Evgeny Kuznetsov: “SKA can be compared to the New York Rangers.” There is a very cool organization here!

All summer long, the Russian Internet has been literally full of news about Evgenia Kuznetsova. The forward terminated his contract with Carolina. So he became an unrestricted free agent. I arrived in St. Petersburg. Here he is sitting in a fish restaurant on Morskaya. Here he is on a boat on the Neva, admiring the Winter Palace. But SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg, on his Telegram channel, immediately shoots seven videos in a row of Kuzya scoring goals. AND even publishes a presentation what the “EK92” branded souvenir line will look like.

Yes, we waited – on Wednesday, Evgeny Kuznetsov signed a four-year contract with SKA, after which he immediately gave an interview to .

“We found an apartment near the Ice Palace”

— How did you decide to return to Russia? How long has it been maturing?

“I don’t even know how long it will take or not.” But the decision was deliberate and we made it as a family. My time has probably come – everyone has their own and I have to leave on time. Or in this case, leave the NHL. We are all very happy to be in St. Petersburg.

— Why was SKA’s offer the best?

— Many factors came together here. There was still an interesting offer from Traktor… But for the moment, we have done the calculation, and I personally came to the conclusion that this is the best option for my future career. There are very good opportunities within SKA, a very strong organization.

— You almost made it to the Russian national team.

— You can say so, because everything in the national team is organized at the highest level. In general, SKA can be compared to the New York Rangers. There is a very cool organization here, where every little thing counts.

I’ve been to Hockey City before and looked at everything. They finally found a place on Tuesday and should be moving in on Wednesday.

– Which district?

— Bedroom, right next to the Ice Palace. To miss the stars, I decided to live closer to the stadium.

“I wouldn’t have had a quiet life in Chelyabinsk”

— Why not Traktor, really?

— At the moment, everything has happened so that I am not yet ready to go to Chelyabinsk. Not so much to Traktor, but to the city itself – it would be very difficult for me there. And it takes time to readjust a little. If suddenly, you know, I left Washington via Raleigh and went straight to Chelyabinsk now, I would not have a quiet life. It would probably be impossible for me to go out at all.

I have nothing against the Traktor organization. It’s my home, right? But I made a very difficult decision psychologically. And I repeat that there were many factors here.

— Have you spoken to Traktor management, and have you been understood?

– Naturally, of course.

— Pavel Datsyuk, at the end of his career, came to his native motorist, Ilya Kovalchuk graduated from Spartak. So you do not cancel Traktor for yourself?

– Yes, if you still need me (laughs). And there will be such a desire. Here it’s not like I choose where I want to play. Here both parties have to agree. So we’ll see how it goes.

— SKA’s first home game will be against Traktor. Have you noticed?

— Yes, it was by the will of fate that we played the first match of the season away, in Magnitogorsk. But I am a guy from Chelyabinsk and I am not a big fan of Metallurg. You know hockey, we organize a derby with them. Besides, they are champions – and they do things for a reason.

I treat them with respect, but as a resident of Chelyabinsk it is very important for me to get along with them. In sporting terms, on the field, I have nothing against people. But I expect it to be an exciting spectacle. Many friends will come and it will be a very important match for me.

Well, and the first home game with Traktor… I don’t know who in the KHL came up with such a schedule. Was it a coincidence? Or fate? But it’s very interesting.

“You don’t need to make up all sorts of stories about me.”

— What did you do the first days in St. Petersburg, walking around the city? They wrote that you even wanted to visit the Hermitage.

— While I was on the plane, I read the news. There was nothing to do, I arrived by chance. I was surprised that there were stories about me. And above all, they give so many details! I really wanted to write so that they could also make a story about the fact that I ate twice during the flight. I will update the news feed – and it is already there!

There is no need to invent all sorts of stories about me. Otherwise, my parents, wife and children are adults – everything goes to them. And it does not turn out very pleasant. If anyone has any questions, you can contact him directly. I have never refused an interview with anyone. And he has always been very honest.

— What news about you didn’t reach the target?

– The fact that I found an apartment in St. Petersburg in advance. I just decided. And that the wife decided that it was better to raise children in Russia than in America. This is generally some kind of nonsense, and it was not a factor. There is no need to base my biography on lies. If there are any questions, I will answer any correspondent. And I will tell you everything personally.

— We saw how your wife posted on social networks that you visited a fish restaurant and took a boat ride on the Neva.

– That was all, yes. We have not yet adapted in time, it is hard with acclimatization. So from the boat to the ball … So we try to walk a little in the air so that the children can breathe. We went to the city center during our stay at the hotel. The children are interested, this is their first time in St. Petersburg. We have lived all our lives in America, sometimes we came to Chelyabinsk. But here is another world, another atmosphere. And it is nice to see how the children smile and enjoy every day in St. Petersburg.

“They will tell me that I have to join the national team, I will go with pleasure.”

– You can return to the Russian national team – maybe for the December tournament, maybe for the May series with the Belarusians… But for us it will be an event after your four-year suspension.

— I don’t know yet whether I’m ready to return to the national team. For me, it’s still a distant moment and a difficult question. When we arrived in St. Petersburg, we needed to find accommodation quickly and for the children to go to school. In everyday life, everything has to be solved, and I focused only on that. And you ask about the national team. The SKA training camp starts in a few days, we have very little time. We are leaving for Novogorsk and I wouldn’t want to leave my family in a hotel.

But I’m an easy-going person. They’ll say, “It’s necessary,” and I’ll happily go.

— How do you evaluate your last season in the NHL? It turned out to be a contrast: “Washington”, sent to the AHL, traded for “Carolina”.

“I feel like it was my best season in the NHL in terms of emotions and what I learned, new things I learned about people, about my game in general and about my life.

Maybe people from outside will think it’s the worst season. But actually, for me, it was one of the best. Again, I learned a lot.

I would like to thank all those who helped, and who were even against at times. Thanks to them anyway.

— Can you start a new career in the KHL at 32?

“It would be stupid to say that I don’t want this.” At the same time, I don’t want to rush into words. You have to immerse yourself in work. And the time when talking was profitable is already over. All we have to do is go out, play, prove it.

— You said earlier that you were tired of North American hockey. Could the transition to the Russian style give your career a second wind?

— It is still difficult to judge. Some time will pass and I will definitely give some kind of assessment. But I had a very long year. I understood and achieved a lot on my own. I really want to play Russian hockey and immerse myself in the realities of the KHL. I will do it with pleasure!

— SKA wants to hold a presentation in your honor at the end of August. Many fans will come.

– I’ve heard about it, I know. For now, I’m trying to stay away from the hype. A lot of problems had to be solved. We packed up the kids in a week, left one house, looked for another, flew across the Atlantic – now my head is so busy that I haven’t even thought about it.

But I understand that my presentation is a serious event for the SKA. And I will approach this with full responsibility.

— You had a medical examination at SKA on Tuesday. How did you meet the team?

“It was a hard day, blurry, I didn’t see everyone.” The flight always takes its toll. And so everything happens with a smile, and my partners are interested to see how I behave and how I speak. I am looking forward to the first day of training camp so that I can joke somewhere about Nikita Zaitsev.

– Oh, it’s going to be tough for you at SKA training camp! This is not the NHL, here you really have to prepare for attrition. As Sergei Tolchinsky said, McDavid would have coughed up his lungs.

– It seems to me that after what I saw with Andrei Viktorovich Nazarov, nothing can scare me. I have never been afraid of work. People say things for me, but I always do what they tell me. And with pleasure!

The most interesting thing is that I always smile. Every day I come to the rink and enjoy it. Unfortunately, most hockey players cannot afford such luxury. For them, hockey is some kind of dark side. But for me, it was always joy, smiles and positivity.

— You played in the Gagarin Cup final in 2013. Now there is a chance to win the cup in SKA. Bookmakers give very good odds that you will achieve this in the next four years.

– Well, yes, I will bet my entire salary on winning the Gagarin Cup. So, in general, I really want to win it.

—And you won’t come back to the NHL…

– It is certainly not. There is a great career ahead at SKA. And then the Tractor is waiting for me. In general, my task is to go to and work to write news about myself. Then you will be fired, you will find yourself without a job.

– You have to fit in. You will be a wonderful presenter.

– After I send you into retirement, I will definitely appear on the live show “All for the Match!” (laughs).

TV Match

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