“We all attended street school. Once, five Albanian bandits “attacked” me in Helsinki. Roman Rotenberg and his “Boy’s Word”

Today in St. Petersburg an unusual match between SKA and Avtomobilist will take place (5:30 p.m. Moscow time). It will take place under the motto “The Boys’ Christmas Tree” and the theme is inspired by the hit television series “The Boy’s Word”. Blood on the asphalt.” has already covered this subject. gave an interview our hockey columnist Dmitry Guberniev. And now we are talking with SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg, whom we also met at the Red Machine Junior New Year’s party in Krasnogorsk.

“When I returned to Russia, I was ready to scream with joy”

— How close are you to the series “The Boy’s Word. Blood on the asphalt?

– It’s close for me. I was born in 1981, and in my early years I saw everything the whole country was going through. Such was life!

My parents worked for me. My father taught hand-to-hand combat at a police academy and worked as a judo coach. Mom worked too. They weren’t at home at all. My younger brother and I were alone. And we had to cook ourselves. I picked up my brother from kindergarten – there was no one else to do it. We were left to the mercy of fate, let’s say it. But that was the case for everyone in Soviet times.

I am glad that the producers of the series were able to professionally convey to the modern audience the realities of those years. This is a very serious level and excellent work. It’s great that we have our own national series. Not an American Netflix. Because we can’t relate to it. We have our own culture and our own history. We all went through those years. We live in Russia. We are proud of our homeland. The more series and films of this type there are, the better it will be for all of us.

We have a great country, believe me. And I have lived in different countries. And I always wanted to return to Russia. Because of this, I had a problem with my parents. Because I didn’t want to live abroad. We are Russians. We have our own mentality, our own culture.

— Artemy Lebedev left with his parents for the United States, but returned a year later. I wanted to live at the end of the USSR. Do you have the same story?

– Yes. I came back as soon as I could. I first wanted to do this when I was 14. I arrived at SKA, attended a three-month training camp and found myself in a very strong team. They were then champions of Russia. I really wanted to play for SKA, I trained a lot.

But a situation arose: my mother told me: “But in Finland we have studies. How are you going to give it up? “… It was in 1995.

I made my decision as a child: that’s it, I’m going to stay in Russia. I’m happy with everything. But my mother did not agree with this and because of this a family conflict even arose.

So what can you do? Mom is always right. Mom needs to be loved and respected. This is not even discussed. Then I postponed my decision.

But once I finished my studies, I immediately decided to return to Russia. There was an inner feeling: that’s it, I don’t want to live abroad anymore, I want to return home.

There were different options and proposals. I could work in England, in Finland. But I didn’t even get a second opinion. Only Russia! I want to live and work in my own country. I was ready to shout with joy when I arrived home: “Thank God! Finally it happened!

For the first 10 years I lived in Leningrad. And he loved his city, was steeped in our culture and always loved our country. The spirit of patriotism and hockey is what you have always experienced. We supported the USSR national team, then the Russian national team. Hockey victories have forged the glory of our homeland.

“As a child, I took music theory lessons, but I wanted to play hockey”

— Dmitry Guberniev told how he got involved in gang wars. Do you have any poignant stories from the dashing 90s?

— There were different moments in life. The street gives character. We all went through this school. And I think many have faced some sort of struggle or confrontation.

I have been practicing judo since childhood, from the age of three. Every boy should play sports. And if necessary, I could always fight.

There were different situations, just like in the series. For example, I was already living in Helsinki at that time. You are walking around the neighborhood, five healthy Albanians come up to you: “You have new sneakers. Let’s take it off.”

– So what should we do?

— I walked further in socks. What other options? Health is more important. Sometimes it’s better to give something so that the bandits don’t kill you. And it’s great that those 90s are a thing of the past. It’s great that there are now cameras everywhere and people are trying to think about safety.

— What are your traditions? How do you usually celebrate New Year?

— According to tradition, in the forest with my family. It’s a family vacation. The main thing is to recover. We have such a busy job that we play hockey every other day. It’s great, we love hockey. But I really want to spend the New Year with my family in a calm atmosphere. Let’s decorate the Christmas tree, cut Olivier, peel tangerines. Everything is like in Soviet times.

– What is your favorite music?

—Actually, I went to music school when I was a kid. My mother forced me. I studied classical guitar.

– So can you play now?

“I was good at it, but that skill is disappearing.” You have to practice it. We are a musical family. My father sings well and plays various instruments: trumpet and guitar. Not professionally, but just for myself. We always had music in the house. And I knew all these songs from the series “The Boy’s Word” by heart. And “Tender May”, and Pugachev…

I remember how my mother forced me to take music theory lessons. Over an hour by train, then into town by metro. We then lived in Toksovo, next to the train station.

And imagine, I’m nine years old. I wanted to run with clubs or play ball with the boys, but I had to go to music theory class.

And so I didn’t go there for six months. Then I received a reprimand. Mom doesn’t mince her words. There was a plot, almost like in the series.

– What is your favorite book?

— I like Bulgakov — “The Master and Margarita”. At one time, my mother instilled in me a love of books and classic literature. And we carry this love throughout our lives. It’s not just that SKA recently played an unusual and “book” match.

— What do you wish for readers in 2024?

— First of all, health. I wish everyone to love hockey. Take all the good things from the old 2023. And for our hockey to grow. For our children to play. Their eyes are burning! We must be proud of our country. We have a great country: Russia. We all enjoy sports and life together. When we are united, anything is possible!