go.

We had various experiments: that year, in Chelyabinsk, for example, singers and artists were assistant coaches. Before that, we invited commentators. It is clear that St. Petersburg is strongly linked to Zenit and football.

And what is important is that the footballers themselves play hockey. I played on the same team with them and against them. I know what level of hockey they are at, and it’s pretty good. They understand the game, I often meet footballers at KHL matches. We talk a lot about hockey. And why not let them try their hand at being an assistant head coach?

— Hockey is several times ahead of football in terms of overall attendance. The KHL attracts significantly more fans to the stands during the season than the RPL. What does that mean?

— Hockey has always been ahead of football, simply because we have more matches. We study the statistics carefully and this year, in the first three months, attendance increased by 23% compared to last season. And that’s an average of about a thousand extra people at each game.

As we expected, people are coming back after the pandemic. We understood that this would take time. And there is an effect, moreover, the clubs are working on how to warm up for match day, offering something new each time. Bookmaker companies organize activities during games to attract people.

This is our strategy and we expect attendance to continue to grow. The New Year holidays are approaching, then the fight for the playoffs and the Gagarin Cup. Our attendance traditionally increases even more during these months. I hope this season we will break the record. In general, now we have the second indicator of the 16 seasons of the KHL. It’s close to the record.

— Attendance could increase significantly if the KHL regularly holds hockey games in football stadiums, as is the case in the NHL. Is it really possible to put this into production?

— This is definitely not possible for streaming. We are currently considering such options and we are not against such matches at all. Nizhny Novgorod wanted to try it this year. We talked about Spartak. But it all depends on the football stadiums themselves. Hockey matches can be organized there when the turf of the football field is modified.

— Why then were such games held at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg for several years in a row?

— Because there is a retractable field and the football field can be removed at any time. If there is no such technology, organizing a hockey match in one day can completely ruin the pitch. And if a football team is preparing for the resumption of the RPL season, this could become quite a problem for them.

So we are working on different nuances. If something interesting appears, we will try to implement it. But here, it is above all the region itself and the host team which should be interested. Are they ready to change lawns after hockey? That’s the question.

— In general, are you satisfied with how the KHL season is going? At the December break, we come to the conclusion that this is almost the most interesting regular season in history!

— We were told that year that it was the most interesting season and that the salary cap had an impact. See, now you think there’s even more interest. We are moving in this direction, we are working on it. And it was clear to us that the introduction of a salary floor and cap would not have an effect in a second. And now the teams are stabilizing. There is a lot of competition and we see it ourselves. This makes us happy, and we will continue in the same spirit to make the matches even more spectacular. Therefore, we are introducing some innovations in the rules to make the game more dynamic and interesting for fans. Some details are gradually developed, leading to increasing intrigue and intrigue. Interest in hockey is growing, sponsors are coming to us.

— Are commercial returns getting higher and higher?

“We see that companies are becoming more and more interested in hockey. We have many partners with whom we concluded our first agreements this year. Sponsors have come into our family, become partners of the League – and they say they are satisfied with the way it is developing.

“If Kovalchuk comes back, then I will come to his first match”

— Ilya Kovalchuk, the godfather of your children, returns to big hockey. Did he ask you if he should return to Spartak at the age of 40?

– There can be no advice from me! Ilya is an adult. You understand how old he is, what experience he has. The legend of our hockey. Of course, only he will decide what to do. He doesn’t need anyone’s advice. He will understand what he feels at this age, what injuries and sores he has, what worries him. Will he be able to pay a lot of attention to hockey when there are family matters? You know, a lot of people end their careers because they want to be with their family more.

So we will wait for Ilya’s decision. There is nothing official yet. The league has not received any Kovalchuk contracts with any KHL clubs. And until December 27, when the KHL deadline is announced, each team has the opportunity to recruit newcomers (smiles – editor’s note) if they fall within the salary cap.

— You yourself played in Pittsburgh when, on December 27, 2000, after a break of three and a half seasons, Mario Lemieux returned to big hockey. Could the KHL put on the same show around Kovalchuk’s return after a two-and-a-half season hiatus?

“I know for sure that at that time the show was not organized by the NHL, but by Pittsburgh itself.” There was a big Christmas game against Toronto. At the arena, the Penguins lowered Lemieux’s jersey, which had already been hoisted into the vaults during his first outing. On a mat spread out on the ice stood a family – wife, children. The moment was very moving, and everyone was waiting for this event.

Let’s wait and see if the contract with Kovalchuk is officially signed. Then, of course, the Spartak team will have to think about how to draw even more attention to this topic. If Ilya does indeed return to the KHL, then you can be sure that I will definitely go to his first game!

Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL championship matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.