"I achieved the desired effect by taking a bottle of Serebryakov"

One of the most striking episodes of the current KHL playoffs was the first-round confrontation between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Avangard Omsk. Last year's Gagarin Cup winner Magnitogorsk lost the trophy after losing to the Hawks in a series of six matches (2:4). At the same time, Andrei Razin's team put up stubborn resistance to the opponent, with a difference of more than one goal, losing only the first match (1:4). They lost the next two only in overtime (2:3; 1:2). And then, losing 0:3 in the series, we won twice in regular time (3:1; 3:1) and almost equalized the score, but in the end the sixth match turned out to be for Avangard (3:2), and Omsk passed on.

This series is remembered for two vivid episodes with the participation of Metallurg defender Nikita Kamalov. In the second game, after a scuffle at someone else's gate, he took a bottle of water from Avangard goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov and drank from it. And during the fifth match, he got into a fight with Omsk captain Damir Sharipzyanov, which caused an emotional reaction from the latter's wife Violetta in her Telegram channel. Nikita himself only joined Magnitogorsk in the fall from Astana's Barys, which replaced two head coaches at the beginning of the season and found itself at the center of several scandals.

In an interview with Izvestia, Kamalov spoke about both episodes, explained why Metallurg was eliminated from the Gagarin Cup, assessed the situation at Barys, recalled his work at Amur under the leadership of head coach Andrei Martemyanov, who died in March, and commented on the early departure from the playoffs of St. Petersburg SKA, for which he played. a year ago.

— What prevented us from winning the series with Avangard?

— The fact that we started it with 0:3. You can't start a series like that. We can't lose the way we lost the first, second and third games, two of which were lost in overtime. It's hard to win when you're missing the start of a series like that. But even with 0:3, it's possible to win back. And we almost got it back. We proved to ourselves and others that it was possible. But somewhere we just didn't have enough to win the sixth game. As a result, we have what we have. Let's draw the right conclusions from this.

— What caused these three defeats at the start of the series?

— It is difficult to find answers to this yet. But remember our first match — 0:2 in the first six minutes. I've already said that you can't start a series like that, but you can't start individual games either. Psychologically, we were broken down somewhere because of this. But then we got together and realized that we could play and beat Avangard. There's nothing scary about it. Our defeats were caused by what we brought ourselves, not by the opponent offering us something impossible.

— Your action caused a great resonance during the second game at Nikita Serebryakov's gate, when you took his bottle of water and drank from it. How did you come up with this idea?

— It wasn't planned somehow. It just turned out to be a fight on a dime. And when everyone seemed to have dispersed, the scuffle was over, I saw the bottle and thought: "Why not have a drink?" Even then, I understood that this could provoke conflict and emotions among the Omsk Avangard. So I decided: "Why not?" And did what he did.

— How did Andrey Razin react to the episode?

— He didn't tell me anything about it personally. I think he reacted normally. He played it himself and knows everything. So, he probably understands this.

— Did you achieve what you wanted with this act?

— Since they started showing up for matches and putting Mark Verba on the ice and thinking about fights, about me personally and my behavior, then yes, I did. As a result, we won two matches — the fourth and fifth, and lost the second and third only in overtime. So that incident paid off. I was glad to help the team. It is a pity that this did not immediately bring victory. The effect was cumulative, everything bore fruit gradually — then somewhere there was one or two skirmishes, somewhere they said something to each other with the Avangard players. It didn't work right away. But it's obvious that we've improved so much over the course of the series and got a chance to pull it off.

— You have surprised many with such provocations — you have never done this before.

"I wouldn't say that. I've done it before, it's just that there wasn't such a hype as during the Avangard series. This is really the first time that such a noise has appeared on the Internet and in the media — even my family and friends wrote to me and said that they did not expect this from me. "What is it?", "What's going on?", "Is that you?" — I heard from people after the episode with the bottle. But they can be understood: in ordinary life, I really am not like that. On the ice, it's a different matter. But emotions were already playing a role here, and something had to be done.

"In the fifth match, Traktor smelled blood and put the squeeze on us."

Goalkeeper of the Russian national team Andrey Mishurov — about the missed chance to go with Admiral to the second round of the KHL playoffs, last season as part of the Vladivostok club and the favorite of the Gagarin Cup

— Another high—profile episode is your fight with Damir Sharipzyanov in the fifth match. She was given special bright colors by the reaction of Damir's wife Violetta, who wrote in her Telegram channel: "You can't swear here, but this freak will pay by the standards of fate. I respect my opponent until he starts touching mine. Yes, the playoffs and all that, but no one canceled moral qualities and respect. You're on the ice, not in a "Who's dumber" competition. How did you take this statement?

— There was nothing supernatural in that episode — a scuffle began, a fight began. The comrade missed the shot and missed it. And the fact that the wife is interfering somewhere, not in her own business, so to speak, characterizes her, her family and Damir as a whole. That's why I'm not going to comment much here. She allows herself to make some statements - well, let her. I'm not going to get into this swamp.

— Did you discuss this with Damir after the episode?

- no. I just said it was on their conscience. If he wants to discuss it, you're welcome. And I have nothing to discuss there. Everything is very clear to me, my family and loved ones. And they have a flag in their hands for such behavior.

— Can you imagine your wife making a similar post?

- no. She's adequate. And she understands that whatever emotions there are, it's none of her business. To discuss it with me at home — no problem. But taking it out in public is unnecessary.

— Your contract with Metallurg is coming to an end. Do you have an understanding of what will happen next?

— No, the club has not talked to me about this yet. From myself, I can say that everything suits me at Magnitogorsk. Everything is great here, I was well received, trusted, and allowed to play. I hope that I have proved with my performance that I am worthy to stay in Magnitogorsk on good terms.

— Have you realized for yourself from the inside what is the strength of this team that won the Gagarin Cup a year ago?

— In unity. Everyone understands what to do. There is no such thing that only one person can go and decide the moment - everyone is capable of this. There is no such thing as there was, for example, in the first round against Salavat Yulaev, when Siberia slightly held Joshua Livo and Ufa immediately lost the majority. We don't have such people — everyone is dangerous to the opponent. There is no one pronounced leader in Magnitogorsk.

— Andrey Martemyanov, who led the Amur team in 2017, recently passed away.

— It's very hard when such news comes. Condolences to his family. I knew Andrey Alekseevich very well. It's a shame when we lose such people — real professionals and good honest men who can tell everything as it is and what they think. Martemyanov was one of them.

"We played with a very structurally strong team"

Nikita Serebryakov, goalkeeper of the Avangard hockey club, talks about Lokomotiv's departure from the KHL playoffs, the Omsk club's rise in the table and his departure from SKA

— You didn't spend much time with him at Amur, but you caught the moment when Martemyanov was preparing for his first successful season in the KHL, when he led Khabarovsk to the playoffs and was promoted to Avtomobilist. How did he manage to achieve that success?

— A good skilled team has gathered. The head coach found a suitable tactic for him. Plus their home games in the Far East. Many factors worked, including luck. Andrey Alekseevich's skill and experience were also taken into account — it was no coincidence that he led each of his KHL teams to the playoffs. But it is especially significant that he did this with Cupid in both of his parishes, having different compositions. No matter how trite it may sound, the Far East is a delicate matter. You have to understand which player needs what — who needs to sleep more, someone, on the contrary, to walk and train more. It's all individual, and everyone has to find their point. And the coach should understand and feel the condition of the team. And which hockey to play at the right moment is attacking, when you are actively running forward, or, conversely, wait somewhere and play the second number, rollback and counterattack. Tambiev is very good at this at Admiral, so the guys there are great, they gave a fight to Traktor in this playoff. And Martemyanov was able to, so, for example, a year ago Amur fought worthily with Metallurg, the future winner of the Gagarin Cup.

— How was it more convenient for you to recover when traveling with Amur?

"I haven't slept in days. I came and tried to enter the Far Eastern time zone right away. I also tried to live by local time on trips. It was easier for me. It was hard because we ended the season early. We didn't make the playoffs and were already on vacation in early March. And there were four months left before the start of the preseason, and you didn't know what to do. It's better when you finish the season late and start preparing for a new one early. When you only have a month and a half of vacation. It's hard when you have a long vacation. You rest, you work out, then you rest again and you work out again — it's hard. It's easier when you're in the hockey rhythm: you rested for two weeks and started systematically preparing for the new season. In this sense, it was easier for me at SKA than at Amur, not because of the lack of long-distance flights, but because the season ended later.

— You started the current season at Astana's Barys, which was rocked by scandals in the form of two changes of head coach, the subsequent transition to work with young hockey players, and ambiguous statements from the management. How did it look from the inside?

— Yes, you know, when the management has its own cockroaches and it changes one coach, then another, nothing depends on you. You and the whole team are in shock and don't understand what will happen tomorrow. I want stability, but it's hard when it's unclear who will be fired tomorrow, who will be signed. On the other hand, if nothing depends on you, you should just go out and show your game. No one will ask you who to fire, who to appoint.

— How did you break up with Barys?

— An offer has been received from Metallurg. The agent talked to the management of Barys, and they agreed. We parted amicably, without complaint. Thanks to them for letting the champion team play in the playoffs.

— It is said about the current head coach of Barys, Galym Mambetaliev, that he practices outdated workouts with balloons and generally heavy loads.

— It's no secret that the balloons are present, and the training sessions are long. But he's the head coach. He has all the cards in his hand — these are his decisions and responsibilities.

— Have you ever encountered such methods before?

— No, if you don't take individual bursts in the MHL, when we were actually children. It happened there that you would lose a match and the next day practice without pucks. And then only after individual matches and one day. This was treated with understanding. And for this to happen in the KHL and all the time — this is the first time this has happened to me. To exercise with balloons every other day is like having breakfast.

"Thanks to such series as with Avangard, we are growing"

Lokomotiv hockey player Artur Kayumov — about the victory in the seven-match confrontation with the Omsk club, the Radulov factor and difficulties in the third period

— How did you take it?

— I was shocked at first. But then you realize that you have no choice. It must be done.

— Can we say that these are methods from the last century?

- yes. You can run with balloons in the summer preseason or before the playoffs - that's another matter. But when you run them every day or every other day, it's worth thinking about.

— Have experienced players like you, Anton Burdasov and Damir Zhafyarov tried to discuss these issues with the management and the coach?

- no. They immediately made it clear to us that this was the head coach's decision and nothing would change. Therefore, it was not discussed much.

— Is it possible to call the failure of Barys with its bet on young players, which followed in the middle of the season, natural?

— When I left, there weren't many losses yet. I don't know what has changed in the club since the New Year. But there was already no gap. Before that, Barys had somehow clung on, and then it got really bad.

— Can any of the young people who have been given regular playing practice in Astana grow into a big KHL-level player?

— There are a couple of good guys there. I won't name them, but they know their potential. God grant that there will be further trust in them. And then they will become strong hockey players.

— How did you react when a video of a conversation between Barys general manager Oleg Bolyakin and fans surfaced on social media in the fall after one of the matches, in which he complained using profanity about signing a number of players from Russia and North America over his head, calling them illiquid? Have you taken it personally?

— No, he didn't take it personally, because he didn't mention my name. But it was a shame for the other guys. It's unpleasant when a general manager says that. It doesn't matter if he thinks so or not, but it's not being said near the arena to anyone. If you think so, then come and tell it to the player's face or his agent. Just around the corner... Why is that?

— Can you call the period at Barys the most "fun" in your career?

- yes. God forbid that he remains the most "fun" in my career.

— Were you shocked by such an organization after several seasons in SKA?

— Well, I've played in the VHL in my career, so I wasn't surprised. Even though I played in SKA later, I'm not a greedy guy, but quite simple (laughs). From a simple family from Novokuznetsk, who saw everything in this life. So he was calm about the events at Barys. There are no berries for lunch or dinner — I'll calmly go and buy myself.

— Were you surprised by SKA's quick exit in the first round of the playoffs?

— Judging by how their season was going, when they finished the regular season in seventh place in the Western Conference and got to Dynamo Moscow in the first round, there is not much surprise. They had a tough opponent. We were eliminated in the first round ourselves. There are no weak teams in the playoffs right now. And it's especially difficult with people like Dynamo.