Defender “Torpedo” Bogdan Konushkov connected the popularity of hockey in Nizhny Novgorod with the name of the team’s head coach Igor Larionov.
Larionov, a double Olympic champion, has led the team since 2022.
— When did the hockey boom start in Nizhny Novgorod?
— I think with the arrival of Igor Nikolayevich. When he came in, everyone was a little shocked that he started playing offensive hockey, brought in players that no one knew, started watching and being skeptical. Then they started playing well and everyone fell in love with this team. I think we evoke positive emotions, and that’s why they follow us.
— I heard that Nizhny Novgorod fans are special, they don’t criticize the team so much and create a warm atmosphere.
“Everything in the arena is so compact that everyone can be heard and everyone can be seen. You have the feeling that they are next to you, that they are your sixth outfield player. It’s nice to play for them, it’s nice to go to the circle after the match, applaud them, look at their faces. It’s happy when we win, and it’s clear that they’re also upset when we lose. Everyone is very worried about us, so it’s nice to be in this atmosphere. But there will be criticism everywhere, and I can’t say that we are less criticized than others. But we still have great fans,” Konyushkov told RB Sport.
The Nizhny Novgorod team led by Larionov ranks fifth in the KHL Western Conference standings, scoring 21 points in 17 matches.
Watch live broadcasts of FONBET matches of the KHL championship on and the holding’s channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
RB Sports
More sports news in our telegram channel .
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.
