We are with Jamnov gathered yesterday in Novogorsk, where a gala match as part of the 2024 Superfinal of the All-Russian competition of young hockey players “Golden Puck” took place. The tournament was dedicated to the 60th anniversary of this children’s hockey movement. But we talked not only about children’s hockey, but rather about Spartak affairs. By the way, the third scorer of the “red and whites” Maxim Tsyplakov, who scored 51 (33+18) points in 76 matches last season, visited North America the other day.
“Golden Puck” is a great hockey move.
— What does the “Golden Puck” mean to you?
— Everyone went through this stage in my Soviet childhood. I remember how my fathers filled the skating rink in the yard, how we ran there until late in the evening. We all grew up in these “boxes”. Yes, we even built them ourselves. There was no modern equipment, but that didn’t bother us at all. Those were the days! We lived for hockey.
It’s a great competition for boys, where you can compete with your peers and go somewhere and experience other cities. After all, the Golden Puck took place not only in Moscow, but also in different regions. It’s a great hockey move. And an incentive for guys to develop in our sport.
—Is this “elevator” working now? We can no longer engage in big hockey from the court.
—Everything has changed, of course. Another century, everything moves forward. Both hockey and technology. Yes, there are more artificial ice rinks. And it’s not so easy to move from the construction site to big sports. Although old club scouts would scour the yards looking for talented boys.
But we must not forget that the climate has changed a lot. Previously, we skated calmly in October and the ice lasted all winter. But today, in Moscow, this unfortunately no longer exists. But grassroots hockey is developing, there are many schools, academies, and the choice is very wide. There would be a desire! And it is in tournaments like the Golden Puck that we see this desire in children.
“I was surprised that the negotiations about Tsyplakov spread in the press”
— Now KHL clubs return from vacation on August 1, and the final playoff game can take place on May 25. Plus, we’re a month into the season – how is your summer shaping up?
– Certainly not. We also started preparations quite late that year. We met around July 25 or 26. Five days doesn’t change much. We have a program for the summer. We will participate in a pre-season tournament.
— Moscow Mayor’s Cup.
– And that’s enough. There won’t be many friendlies, but we haven’t had many this pre-season either. We will calmly prepare for the championship without disrupting our schedule too much.
— If I understand correctly, the composition of Spartak will change radically?
– For what? Not dramatically. It will not happen. It is clear that Maxim Tsyplakov left for the New York Islanders, and we wished him good luck. And I talked to him and the leaders. He dreamed of playing in the NHL. There is a chance to try yourself abroad, why not?
There has been a lot of talk about his contract. Their agreement or not was actively discussed in the press. The Spartak management had its own view of Tsyplakov’s contract, the player’s agent saw it a little differently. I think it wasn’t even money that played a role here, but the fact that Maxim wanted to try himself in the NHL.
The only thing I don’t like about this whole story… You know, in my opinion, such negotiations should take place calmly. But that’s all that comes out in the news from the websites on the agent’s side – to be honest, I am not a supporter of such communication.
— But you yourself were the general director of a KHL club and you understand that when a player scores 33 goals per season, he cannot cost 25-30 million, as Spartak offered Tsyplakov.
– But no one knows the details. We can always find a compromise, but Tsyplakov’s side and I have not had a dialogue as such.
“It’s a shame for Nichushkin, but he wasted”
— Mikhail Maltsev stays at Spartak?
— We still have the rights and negotiations are underway. Here we have a dialogue; leaders are looking for different options. There is a chance that Maltsev will stay at Spartak.
You must clearly understand that in our organization we have our own field of activity. My job is to coach and I don’t get involved in contract negotiations about who should get what. That would be a mistake.
—Is there a chance that Ivan Morozov will stay?
– Yes. The situation is the same as with Maltsev.
— “Carolina” placed Alexander Pashin in the waiver draft.
– He will extend his contract with Spartak – and everything will be fine. He stays with us. I say that three or four new players will appear in our team. Well, the spine remains.
— Among the newcomers is defender Andrei Mironov, who was the symbol of Dynamo Moscow.
– I think it’s a very good reinforcement. Andrey is experienced, I have known him for a long time, from the national team, when he took his first steps in big hockey. Of course, Mironov will help us a lot.
— “Spartak” will not compete in the market for big stars, to whom they say goodbye to CSKA and “Ak Bars”, where a sharp restart is underway? Are you interested in the same Shipachev or Radulov?
— In principle, our team is complete. We will definitely get stronger, but you have to understand that we also have our own guys who have taken a step forward. It turns out that if we take a player from the outside, then, simply put, we kill our guy, not giving him the opportunity to grow further.
I see that we have guys who should continue to progress. The outcome depends on them.
— Ilya Kovalchuk said he had already played 99 percent of his last hockey game. Could history repeat itself when he was your manager? You worked well in tandem at the Beijing Olympics.
– Yes, everything is possible. I have no doubt that everything will turn out well for Ilya in the future. I believe Kovalchuk has built a very good athletic career. He played at every level, won Olympic gold, won two world championships, three Gagarin Cups and appeared in the Stanley Cup Final. He will definitely find a job in the future. Maybe it will even be at Spartak. But until now we haven’t talked much about this topic. But we have leaders who will talk to Kovalchuk about it, I think.
—Are you watching the World Cup?
– I have no particular desire. I only watched one match during the entire World Cup. I have something to do. We have to devote a lot of time to the Spartak Academy. Additionally, we are exploring all options to strengthen the core team. Plus, I went on vacation with my family. So there is a lot to do. And this tournament itself isn’t particularly exciting.
— Do you feel sorry for Valera Nichushkin?
– Well yes. I don’t fully understand all the nuances and intricacies of this situation. It’s a shame, of course. But Valera himself, by and large, must understand that he made a mistake – he did what he should not have done. This is the second year in a row he’s done this while Colorado is in the playoffs.
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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.