“For my father’s 50th birthday, I gave away a Zhiguli of the third model.” Zhafyarov – on the transition to SKA, family and interest in rare cars

In recent years, Damir Zhafyarov has played in the KHL for Torpedo, in the past two seasons he has become the most productive player of the Nizhny Novgorod club. In 2021, Damir entered the KHL’s top three scorers, behind only offensive aces such as Vadim Shipachev and Temu Hartikainen.

However, it was only this summer that he joined the top club, winning the Gagarin Cup.

“I also spoke with Chicago, but SKA offered the best option”

“Each person has their own path in sport,” says Damir. – It turns out that I entered the SKA only when I was 28 years old. But it’s never too late to start a new stage in your career, everything is still ahead of you. I will prove that I am on the right track.

– Before signing a contract with the Saint Petersburg military team, there was a lot of talk about your departure for the NHL. What clubs are you talking about?

– It’s Chicago and Nashville, we’ve talked to a lot. But it never happened to such details that you come here and you will definitely play with us.

I was offered to try, but it was clear that there was not much luck. I waited and hoped for a long time. After all, you should always aim for something higher. But he wasn’t expecting anything specific. I spoke to my family, they decided that for now it was better for me to stay.

– In terms of your playing qualities, you could well have ended up in Chicago in place of Artemy Panarin.

— The teams have their own opinion about the players. So “Chicago” at that time did not see me on the team. Its good. Each player has a different career.

– They say it’s too early to fly overseas at 24, and at 26 it’s already too late.

“It’s never too late,” Damir smiled confidently. But I won’t think about it for the next two years.

– How did SKA find you? Were there options with other clubs?

— I chose the teams, and the clubs chose me. I discussed all the pros and cons with my family and my agent. It so happened that the most optimal option for me was in St. Petersburg. That’s why I’m at SKA.

– Was it important for you that the army team play from the attack?

– Sure. When there are a lot of goals and dangerous moments, hockey is more interesting. I will try to do everything so that the team scores as many goals as possible.

“The army has two coaches who work with defenders and two with attackers”

– What are the nuances of Roman Rotenberg’s coaching? Is it very demanding?

— Roman Borisovitch pays great attention to detail. After all, it’s an important part of hockey. It only seems from the outside that there is a big game going on. In fact, there are many nuances. And he devotes a lot of time to everyone. We discuss all of this. That’s a big plus, because on the ice you should already know all those details. It brings results.

– Does Rotenberg have a European or American style of coaching?

– There is this and that. Every game is different. Sometimes you have to apply one tactic and in another match play completely differently.

– SKA has a great coaching staff. How do all these recognized specialists manage the team?

– Everyone has their own task. Someone is responsible for the majority, someone for the minority. Someone to build a team in equal compositions, someone to ride. Every coach wants to improve our game, bring his understanding to it. I think that will help us a lot.

– In SKA you had a shock troika from Tatarstan – with Khusnutdinov and Khairullin.

– As a child, I supported Ak Bars (laughing). In fact, the coaches put us together right away. And I always try to find “chemistry” with the partners. Sometimes you get more, sometimes less. But no matter who we’re on the tie with, we’re still tasked with winning.

“Being a father is just great”

— How was your move to St. Petersburg?

– My wife took care of all these issues, including finding accommodation.

At first I spent only two days in St. Petersburg – when the team passed a medical. And then immediately flew to the Novogorsk training camp. The move didn’t distract me from preparing for the season. Things that father and uncle helped carry. There are many things now, especially for children. While I am misdirected in St. Petersburg. Now I will start studying.

– How old is the child? And how do you get paternity?

– A year and a half. As for my status as a father, it’s just brilliant. There are no other words. When I’m in training camp and outside, my wife always sends me photos and videos of my daughter.

The family is really helpful. You come home from unsuccessful matches and immediately forget about all the bad things. My daughter has new tricks every day, she is already engaged in conscious business. Chat, answer “yes” or “no”.

– Previously you played for Torpedo. Since this season, broadcasts from there, and earlier the quality of filming was poor. Has your career suffered because a lot of beautiful heads have been shot wrong?

– I hope that in the future I will have many goals that will be shot beautifully. In St. Petersburg, as far as I know, everything is in order.

And in Nizhny last season there was talk of improving the situation. I would love to see cool shows from all KHL arenas with good replays of dangerous moments from different angles. After all, players also review them. In slow motion, everything looks much cooler.

Do you watch hockey at all?

– Only your (laughing). Indeed, during the season I revise my matches, even the individual shifts. And the rest of the KHL games and NHL games are highlights. On vacation, I take my mind off hockey – I just watch the Stanley Cup final. As well as football, basketball, volleyball.

– You have known defender Ilya Lyubushkin since childhood. Once together in Novokuznetsk, an adult career began. How would you rate his transition from Arizona to Toronto to Buffalo?

– I’m very happy for him. Ilya definitely deserves a new NHL contract. He brings great value to his teams playing defensively. No wonder he was nicknamed the “Russian Bear” across the ocean. I will follow him.

“I want to bring the car to an ideal museum state”

— Do you subscribe to any telegram hockey channels?

– Not. Sometimes I read information that my friends throw away, but I don’t follow it every day.

– What do you watch on YouTube?

— I love cars and everything related to them. New models and rare old ones. I have a lot of content there. Sometimes interesting recommendations come up. Including hockey.

“Do you own any rare cars?”

— Yes, just this year I bought a BMW 2000 with a manual transmission. I have long wanted to have such a car and have been looking for it for a long time. There aren’t many of them now. On vacation, I rode it, I got stoned. I want to bring the car to an ideal museum state. Now I put it on for the winter.

– We also bought a Zhiguli for my father for his 50th birthday – a three-ruble note. They also searched for it for a long time, then restored it. But it’s already a museum exhibit, 1983 version. I haven’t driven much, it’s hard.

And my dad is driving. There was a story – he went to the countryside, got into a traffic jam and drove for two hours with the old mechanics. I came home and my knees hurt. Then a month behind the wheel did not sit down.

Are you still dreaming of a rare model?

– I really like. If it was my will, I would buy twenty pieces and put on different ones. But it is an expensive hobby. Both in terms of money and, above all, in terms of time.

– This is an extra incentive to complete team bonuses in SKA and become a champion.

– The incentive is huge! One depends on the other, so let’s try. We are all tasked with one goal – to bring the third Cup to St. Petersburg.

– And for you personally, the time has come to win your first “cup”.

– This is our main goal and the main task of the season. Not just me, all the guys.