Before Mikhail Grigorenko in an interview with , he said that in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) he had all the conditions to become better, since the level of the tournament is very high.
Grigorenko is an Olympic champion, three-time winner of the Gagarin Cup with CSKA. On Friday, the 30-year-old striker became a player for SKA Saint Petersburg. Grigorenko was selected 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and also played for the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets. In total, the Russian played 249 league matches and scored 76 points (26+50).
— Do you regret never reaching the NHL?
— It’s clear that I failed to become an NHL star. All children dream of reaching the maximum, of becoming the best player in the world. I haven’t reached that level. But it’s good to have become an Olympic champion, to have participated in a few world championships and to have won three Gagarin Cups. I made something and it’s great. A lot of guys from my first round draft are retired.
And it’s not that easy to play in the KHL. The level of the league is very high. I had the chance to play for CSKA for six years. Every season we fought for the cup. And now I moved to SKA, where the task is similar. As an athlete, I always want to improve. And I have all the conditions to become better. I don’t play in the AHL or the German second league. I play in the second world league. This is a very serious height, you have to work hard to play well here. To do this, you must improve every year. If you stand still, you are already late. Working, trying, developing – these are the thoughts with which I move to SKA,” Grigorenko told .
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Source : MatchTV

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