"I would like to play for the national team in the international arena"

The KHL playoffs kicked off on March 26. On this day, the first matches in four series took place. And four more first-round confrontations will begin on March 27. In one of them, the winner of the regular season, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, will face Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. The first game will be played at the home arena of the Railwaymen. In an interview with Izvestia, Alexander Yelesin, defender of Lokomotiv, silver medalist of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing as part of the Russian national team, explained how the team confidently won the regular season, whether there was a temptation to protect themselves from injuries in the last match against Dynamo Moscow (4:1), assessed the current level of TorpedoHe also commented on the news about the agreement between Putin and Trump regarding the holding of a hockey match between the KHL and NHL teams and expressed hope for the team's imminent return to the international arena.

— Was there a temptation in the last match to protect yourself from possible injuries before the playoffs, given that the game no longer had tournament significance?

- no. I think it was obvious that we came out to play at full strength for this match. You always have to get ready to go out on the ice and win. And don't make any allowances for yourself.

— What do you think about your upcoming playoff opponent?

— Torpedo is a very good opponent. We need to take it as seriously as possible. We need to act with maximum efficiency and play in general the same way as we played all season, which brought us victory in the regular season. Yes, the playoffs will have their own nuances - the coaching staff will tell us about them when we analyze the opponent in more detail.

— What emotions do you feel from winning the regular season, and such a convincing one?

— I think any hockey player, any athlete feels positive emotions from victories. We at Lokomotiv are no exception. But what happened was what happened. Right now, all I'm thinking about is the playoffs.

— How did Lokomotiv avoid prolonged slumps during the regular season?

— We had some difficulties, but the main thing is that everyone did their job, tried to play to the maximum of their abilities and fulfill the coaching set-up. Due to this, they achieved victories.

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— How did you react to the recent news about a possible match between the KHL and NHL teams?

— It would be good if that's the case. Of course, holding such a match would be useful. But so far, these are only preliminary talks. We still don't know exactly when it will take place, in what format, with the participation of which teams or hockey players. So we still have to wait for new information to appear on this subject.

— As a medalist of the last Olympiad, have you missed the international games yet?

— Of course, I would like to play for the national team in the international arena. I think every athlete wants to represent their country and prove themselves at major tournaments such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Moreover, we would like our young guys at the youth and junior national teams to have the opportunity to play at the world championships again. In the meantime, we are waiting for this and trying to show our best hockey at the club level, to please our fans.