On July 14, Dynamo Moscow held the team’s first training session at the Novgorsk base. And tomorrow the team will go to the traditional summer training camp in Nizhny Novgorod. As the players practiced on the ice and raced across the country, spoke to the blue and white general manager Alexei Sopin on the hottest questions of the offseason.
Recently, the Dynamo team managed to bring back famous Canadian center forward Eric O’Dell, who left the team in the spring after the end of the first round of the playoffs. O’Dell’s example shows that the Legionnaire problem in the KHL is returning to normal. At least as far as North American players are concerned.
“For Dynamo, O’Dell turned down better offers. No one considers him a traitor.”
“Eric always emphasized that he only wanted to return to Dynamo,” Sopin said. “He has a very good relationship with the technical staff. The Canadian striker feels at home here, like in a family. Therefore, he comes to us, although he has received offers from other clubs and, as I heard, even more profitable.
Are we talking about offers from KHL clubs?
– Yes. As well as us, O’Dell has been claimed by two Eastern and two Western clubs. Their offers were more generous than ours, but Eric is going to Dynamo.
– O’Dell must have considered offers from the NHL.
– It’s true, Eric had some options abroad. But he was offered bilateral contracts there. And O’Dell’s age is already decent. He understood that the chances of playing in the NHL are slim. So after the World Cup, Eric looked at the North American proposals and then called us and said he was ready to go.
– Did Dynamo have claims against O’Dell for leaving the team after the first round of the playoffs? Because of this, you actually lost the second shock tie before the series with CSKA.
– Of course, we really wanted Eric to be with us until the end of spring. They said, well, be patient for a few more weeks, because it won’t change anything fundamentally. But in Canada, there was a lot of pressure on his family. None of us know how we would behave in Eric’s place in such a situation. But he spoke to us honestly until the end, we discussed everything. After all, his participation in the first round must have been discussed more than once. And I think in the series with Severstal he became one of the key players, helped win. Eric has always communicated with an open heart. Not like hockey players from some other KHL clubs who, already on the plane, texted the team. Like, goodbye, I went home. And O’Dell kept everything he promised. Therefore, no one in Dynamo definitely considers him a traitor.
“In the near future we plan to sign a defender and a striker”
– Did the Canadian have any doubts about returning to Russia due to the political situation in the world? Now he’s not under so much pressure across the ocean, is he?
– As I understood from a conversation with Eric, interest in events in Ukraine abroad has faded. We have to understand the players. In the first days after the February events, no one understood how events would develop further. How safe is it to stay in Russia? Now everyone has already sorted out the current situation bit by bit. We’ve talked to many Canadians and realized that in North America there’s no particular focus on that anymore. Players can safely travel to our league. When Eric arrives, ask him exactly what has changed from spring.
– So far, only two Legionnaire positions have been filled at Dynamo. Do you plan to increase the foreign legion?
– It is unlikely that we will start the season with five legionnaires. Most likely we will stop at three. (According to , the Dynamo are negotiating with Swede Jacob Lilja, who played in the KHL for Barys last season.) Or maybe there will be a few newcomers.
– What positions do you want to strengthen?
– We plan to sign a defender and a striker.
“Dynamo players can serve one year in the National Guard”
– After the highly publicized story of Ivan Fedotov, many players are probably worried about a possible recruitment into the armed forces. How does Dynamo solve this problem? Also, this season alone, you have a lot of draft-age hockey players.
– Many of our guys are in higher education and at the moment they have a legal postponement of conscription into the army. In addition, Dynamo players can serve in the sports society, in the National Guard. Now we no longer have such soldiers. But according to the autumn draft, four people will take the military oath at a time. Three young players and one main player. Everything is official and legal.
– Did the guys themselves express their desire to serve in the army as it should be?
I won’t say it’s a wish. On the contrary, the players ask for help and the club helps them. You can play hockey and at the same time give back to your country.
– How is the recruitment of hockey players going?
– For some time the guys have been passing through the unit, taking an oath. Then they are sent to Dynamo.
– As I understand it, hockey players are not long in the unit?
– It’s different. From a few days to a few weeks, if it happens in the summer, before the costs. In my opinion, Vladimir Bryukvin served with us the most – about a month.
– He was sent to a military unit several years ago and during the season.
“Yes, for our part, we fully respect the protocol of the National Guard. If the guys have to be in the unit, they go. Usually, those who have an expired reprieve after graduating from college go to the sports business.
– Meaning Dynamo players can’t have problems with the draft board?
“Before it was even easier. And now you have to understand that the sports company also has its own quota for hockey players and it’s not about rubber. But we try to help everyone our children.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
