"Winning a trophy with a team is more important than an individual award"

Last week, at the KHL season closing ceremony, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl goalkeeper Daniil Isaev was named the league's best goalkeeper for the second year in a row. This happened after he won the first Gagarin Cup in the club's history with the Railwaymen in May, and two months earlier he won the regular season by a wide margin. A year ago, the 22-year-old goalkeeper reached the Gagarin Cup final with Lokomotiv, where he lost to Metallurg Magnitogorsk (0-4 in the series). This time, Yaroslavl managed to defeat Traktor Chelyabinsk (4:1) in the KHL playoff finals.

In an interview with Izvestia, Daniil Isaev shared his emotions from winning team and individual awards, told how he was influenced by the provocative statements of Traktor head coach Benoit Groux, who said before the final that Lokomotiv had excellent defense, but he could not say the same about their goalkeeper, and also appreciated the role in the success of Yaroslavl star striker Alexander Radulov, who joined the team last summer.

— What is it like to be recognized as the best goalkeeper of the KHL for the second consecutive season?

— I am very pleased with this recognition. Thanks to everyone who voted for me, despite the fact that there were two other good candidates for the title of the best goalkeeper of the season, Vladislav Podyapolsky and Nikita Serebryakov. But still, the main thing for me is not individual prizes, but team prizes. The fact that Lokomotiv managed to win the Gagarin Cup is the most encouraging thing. An individual award is already like that, an additional pleasant bonus. It was more important to win a trophy with the team.

— How did this happen?

— Due to the fact that we have a strong team, an excellent team that has always worked with maximum efficiency and carried out the installation of the coaching staff. Everyone wanted to win the Gagarin Cup and went towards this goal — we went towards it together.

— Were you influenced by Benoit Groux's words before the final episode?

— Well, you can see the result of the series. So they had an impact. Since we won, you can see for yourself how much it affected me (smiles). Or what?

— Maybe you just didn't read his statements and didn't think about them during the finale.

— Well, I knew about it. I didn't read that statement, but I knew about it.

— Did it affect your game?

— I tried to play as well as possible. But I wasn't bothered to prove anything. I wasn't interested. My goal was to win the final. Therefore, I tried not to focus on someone's statements. Yes, it did add some extra motivation. But in any case, I, like the whole team, initially had a very serious mindset to win. And we achieved what we wanted.

— How have you improved compared to the previous season, when Lokomotiv lost the final to Metallurg, but you were also recognized as the best goalkeeper?

— We have become more experienced and smarter. We have drawn certain conclusions — the right conclusions. That's the result. And I'm talking about everyone at Lokomotiv, not just myself.

— What has changed at Lokomotiv since Alexander Radulov joined the team?

— We won a trophy, that's what changed. In fact, he has brought a lot to the team. First of all, energy and courage. The atmosphere in the locker room has changed significantly under Radulov. And it helped us a lot to win the trophy.