Canadian Avangard defender Darren Dietz said in an interview with that upon arriving in the KHL, he decided to learn the Russian language in order to get to know Russian culture better and make friends here.
From 2017 to 2021, Dietz, born in Canada and a Kazakh national, played for Barys. In the 2023/24 season, the hockey player played 60 matches for CSKA, in which he scored 23 (9+14) points.
In May, Avangard announced a two-year contract with the defender. The 30-year-old left CSKA in exchange for monetary compensation.
— When a Russian comes to play in the NHL, he usually learns English well. But it is very rare for a Canadian to go to the KHL and master Russian in this way.
“I don’t want to be responsible for others.” And learning Russian is indeed very difficult. Many guys fly to Russia to work here. I was only 23 when I came to the KHL. And I wanted not just to play hockey, but to immerse myself in Russian culture, meet new people, make friends. And this can only be done through language. I discovered a different world for me. And I am very happy about it.
— How does the mentality in Russia differ from that in the United States or Canada?
— This is a difficult question, which I could have answered more precisely eight years ago. But what immediately comes to mind is that in North America, people are afraid to say unnecessary things. Because they can fall into the culture of cancellation. You will lose your job, there will be big problems. But in Russia, I do not feel this. Everyone has their own opinion and you can calmly express it. It will turn out to be positive or negative, but you will not be punished for your words, “Dietz told .
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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.
