A hockey player “Toronto Maple Leafs » Nikita Grebenkin in an interview with , he talked about how he traveled to North America.
Grebenkin, 21, scored 41 (19+22) points in 67 regular season games, adding 6 (3+3) points in 23 playoff games. As a member of Metallurg, he won the Gagarin Cup. On April 29, the forward signed a three-year entry-level contract with Toronto with an average NHL salary of $875,000.
— What do you think of the championship parade in Magnitogorsk? What is the city’s reaction?
— Yes, everything is very cool, and I did not expect that the whole city would take to the streets on a working day to support us and participate in this party. We were applauded, cheered, we did our best. It was fun and cool!
— You got on the bus, raising the Gagarin Cup above your head. Wasn’t it difficult?
– No, everyone is already a little used to it. We are constantly raising it.
— A few days after the final, you flew to America. What, they could have played for Toronto against Boston?
— Theoretically, it was possible. But I have an injury, so there is no option. I flew there to technically open an NHL rookie contract. But I’m still not completely recovered from my injury.
— You didn’t have time to meet Toronto’s new head coach, Craig Berube?
– Yes, we haven’t met yet. Former coach Sheldon Keefe… I won’t discuss all the nuances, what kind of player he saw in me, what he said. I understood why I was there, what I could show, what roles they had planned for me. There was no such thing as me not knowing what I was doing there, whether I was going to play in the front line or wander around in the tenth. No, I had my own vision. And the bottom line is that Toronto’s GM stays. And what we discussed with him, I think, will be implemented.
— Have you ever crossed paths with Maple Leafs players?
— I met and exchanged a few words with William Nylander. I also saw Ilya Samsonov and Ilya Lyubushkin, but no one else. It was right after the playoffs.
— How do you like the hockey atmosphere in Toronto?
– Amazing. They have a completely different attitude towards hockey. If our fans come to hockey to shout, make noise and clap, then in Toronto they can tear off their jerseys, and underneath there is another jersey, all this is shown on the cube. The whole arena starts shouting and screaming. Special white towels are distributed, which everyone waves, and the palace turns white.
When you’ve never seen that in your life, it’s very impressive. Just wow! What is going on anyway?! – Grebenkin told .
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