"The team doesn't play if you're messing around"

On Sunday, Moscow hosted the second-ever Match of the year, where the best Russian NHL hockey players played against their KHL counterparts. This is a rare opportunity for domestic viewers to see stars from overseas. One of the participants in the match was New York Islanders defender Alexander Romanov. In an interview with Izvestia, he shared his impressions of the event, told whether he began to see his grandfather, Russia's most decorated club coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, more often, and also commented on the continued non-admission of the Russian national team to international competitions and told how former Islanders general manager Lou Lamorello forced him to get a haircut.

— How do you like the Match of the Year?

— My impressions are only positive, just like a year ago, when I participated in the first such match. Everything was well organized. It's really cool that the match is a charity event. And all the money will go to the appropriate funds. I am glad that the maximum possible number of viewers came again and we were able to please them.

— In addition to the charitable aspect, are there other factors that motivate you to go out on the ice in the midst of your vacation?

— It's all combined. We respect our Russian hockey public. We actually play for her. Since those who play in the NHL rarely get to play in Russia in front of their compatriots living in their native country, we perceive such matches as an opportunity to let our fellow citizens watch us live. The fans love us and enjoy our game. We enjoy being supported. We are on the same team with our viewers, in fact. And, of course, the love of hockey motivates you to play in front of them. It's always a pleasure for us to go out on the ice and show everything we can.

— Are there any fears of injury in the middle of a vacation?

— I don't think there's any huge risk of injury here. After all, we are playing this match more as a friendly. We don't fight on the ice, we don't beat each other. So we are ready to show this beautiful hockey more than once.

— Do people in the stands in Moscow get sick differently than in North America?

— There is such an atmosphere in North America that one team has to beat the other. And here everything is so that "it's very nice to see you guys, we expect beautiful hockey from you, show it to us." That's all. The main thing for us is that the audience has fun. There is no task for one team to go out and destroy the other. Of course, you never want to lose — it's always nice to win. But at the same time, I want the fans to enjoy what they saw.

— At the Match of the Year, you played for the Western (NHL) team, and the Eastern (KHL) team was coached by Zinetula Bilyaletdinov. A year after he left the post of head coach of Ak Bars and retired from daily practice, did your grandfather begin to meet with you more often and come to New York?

— We are planning his arrival in New York, but he will come next year. I hadn't seen him there before. But now, yes, while his great-granddaughter is in Moscow, he sees her very often, spends whole days with her. After he stopped working as a head coach, he had more time to meet with all of us.

— According to your feelings or your conversations with him, has he finally closed the coaching issue for himself? Won't want to return to this job over time?

— No, no, there is no such desire. He said publicly that he was done with coaching. And inside the family, when we communicate, there were no signs that he had changed his mind.

— You played at CSKA under the guidance of Igor Nikitin and Dmitry Yushkevich, who, in turn, were part of Bilyaletdinov's staff in the Russian national team. Was there any influence from your grandfather's school in their work?

— It's hard to say here, because my grandfather never coached me in a professional team.

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— Did he personally work with you on vacation?

— He helped me more with advice, drew something tactically, showed me certain principles of the game that I need to understand as a defender. He's a completely different person with me compared to the one in the locker room with the hockey players and assistants. I have a family environment with him, and there is a professional one. Therefore, I cannot say how much he influenced Nikitin and Yushkevich, their views on hockey. I didn't see my grandfather coaching the team from the inside.

— And when you looked at his Ak Bars, did you compare it with what CSKA played?

— He and we had different players then. A lot depends on the coach's selection of players, who he has among the stars, checkers (forwards of the lower fourth links who devote a lot of time to defensive and power play. — Izvestia). Many factors influence how a person trains and wins.

— Were you surprised by how Nikitin and Yushkevich led Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to victory in the Gagarin Cup?

— The success was not surprising, as Yaroslavl had one of the strongest teams in the league — after all, it was in the lead all season. I would be surprised if they didn't win. Although, again, the KHL playoffs were very tight — all teams were equal. Traktor almost lost a series to Admiral in the first round, and then reached the finals. In general, everything could have turned upside down, and the playoffs would have been completely different.

— Now that Nikitin and Yushkevich have returned to CSKA, do you believe that they will return the Gagarin Cup to the club?

— I believe, of course. Maybe not immediately and not in the first year, after all, the composition of CSKA has changed a lot since their time. But people who already have experience of winning and making it to the playoffs should be able to do it. This means that they have the key to how to achieve such success. And this means that they can lead CSKA to triumph again.

— Can you explain how CSKA stayed at the top for a long time, dominating the regular season for six years in a row, reaching the Gagarin Cup final and winning it three times, first under Nikitin and then under Sergei Fedorov?

— There was a system. The right system. And the right mentality in the locker room. The guys believed in each other and in their coaches. Everything is simple. It's about the same as the other winning teams. Let's say the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup two years in a row and reach the finals for the third time. They did it once, figured out how to do it. After that, the line-up didn't change much, and the guys proved that they were the best again. It seems to me that it was the same at CSKA — Igor Valeryevich Nikitin set the right tone and the right vector. That's what happened next.

— You left for the NHL in 2020, just before the introduction of a strict salary cap in the KHL. Do you see the changes in our league in this regard when you watch its matches?

— I would say that already in 2019-2020 the league was leveling up. Before that, everything was often clear... Although, if we recall the season when Zinetula Bilyaletdinov's Ak Bars won the Gagarin Cup final against CSKA (in 2018. — Izvestia), then everything was not completely clear there.

— Even though Ak Bars won that final series 4-1 in five matches?

— Yes, anyway, in each of those matches it was not completely clear who would win. And CSKA was initially considered the favorite. They had players like Kirill Kaprizov, Ilya Sorokin and many other stars. The series started 0-0, and it was difficult to predict who would win it. It happened later that Ak Bars won.

— In March, in an interview with Sport-Express, Bilyaletdinov said that you should be able to adapt to any system of the Islanders head coach, even if it affects your attacking actions.

"That's right. And it's not just about the Islanders. You have to adapt to the system in any team. If they tell you, "please don't do that, you have another job," then you have to do it. If you act differently, you won't be on this team. Every team has its own system that you have to adhere to. Otherwise, the team doesn't play if you're messing around and don't want to listen to anyone. Therefore, of course, you always need to adjust. Not to radically change the game, but to adjust it to how you are asked.

— Legendary general manager Lou Lamarello has left the New York Islanders. What are your impressions of him?

— A great guy, direct, honest. He always tells you everything to your face. I was honest with every player. You knew that you would get a clear answer to any question.

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— Has his habit of forcing players to cut their hair short spread to you?

— Yes, you saw how I played with short hair in front of him. He made me get my hair cut twice. I cut my hair once, and he said it was too long anyway. The second time I came after the barbershop, Lamorello said, "Oh, you look like a man now."

— How did you feel about this?

— He treated me calmly. It's not a big deal.

— You still have a pretty short hairstyle, unlike what you had at CSKA. Would Lamarello's dress code have been passed now?

— No, of course not (smiles). You need to shave the entire back of your head.

— Now that Lamorello is gone, are you planning to change your image?

— I'll leave it as it is now. In principle, everything suits me. And then we'll see. As it will be, so it will be. If I want to, I'll cut my hair. Or I'll grow my hair back. Everything depends on the situation.

— During last season, Anthony Deangelo joined the New York Islanders, who was very loudly signed by SKA in the fall, and in January the St. Petersburg club abruptly terminated his contract with him. How does Tony remember Peter?

— In the kindest words.

— How do you react when the ban of the Russian national team is extended once again? Now she won't play at the next Olympics either.

— It's hard to react to this. I want to play for my national team, and I want to compete at both the World Cup and the Olympic Games. But nothing depends on us here. We can only worry about ourselves and the other guys who find themselves in this situation. Unfortunately, there is no way to influence this. But I really want to play for the Russian national team at a major tournament, bring her victory, and prove that our country is number one on the international stage.

— You are 25 years old. Do you believe that you will still play at the Olympics and the World Cup, that this ban will not last until you pass the peak of your career?

— Do I believe that we will ever be allowed in?

- yes. And that at that moment you will be at the level to be called up to the national team, and the NHL calendar will not contradict this?

— I believe in it because I want to believe. And I want to play there.