“SKA-1946” won the Kharlamov Cup, defeating Yaroslavl “Loko” in five matches of the final, which became the first in the MHL regular season. The best scorer in the playoffs was St. Petersburg forward Ivan Demidov, who scored 28 (11+17) points in 17 matches. Additionally, the striker was injured during the final and went to the award ceremony on crutches.
From this interview with Rotenberg you will learn:
“We will print rings for SKA-1946 players”
— What is the value of this Kharlamov Cup? How do you see this?
— Becoming an MHL champion is very valuable. This is only the second Kharlamov Cup in the history of our club. And it so happened that SKA won the Gagarin Cup for the first time, this happened twice (2015, 2017). And only then we managed to win the MHL playoffs for the first time in history in 2022. But the history of the SKA club dates back to 1946, but we were not youth champions.
This victory is extremely important for SKA. We win trophies every season. Last year they won the Continental Cup, becoming the best in the regular KHL championship. We strive to win all competitions. Of course we want to win the Gagarin Cup again. And take the VHL-winning Petrov Cup. There is serious competition everywhere, but we are trying hard, believe me.
Youth is our foundation, our future. We carry out systematic work in which all our clubs want to follow the same model of play. It is serious work, it takes years to build a system in detail, select the technical staff and hockey players. It is not an easy task. And that’s why it’s so important that we win at the MHL level.
The Kharlamov Cup is of great importance to us. Already because the trophy bears the name of our great striker Valery Kharlamov. One of the greatest forwards in the history of world hockey. God grant that our SKA guys play like Kharlamov.
– Is it possible?
— You know, the legendary coach Vladimir Vladimirovich Yurzinov once called me. And he says: “Roma, do you know who Vasya Glotov reminds me of? – “WHO?” – “Valeria Kharlamova.”
– Wow.
– But Yurzinov himself saw how Valery Kharlamov plays. And it’s not just words. He worked as a coach with Kharlamov in the USSR national team. This is a very interesting parallel. And we will always strive to develop our players to this level. There are two work criteria: result and development. At the MHL level, we see that both factors worked. And the cup was won, and our guys are progressing. Many have reached a whole new level and will soon be playing in the KHL. You will see!
— When SKA-1946 won the Kharlamov Cup two years ago, you made expensive championship rings for each player. How will it go this time?
“We will certainly remain true to our winning traditions.” Of course there will be rings for the guys. This is a very important victory for SKA. The guys and I talked about it a lot. And they are great, they didn’t flinch in the deciding match. Lokomotiv is a very solid system. And in the fifth match of the series, Loko’s lineup was strengthened by Daniil But and Dmitry Simashev. Hockey players are trained very well in Yaroslavl, and it’s great when our hockey has such strong organizations. We became champions in a magnificent palace, where the ice is of the highest standard. It’s good to breathe, and Yaroslavl is a hockey city, there are great hockey traditions here. It’s very nice to beat such a strong team. Of course, in honor of this victory, we will print rings.
— Are there cash bonuses for MHL players, like the KHL, where substantial bonuses are given for the Gagarin Cup?
— Of course, the guys should be recognized for their victory. We must thank PJSC Gazprom and personally Alexei Borisovich Miller for the opportunity we have to develop youth. Our main asset is our players. And we see how our most important asset is growing rapidly. We will discuss the subject with Gazprom, our sponsor and shareholder. And I think we’ll find an opportunity to encourage the guys.
“A year ago, I didn’t score a penalty against Nabokov”
— To what extent is this a weighty argument for the SKA board of directors which will be held in mid-May? What do you need to change?
— In three years, we scored 604 goals. To be honest, there is no question about the attackers. Occasional modifications are possible, nothing more. I believe we need to strengthen our defensive line.
—And the guard team?
— In general, a goalkeeper coach is a unique profession. You yourself understand that such specialists are very difficult to find.
“Magnitka had such a professional, and in just one year Ilya Nabokov went from being a green newcomer to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
“I think it’s primarily due to Nabokov himself.” We’ve been watching him for a long time. Besides, I myself played against Nabokov in the “3 against 3” format. Bullitt just didn’t score against him. At that time I didn’t know who the opponent was in goal. But I look – the man catches everything! That was a year ago, and even then it was clear that Ilya was a born goalkeeper. He works on himself and develops. You have probably read an interview with Evgeniy Nabokov on the website.
– Besides, I took it.
– He said a very correct thing. Ilya Nabokov has the technique of Juuse Saros. But Nashville’s Saros is considered to have the best technique in the world. Every goalie coach you ask talks about it. At the same time, Saros is small in size. Ilya is already 5 cm taller than him. At the same time, he grows. That is, we will have an elite goalkeeper for the Russian national team for years to come.
It is very important! We look at Nabokov’s development, comparing with the progression of Sorokin and Shesterkin – Ilya already has a head start at their age. This does not mean that tomorrow he could become number one of the Russian team at a big tournament. He needs to work on himself, to move forward. It happens that advances are written, but promising actors do not fully justify them. But it all comes down to work!
“In the KHL final I personally supported Grebenkin”
— If we started talking about Magnitogorsk, they did not hesitate to use young people who became KHL champions in one year.
— You’re talking about guys from Magnitogorsk like Roman Kantserov or Nikita Grebenkin. By the way, Grebenkin took part in our traditional international tournament for national teams in December. I watched him train and I can tell you that Grebenkin has very serious potential. He has all the assets to become a great player. His skating is very good, he already has talent, he makes extraordinary decisions on the ice. What you need in hockey. His head works very well, he has a playful spirit.
– Do you think he will shoot the Maple Leafs?
“It’s hard for me to say what he’ll have there in Toronto.” It’s a shame he’s leaving. To be honest, Grebenkin was the only player I personally supported in the Gagarin Cup final. He attracts spectators with his hockey. But we need entertainment. It is given by guys like Grebenkin, Nikishin or Demidov. We need stars! We all understand how the hockey business works. People come to hockey to see guys who show great skills and score brilliant goals. And this is what we must strive for. We need more goals and personalities on the ice! Then the television audiences will increase and the stands will always be full.
— 10 goals were scored in the Gagarin Cup final. Averaged 2.5 goals for both teams. How to improve performance in the KHL?
– We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Let’s see how this fared in North America. We remember how New Jersey won the Stanley Cup in 1995, by setting up traps, barbed wire and booby traps in its defense. They finished with the lowest score in NHL history. Fans began to visit the stands less often. After that, at the Council of Club Owners of the League, it was decided that in order for hockey to develop, for spectators to come, for television audiences and sponsors to come, we should not hire these coaches who preach hockey said defensively. . Because it’s completely killing their business.
I am not saying that we should copy this American principle. But we need to think about how to make hockey truly number one in the country. And it would surpass all other sports in terms of viewership, including those on television.
— Let me clarify one last time: what do you think about the KHL returning to the limit of five foreign players?
— For us at SKA, the limit makes absolutely no difference. We are following the league’s directive.
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Source : MatchTV

I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.