29-year-old Nikita Serebryakov played 56 matches for SKA, but it seems that his whole life corresponds to this. Moving from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg. And this exchange was discussed very vigorously for several months. Admiral head coach Leonid Tambiev said: “Leave Nikita to me! He and I reached the second round of the Gagarin Cup!
But Serebryakov left anyway. And in the regular season, he reflected 93.5% of shots. The playoff stats were worse (92.1%) and the second round series with Avtomobilist (1-4) didn’t work for anyone. This season, Serebryakov (87.4%) has rarely stepped on the ice. A swap with Avangard with striker Emil Galimov for young goalkeeper Stanislav Berezhny is therefore a good solution for everyone.
“Tea came to nothing with this news!”
— Nikita, tell us how your exchange went? How did you discover this?
— It was very unexpected and even spontaneous. I was actually at a tea ceremony with my whole family. And then they called me.
– WHO?
— Roman Borisovich Rotenberg.
— Is this like what happens in the NHL when the general manager calls and says, “We traded you…”?
– Yes, yes, something like that.
— Where can you drink tea like this in St. Petersburg?
– Listen, there is an establishment on Vasilyevsky Island. There is a Chinese man who works there. Nikita Zaitsev and I were informed about this. Then Zaitsev came in front of me and wrote: “Nikitos, go, it’s great there. »
– You liked it, didn’t you?
– Look, I got really high! The tea has arrived at the right place. It’s good humor. And then I see: a call. I immediately said: boom, I answered. And in good shape!
— It’s this Avangard. Otherwise, rumors have brought you to Severstal, for example.
— I am very happy to go to Omsk. This is a top organization and team with great players. Now Volodya Tkachev will return to the ice. It will also greatly strengthen the “hawks”. I am very grateful to SKA and Avangard for being able to reach an agreement.
—You have a lot of friends in Avangard, don’t you?
— Yes, there are a lot of guys there with whom I played, crossed paths and communicated. I know a lot of people, it won’t be too difficult to join the team.
“Kuznetsov called me immediately after the trade”
— You haven’t played in the KHL since October 5. How have you stayed in shape?
— I had seven-day cycles, where every day there was ice and “earth”. So I think that physically I am very well prepared.
I still understood that I would have a chance to play anyway – for SKA or elsewhere. Therefore, you must stay on the right tone. I trained and worked hard. I did the most I could.
— Goalkeeper coach Yuri Klyuchnikov, with whom you worked for several seasons, remains at SKA. How did you take it?
— I just want to wish Yuri Viktorovich good luck. It was a pleasure to work with him. But every path ends somewhere. This is the situation… In any case, we have good friendly relations, and I think they will remain so.
I know that Alexey Zhigarev, who we also worked with, works with the Avangard goalkeepers. Even this summer we were at training camp. I know his requirements. He knows my strengths in certain areas and my weaknesses in others. I am sure we will work well together.
-Where did you meet?
– If I’m not mistaken, in the national team. We know each other.
— What did this stage in SKA bring you? Something useful must be learned from every experience.
– Without a doubt. It was a new step for me. Best club, best organization. Here they always look different, there is a different pressure. Again, the team… Well, everything is completely different. Regardless, it helped me understand how to perform in top organizations. What behavior and communication should look like.
It was nice to be and play alongside guys like Zhenya Kuznetsov, Tony DeAngelo… They are great masters coming back from the NHL. And you played with them side by side. So yes, it was an interesting experience.
— Did any of the guys write to you after the exchange?
— Yes, Zhenya Kuznetsov called immediately. And not only him – many wrote and called! I have a great relationship with the guys. There was such a flurry of calls and messages that it wasn’t even possible to answer everyone at the same time. The phone was malfunctioning so badly that it had to be restarted. I got hot and I couldn’t stand it!
We have such a wonderful team. It was a pleasure to play with the guys. I wish everyone good luck and no injuries. I am sure that with a team like this we can go far in the playoffs.
“Moving means a big Gazelle and 30 hockey bags”
— Don’t you think that the spring series with Avtomobilist (1-4), which did not work out for you or the team, became key for you at SKA, after which your career took a bad turn ?
– Yes, I just don’t see the point in thinking about it. If we talk about it now, we can say that I wasn’t with the team right away. He spent the pre-season at Admiral and at the start of the championship he moved to SKA. There, I had an uneven start to my career due to microtrauma…
So we can discuss all of this now. But I don’t see the point. I think I did everything I could. I gave my best in every game, without wondering if it was the playoffs or the regular season.
Unfortunately, this is how it happened. But a new challenge awaits us. I am grateful to the entire SKA management, coaches, staff and players for the time we had together.
— Have you already started looking for an apartment in Omsk?
– When?! You called me right after the tea ceremony. Now, to be honest, my head is exploding. Of course, my wife and my whole family were very sensitive to this moment in my career. So now you need to exhale a little first. Well, get ready, because there’s a lot going on. If we move, we do it fully. It’s a big Gazelle, yes, it can hold about 30 hockey bags or more.
Therefore, now we will call grandmothers from Moscow to St. Petersburg so that they can help us prepare and work with the child. And now I will call the guys from Omsk to find out where they can look for accommodation there. I think it will take about a month to organize life.
— Will the dog and the cat accompany you?
– Certainly. They are still with us. And they still have no idea what awaits them. Although my dog is large, he easily tolerates Siberian frosts.
– Well, good luck to Avangard – you have to make the playoffs!
– I’ll try to do everything for that. Avangard only sets big goals. But every team can encounter difficulties – sometimes at the start of the championship, sometimes at the end. Although I think it’s better to experience this now than closer to the playoffs. I’m sure we’ll succeed – Avangard should be in the playoffs, I can’t imagine anything else!
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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.
