Bob Hartley left Avangard after winning the Gagarin Cup in four seasons and taking the team to the finals once again. The Omsk club did not look for a new prominent specialist and on May 1 bet on Dmitry Ryabykin, who worked as an assistant in the Avangard system for six years.
Three months passed and Ryabykin won his first preseason tournament as the Hawks head coach. The Omsk team lost to the Russian U25 team (3:4), but beat Sochi (6:4), Dynamo Minsk (5:2), SKA (3:1) and Admiral (3:2).
So we can congratulate Ryabykin on his good debut. The coach leaves a good impression. He is solid and keeps the team together well, and speaks normally and interestingly. And in general for Omsk – his on the board.
“The guys got out of their heads what we ask of them”
– Dmitry, why didn’t you go and play football against the press on Monday?
You can’t play football with my ankles. Too many injuries since becoming a professional hockey player.
– You left Corban Knight, Reed Boucher, Arseniy Gritsyuk, Vladimir Tkachev in reserve for the match with Admiral… Why?
– First, the guys spent almost every game in Sochi. And the same Gritsyuk just got sick. He was supposed to be dating the Admiral now. Tkachev played in all matches. We let him rest. We planned to use Knight only in two games. And so everything went as planned.
– The score was 1:1, but Avangard brought it down to 3:1 in the third period, which secured victory in the tournament. Did it rain?
Of course, it’s always nice to win. And it’s good when guys find strength in themselves. It is understandable that this is difficult. But they played until the end, forcing themselves to work.
– However, you said in a press conference that you didn’t like Avangard’s game. What is the problem?
– I did not like the attitude to the system and the details. The guys just stole everything we demand of them out of their heads. What we show at the meeting. I haven’t seen him today.
– Name the first link of the “Vanguard” for the new season.
We will not draw any conclusions yet. We still have a tournament where we can see the players’ combinations. And believe me, we in St. Petersburg will also change and spend time with several teams. We have to find the optimal links between now and the start of the championship.
“The Hawks are looking for another Legionnaire. At what position?
– Look, here’s how it goes. We’ll see until I guess. But as Alexander Krylov said, we will start the season with those who are. And there you will see.
– Fans were worried that Avangard’s goalkeeping team wasn’t impressive by name. What can you say about your goalkeepers during the Sochi tournament?
– I liked that Stas Galimov coped with the excitement, played two good games. Vasya Demchenko was a little upset that he did not endure to the end with the admiral. He calmed down in advance and 1: 0 turned into 1: 1. But that’s okay. It’s hockey.
“Bob didn’t make us come at 7am”
– When did it occur to you that you are now the head coach of Avangard? When did the realization come?
– I think it happened after the first training sessions in Omsk. At first, I tried the head coaching position for myself. I got to it a bit later.
– Former Hawks mentor Bob Hartley said: “When I flew to Russia, I thought the head of the club was Dmitry Ryabykin. He’s so bearded and tough.” What have those four years with Hartley brought you?
“Let me put it this way: Bob is a born teacher. And he not only teaches the players, but also the partners of the coaching staff. He gives a lot in nuances and small things. And it gives you more confidence.
It was nonsense to me when the head coach came and said to the assistants: “So today you will lead the first three exercises in training, you will take the next three…” It was a real surprise. But such a confidence Hartley bribed.
– Hockey player Alexei Potapov once said that working with Bob was a gulag. In the sense that the Canadian coach was very thorough on the details. Do you have the same approach?
“We also pay a lot of attention to detail and we also have many meetings. Now it’s pre-season. The earlier guys get into the process, the easier it will be.
And the result speaks for itself: it works. I don’t think anything needs to be changed.
“Did Bob arrange something like this for his assistants? You also had to come to the arena at seven o’clock in the morning?
No, no, no one forced us to. Here is your personal preference. In general, we had a very friendly technical staff. Everyone sat in the same room, discussed different points and could even quarrel. This is a normal workflow.
“Could you yell at Hartley?”
Well, I couldn’t scream. But he argued with him, proved his vision. He asked what he had seen. Clearly the final decision was made by Bob as head coach. But he was always interested in the opinions of others. I repeat – always.
“I don’t see that Gritsyuk will become captain yet”
— How important is it for Omsk to have a new arena?
– Very important. At least what is provided there is real craftsmanship. It’s nowhere in Russia. Even people who don’t like hockey will still come to the arena – just to watch it. And maybe they will like our sport.
– Due to construction, Avangard will start the regular season with 12 away matches. Do you include this nuance in your preparation?
– Yes, after the tournament in St. Petersburg we will return to Omsk and try to live according to Moscow time so that we do not have to change our minds when traveling. Otherwise it will be hard.
Let’s see how we start, and then we’ll see. We don’t expect an easy life. But we have no other choice.
– When Avangard became champions in 2021, one of the main success factors was that the team had two captains – seasoned veterans Alexei Yemelin and Ilya Kovalchuk. How much does such an uncle-captain now need?
The captain is always very important. And it’s not just a game on the ice, but also a locker room. Because most of the time, hockey players pass between them. We go there very rarely. Therefore, the captain is a very important part of the team.
– And in some clubs they make talented young players captains. Perhaps you should appoint Arseniy Gritsyuk to this position?
“So far, I don’t see that Gritsyuk was our captain. Arseniy has good leadership qualities. But it’s too early for him.
– Last season, Avangard could make noise in the playoffs, but two Finnish defenders left in the first round – Oliver Kaski and Ville Pokka. Did it destroy the team?
– I agree that they were missed a lot. If you recall, Kirill Gotovets and Semyon Chistyakov were injured. We played four defenders. Let’s say it’s very hard.
Pokka spent the lion’s share of playing time in the minority. Kaski received the lion’s share of the majority. And when two main defenders leave and the injuries pile up, that’s a problem.
Without injuries, it might be easier. But playing the playoffs with four guards is unrealistic. The guys did a great job, but the forces are not unlimited. They are running out, and somewhere with Magnitogorsk we didn’t have enough.
‘Legionnaires expected to be seriously pressed home’
– “Ak Bars” this season has generally abandoned foreign players. Aren’t you worried about betting on strangers in such a situation?
– I know Knight and Bush (Reed Bush) very well, and we talked a lot with Yarosh. Brody (Alex Broadhurst) recently arrived, but he’s still an open guy.
We talk about a lot of topics, and if you look at last season, Knight played it all the way. He only left after our defeat. We all understand that it was hard for the foreigners, that they were under pressure.
Now the pressure is off a bit. The legionnaires expected to be seriously pressed home. But all was calm. I hope there will be no more promotions when players leave our team.
“Knight is the best center in the league in terms of versatility. There was a risk that during the off-season he would have changed teams. But if I understand correctly, Corbin said: “Take Boucher, and I subscribe to Avangard. How does their lifelong friendship help play on the ice?
“Our number one goal for the offseason was to sign Knight. And when Bush appeared on the horizon…
We also know him very well. He’s a great hockey player. Born goalscorer. He also knows how to play defensively. Not only scores goals, you can unleash it in the toughest situations. If you noticed, we took him out a few times in the minority in Sochi. I am very happy that they extended the contracts with our team.
– Bush in Avangard and Bush in the other team are completely different players.
– It is very difficult to find yourself in another team. Let’s go with examples. There was a troika where Zatonsky, Prokopiev, Sushinsky played. As soon as Sushinsky left, this link was broken, and Prokopiev and Zatonsky no longer played as before.
Or there was a trio Morozov – Zinoviev – Zaripov. Zinoviev is gone, and that’s it.
You see, it is very difficult to find chemistry. And you have to try to stick to it. The departure of the same Bush to Lokomotiv showed him that there was no need to look for a better one.
– The best is already here – at Avangard.
– Exactly.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
